Theft of license plates from a car, Article 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

Stealing license plates from cars can be a criminal act or an administrative offense.
In a critical situation, it is important not to lose composure. How and where to go if license plates are stolen from a car, what will help you avoid liability for offenses that you did not commit? Multi-channel free hotline Legal advice on criminal law. Every day from 9.00 to 21.00

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Concept

The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, as amended in 2014, criminalizes another type of act - theft of state property. numbers. No car owner is insured against theft or loss of a registration plate. Not a single safety measure or remedy guarantees complete protection for the car enthusiast. They can only significantly reduce the likelihood of such an incident.

In any case, having a car requires its owner to have at least minimal knowledge, which, if necessary, will help take a legally correct position in order to protect himself and his vehicle.

Sanction Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for criminal penalties for theft of car registration plates.

Based on the disposition of the article, theft can pursue two goals:

Extorting money from the owner for return.
Using them to place them on another machine while committing a crime.

Sometimes, after leaving the car in the parking lot, the returning motorist discovers a note with a phone number in the place of the stolen sign. Over the phone, the criminals offer to transfer a certain amount of money to a bank card in exchange for return. However, complying with the thieves' demands does not guarantee that the stolen goods will be returned.

As practice shows, the first thing to do is to inspect the surrounding area. As a rule, stolen property is hidden not far from the place of theft, since it is not profitable for criminals to keep license plates twisted from someone else’s car.

In this case, all the anonymity of the scheme with unauthorized SIM cards of mobile phones, bank cards, and electronic wallets will not help to avoid a conviction when catching criminals.

An alternative sanction for committing such a criminal act is provided by the legislator. The perpetrators may be subject to one of several types of punishment - a fine, compulsory or correctional labor, or imprisonment. The size and duration of punishment for general and qualified personnel differ.

We come to an agreement with the scammer

We call or write SMS to the phone left under the wiper. We are told the ransom amount and the Qiwi wallet. An ordinary number is valued at 2,500, a beautiful one – at 10,000 rubles.

No amount of persuasion, entreaties, attacks, or curses against the thief will help. This is a criminal business. The issue can only be resolved with money.

We look for the nearest terminal, transfer the fee, and in response we receive the coordinates of the place where the number is hidden.

Return time : up to two hours.

Minuses:

Firstly, by transferring money you have just supported the crime and confirmed its profitability. Now in your area the numbers will be rolled up more often. You too. If you paid the first time, that means you’ll pay the second time too...
Secondly, you will feel like a loser for at least a year. Bro, you don't even have to tell anyone about the incident. But in your heart, the thought that you were scammed by a migrant worker or a local drug addict who didn’t have enough for a dose will be more pressing than a multi-ton press.
Thirdly, after transferring money, the numbers are not always found. The district police officer told how the scammers tricked one girl into three transactions until they realized that she had run out of money, and only then did they tell her the correct amount.

Characteristics of the crime

The object and subject of the theft of registration plates do not coincide. The object is the state-guaranteed safety of registration plates and the procedure for their issuance. The subject matter is the plates themselves, which are attached to the car.

The objective side is expressed in actions to seize the item by any alternative method contained in the comments to Art. 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, issued by law enforcement officials:

secret seizure;
obvious appropriation, but eyewitnesses do not realize the illegality of what is happening;
theft by deception;
confiscation for breach of trust.

According to the design of the objective side, the composition is formal.
All material consequences are outside the scope of the composition. The encroachment is considered completed at the moment of taking possession of the object. Although responsibility for committing theft begins at the age of 14, the subject of this composition is considered general due to the fact that it is not named in Art. 20 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Part 2 contains an exhaustive list of crimes for which criminal liability begins at the age of 14.

Stealing license plates from a car is only possible intentionally. The subjective side consists of direct, specific intent. The design of the clause is such that removing registration plates from a car becomes a criminal act only if there is selfish interest or an intention to commit another tort. The Criminal Code understands selfish interest as the desire to obtain income or indirect benefit.

Thus, the motive as an optional element of the subjective side becomes constituent and obligatory.

How can you protect yourself from license plate theft?

Not a single car owner is immune from the actions of third parties whose goal is to enrich themselves by stealing other people’s license plates. However, a number of preventive measures can reduce this likelihood.

The most effective method is special reinforced frames for state signs. The anti-vandal frame is an additional bumper that is attached to a much larger number of screws or bolts than the number itself. State the sign is mounted inside this frame, after which the entire structure is once again fixed with bolts or screws. The edges of the sign do not extend beyond the frame. Thus, it will take the attacker much more time and effort to remove the number, which eyewitnesses to the crime will clearly notice.

Try to leave your car in unguarded parking lots less often. An extra 5-10 minutes of travel will save your nerves and money on finding and restoring stolen numbers.

The theft of state signs from a car is a common crime, the victim of which can be any car owner. For any questions, you can consult our lawyers.

Qualifying characteristics and differentiation from related crimes

Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in the second paragraph, the qualifying feature provides for the commission of a crime in complicity.

The legislator included an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation providing for the theft of state. numbers, two types of participation with distribution of roles are indicated:

A group of persons by prior conspiracy.
Organized group.

Sanctions against qualified personnel have been tightened.
This is due to the fact that group torts are the most serious, with a large number of criminal episodes. Often, organized groups are part of criminal syndicates that are engaged in a specific type of criminal activity. Accordingly, crimes committed by groups cause greater harm to public order.

The issue of distinguishing between related elements is relevant in the work of an investigator or interrogator in the process of qualifying an act. In terms of the subject of the criminal offense, the composition of the criminal act provided for in Art. 326 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The species and direct objects of adjacent compositions coincide. Subject of the crime Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is fully covered by the subject of Art. 326, which can be:

state registration plate;
VIN or vehicle identification code;
digital body or chassis code.

Thus, if the items coincide, the distinction between the elements is based on the objective side: counterfeit, sale or destruction in Art. 326, illegal seizure in Art. 325 1.

What to do if your numbers are stolen

State theft
numbers before the criminalization of the act acquired such a wide scope that one could talk about the so-called sign business. Of course, such a scenario is also possible when the license plates are simply hidden in retaliation against the car owner. In this situation, the perpetrator does not face criminal prosecution, but it will also not be possible to completely escape responsibility if caught. If you discover a loss, the only correct decision is to contact the nearest police station. The driver is prohibited from using his car with missing license plates, so he cannot go to the police on his own to file a theft report. You need to call a tow truck.

There are two ways to recover lost numbers:

Making duplicates.
Receiving new numbers.

In the second case, the vehicle will have to be re-registered.

In case of loss of car license plates, the owner has no obligation to re-register his vehicle, since the Rules for Registration of Motor Vehicles do not contain such instructions.

However, by following the path of least resistance and receiving a duplicate, the owner risks being held liable for offenses or even crimes that he did not commit.

For example, attackers can put license plates on another car. All traffic violations recorded by cameras or employees in protocols and addressed to the car owner can be the smallest nuisance.

A much more serious problem may be the situation when criminals commit a serious crime in this car: robbery, vehicle theft, kidnapping or hitting a pedestrian.

Therefore, for their own safety, a driver who has been injured by criminals must report the incident to the police as soon as possible. After this, he will be issued a document recording the fact of loss, and the number itself will fall into the wanted category and will become unavailable for use by criminals.

We are looking for numbers on our own

Inspect the area around the car within a radius of 150 meters . Pay special attention to holes in walls, landfills (if there are any nearby), playgrounds, benches, and trees. Don't care what others think about you. Explore the area, look for numbers.

Thieves never take the license plates with them, because this is evidence for which criminal punishment is given - God forbid, the police department notices... Thieves hide the plates in nearby places that can be described to the victim over the phone. For example:

– Your number is located behind the blue garage, which is to the left of the car.

– The number is in the hollow of the tree where you parked.

– The number is behind the trash can.

– The number is on the roof of the transformer booth.

Take your time. I know of many cases where numbers were found within half an hour by the owner.

Return time : 15-30 minutes.

Disadvantages of this method : the numbers may not be detected, as in my case.

What to do if one number goes missing

There is a situation when one number is lost.
The reasons for this situation can be different and not always criminal:

the license plate simply fell off its mounts on a bad road;
a bad joke or hooligan act by an ill-wisher;
collector's desire numbers to replenish your collection;
In the process of stealing license plates, the criminals were scared away.

On automobile forums you can come across the opinion that the presence of a front sign, albeit one, will deprive the traffic police officer of the right to issue a fine. This is a common misconception. It is prohibited to drive a car even without one sign.

Installation of registration plates is carried out in strict accordance with GOST R 50577-93. According to state According to the standard, plates are installed both in front and behind the vehicle. The legislator has not provided any exceptions to this rule. Accordingly, the absence of one number entails the same legal consequences as driving without both.

To avoid fines, the car owner can, without involving the police, contact a commercial organization to make a duplicate, presenting the remaining number. However, criminals can do the same, and the car owner will have to bear responsibility for what they have done.

Thus, in the event of the loss of only one sign, it is still advisable to notify the competent authorities.

What to do if foreign license plates are stolen

The theft of car license plates from foreign citizens is a common occurrence. This is a desirable target for criminals who demand ransom for the return of stolen property. Criminals demand larger sums from such car owners, citing a more expensive restoration procedure and ignorance of the realities of a foreign country.

In reality, the algorithm of actions for a foreign citizen is similar to the general procedure:

notify local police;
write a statement about theft and receive a certified certificate regarding this fact;
submit documents for the car and a certificate from the local police to the diplomatic office of the state of which the victim is a citizen.

Further, the issue of issuing duplicate foreign license plates is dealt with by the consulate or embassy to which the foreign citizen applied.

How to protect yourself from phone numbers being stolen for ransom

The theft of license plates for the purpose of demanding ransom is a relatively new method of extortion, which originated at the end of the 2000s in the southern cities of Russia, where license plates were taken from cars in which vacationers arrived from other regions. The calculation was simple: a person at a resort is unlikely to want to spend his vacation going “up and down the authorities.” However, the scammers soon realized that time is money, especially in the capital, and the criminal business spread to Moscow. One of the first large-scale outbreaks of “license plate” thefts occurred in 2009 - on October 5, 50 license plates disappeared in the capital at once (there was a curiosity - diplomatic license plates were stolen from a car of the Italian mission). Despite statements from the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate about the measures taken, extortion soon acquired the characteristics of an epidemic: since 2011, over 14 thousand citizens have contacted the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a statement about the theft of registration plates. However, these statistics reflect only a drop in the ocean: most often, motorists either negotiate with the criminals or report the loss of license plates - in order to avoid unnecessary red tape initiating a criminal case. Whose numbers are stolen?

Over time, the thieves' "business" stabilized and acquired characteristic features that make it possible to identify the main "risk groups" - these are foreign and so-called "beautiful" license plates. For example, the owner of a car with Belarusian license plates, if they are stolen, finds himself in a real legal trap: you cannot drive without license plates, but in order to get new ones, you still have to go for them. Of course, you can contact the police and get a certificate of theft, but the paradox is that such a certificate is not a basis for violating Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. That is, formally, the inspector has the right to issue a report for driving without a license plate (which means a 5 thousand ruble fine or deprivation of rights for 1-3 months) even if there is a certificate of theft. Considering that this point is left to the discretion of the traffic police, is it any wonder that many drivers prefer to pay or sneak into Belarus furtively, at night, sometimes even by printing out and sticking fake license plates on cardboard? Owners of European marks have to contact the embassy to receive duplicates and wait for them to be sent - the process is not quick. That is why the cost of purchasing a foreign number can reach several tens of thousands of rubles.

However, buying out a “beautiful” Russian license plate can cost its owner even more: the scammers are well aware of the secret prices for such registration plates at the traffic police. What is curious is that former owners of “beautiful” numbers often suspect the police of assisting the thieves: “I called the number indicated and rashly sent them away. I just set off to get out of the market onto the road, and there they (the gays) immediately stand. I barely made a deal for 10 thousand rubles, but they weren’t allowed to go further - I had to call a tow truck. Moral: wouldn’t it have been easier to pay right away?” Let us note that such victims, as a rule, do not evoke sympathy on the Internet. “You paid some freaks, but you don’t want others?” - Auto forum users sneer at a driver who has lost a “beautiful” sign, which, at one time, cost him a lot. “Beautiful numbers are a diagnosis,” others echo. - Roll back 100 versts from Moscow, and the lieutenant from the raigai will pull you away, regardless of any numbers. Install the usual ones - and live in peace.”

However, motorists with “ordinary” license plates do not have a quiet life either: according to law enforcement officers, the theft of ordinary Russian license plates is carried out by the lowest level of swindlers - unemployed migrant workers or drug addicts. The return price rarely exceeds the amount that is required to be officially paid for the production of new signs - 2,500 rubles. Having come to terms with the fact of loss, most drivers come to the conclusion that this is a good offer - the money is the same, but time and money are saved. Moreover, as victims say, thieves are not averse to haggling and reducing the price. Of course, they don’t bother themselves with extra work - often the rolled-up license plates are hidden literally a couple of meters away: behind a garbage container, on the roof of a neighboring garage, or under a car that has been parked in the yard for a long time. However, expensive cars are a separate item - the price for returning state signs here can reach up to 10 thousand rubles: “I called them, they said – 7,000 rubles. We don’t seem to care, but the guys worked. If it’s cheaper for you to restore, restore,” says the owner of a Volkswagen Tiguan.

How to protect your number

The theft pandemic has led to the emergence of an entire market for "protection" for license plates. The basic rule for those who do not want to part with their license plates is: the signs must be screwed to the car body, and not inserted into plastic frames. Removing the number from the frame is a matter of seconds, but in the second case, attackers will have to spend additional time unscrewing the screws. The next level of protection is the use of “secrets,” that is, bolts with non-standard heads that require a special key to unscrew. Note that cheap Chinese “secret” keys on the market are only suitable for protection from amateurs - a more or less “equipped” attacker will definitely have a set of standard “secret” keys, not to mention the fact that often the “secret” bolt can be easily unscrewed with a regular tool.

It is even more reliable to attach the number to the bumper with rivets - the strength of this option is limited only by the thickness of the plastic, and the front bumper of modern cars is quite thin. “In the morning I discovered that the number plate had been pulled out along with the rivets, leaving torn holes,” the Peugeot owner complains. Finally, the ultimate option for “passive” license plate protection is a vandal-proof frame made of steel. The weight of such a frame can reach 2 kilograms, and some companies offer to additionally drill out the fastening nuts, after which it will be impossible to remove the frame with the number at all without using a cutting tool (it is not clear how the traffic police will react to this if the driver of such a car “runs over” the removal numbers). The counter part for the heavy frame is, of course, not the bumper itself, but special mounting plates on the back of the bumper. The downside of the design, perhaps, is the only price (from 5 thousand rubles, and this is without installation) and appearance - not everyone wants to carry such a piece of iron in front.

But not everyone relies solely on brute force: there are other solutions to protect numbers. For example, a volumetric microwave sensor working in tandem with a standard alarm system - its installation will cost 3-5 thousand rubles. If someone touches the numbers, the car will respond with piercing trills and blinking headlights or notify its owner using the key fob. But before you run headlong into a meeting with the attackers, you need to think twice and soberly assess your strengths - often “number hunters” work in pairs, and probable national customs can be expressed by the phrase: “We keep something in our bosom.”

How extortionists are punished

Why is plate theft thriving in Russia like no other criminal business? The fact is that catching such crooks is a very labor-intensive task for the police. If the attacker is not caught by the hand while twisting the signs, then it is very difficult to prove anything later. Of course, the telephone number left for communication is not registered to him (or is not registered to anyone at all, the SIM card was purchased in Ukraine), and it is extremely difficult to identify a criminal transferring money through various Internet wallets. If he does not forget about basic caution - and from time to time changes the ATM to withdraw money, then it is almost impossible. If the police manage to catch the thief, another question arises - what should they charge him with?

Car license plates are called “state registration plates” because they belong to the state, and not to the owner of the car. Thus, there is no victim in the case: nothing was stolen from the driver. It seems that the culprit can be “led” to extortion - but most swindlers understand this perfectly well and immediately declare that they accidentally found the sign on the street and wanted to return it for a reward. And the right to remuneration is guaranteed by the Civil Code. Thus, an attacker can only be prosecuted for fraud, and not on a large scale - for which, according to current legislation, arrest is not allowed.

Everyone understands the absurd discrepancy between crime and punishment: in February of this year, Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare a bill establishing liability for the theft of license plates. The corresponding paragraph is supposed to be added to Article 325 of the Criminal Code - “Theft or damage to documents, stamps, seals, or theft of excise duty stamps, special stamps or marks of conformity.” In the current version of the article, such crimes were punishable by a fine of 80 thousand to 200 thousand rubles, or imprisonment for up to two years.

However, experts believe that it is necessary to eradicate a profitable “business” not by tightening punishment, but by cutting off the branch on which, figuratively speaking, the swindlers are sitting: that is, it is necessary to make the process of obtaining new numbers easy and cheap: “If only it were possible in an application form , having documents for a car, order new license plates from Gosznak - this criminal business would immediately disappear. In addition, people wouldn’t have to drive with wrinkled and peeling license plates after an accident,” said Blue Buckets coordinator Petr Shkumatov.

Note that Russia is not the only country where license plates are stolen. In the United States, stolen license plates are used to deceive the video recording system of violations. But it would not occur to criminals to extort money for their return - the fact is that the driver will receive temporary duplicate license plates free of charge and right at the place of theft, and new plates will be brought to his home (their production will cost the driver $100).

What to do if numbers of another region or city are stolen

Vehicle owners from other regions become victims of criminals who steal state registration plates. signs more often than others. According to the logic of the criminals, this situation for the motorist is complicated by the inability to return to their region to re-register the license plate. This opinion is another misconception, since it is not necessary to return to the place of registration of the vehicle.

The driver's procedure remains unchanged:

filing an incident report;
making duplicates in a company providing similar services where the incident occurred;
re-registration of the vehicle after returning to your region.

The main thing for the victim is not to lose composure, know your rights and be aware of the degree of your own responsibility for taking or avoiding the necessary steps.

Report to the police about license plate theft

The loss of car registration plates can occur not only due to theft, they can simply be lost. The driver will have to inform the police in any case. The car owner decides for himself what reason for the loss to indicate in the application.

When contacting the police, the driver has the right to indicate one of the reasons for the loss of license plates:

Theft.
Unexplained circumstances, which implies a non-criminal background to the incident.

Drivers often do not file a complaint about the theft of license plates due to the length of the procedure for obtaining new license plates, without which it is impossible to use the car.
And although the detection rate of such crimes is low and usually such cases do not become the subject of judicial review, the driver will not be able to use his car until the end of the investigative measures. For these reasons, drivers most often report loss under unknown circumstances. However, as a result of such decisions, the crime is hidden, allowing this criminal “business” to flourish.

Making a duplicate number

It couldn't be simpler:

We enter the query “duplicate license plates” into the search engine;
We choose the company we like that produces the numbers;
We send by mail a scanned copy of the vehicle registration certificate with a driver’s license and inform you of the required license plate number that needs to be restored;
We are waiting for the courier to deliver the finished plates.

Is this legal? Yes.

Amendments to the law in 2013 made the production of duplicate license plates legal. The price with delivery is only 1800 rubles.

Time : 2-4 hours.

Cons : you ordered new duplicates, and someone else found the “old” originals, put them on your car, on which...

I started driving along the highway under speed cameras. You will pay the fines. Every single one of them. Most likely, the total check will have four zeros.
He hit a pedestrian and fled the scene of the accident. In an hour, the investigators will get you out of bed in the middle of the night and you will spend a long time explaining in jail why I’m not me and my ass is not mine.
Robbed collectors. Here, dude, you're really in trouble.

By making a duplicate of a stolen registration plate, we are playing red and black with fate. It is quite possible that everything will work out, you will ride around the city with duplicates as if nothing had happened. But shit happens.

How to write about theft, when and where to file

You can report theft to the police in any of the following ways:

orally;
in writing.

An application for theft can be written by the victim in his own hand (written method of filing an application) or submitted by signing a protocol (oral method). The protocol is filled out from the words of the victim at the police station by the operational duty officer.

In both cases, the application must contain information about the applicant, a detailed description of the circumstances of the theft: time, place, accompanying events, evidence of the ransom demand. The application must contain the essence of the requirement - a request to initiate a criminal case regarding the theft.

When faced with the theft of license plates from a car, the last thing a car enthusiast thinks about is the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The main questions asked by the victim relate to the timing and addressees of the appeal:

The law does not contain clearly defined time limits for filing a statement of theft, except for the general deadlines for bringing to justice. But since the lack of license plates impedes the operation of the car, it is advisable to submit such an appeal as soon as possible after identifying the loss.
A statement of jurisdiction is submitted to the police station nearest to the scene of the event. The operational officer on duty is obliged to accept the citizen’s statement, even if the case is subsequently dismissed for lack of evidence.

Correct and timely contacting the police will help to avoid many problems with the competent authorities later.

Nuances of action

If you fall for extortionists and they want a certain amount for license plates, then there is no need to panic right away. As practice shows, such thefts occur almost every day, and there are a lot of such cases in the police archives and there are often cases when, even after paying the money, the license plates from the car are never returned. Therefore, you should not rely on the integrity of thieves, because it is quite possible to become a victim of deception.

In the event of a ransom being extorted, the police recommend not to panic and to think about where the thieves could have hidden the numbers. Most likely this could be somewhere near the car. So it’s worth thoroughly searching everything within a radius of 400 meters from the car. This is all because extortionists are unlikely to want to walk around the city with someone else’s license plates; the best thing for him would be to hide them somewhere nearby and then extort money. It is important to take into account where the thief could have run and look for all possible places where signs can be hidden.

Thus, if you lose your license plates, there is no need to panic. It is best to follow the instructions posted above and eventually get your numbers back or get new ones for yourself and protect yourself from liability for the criminal use of stolen numbers.

What punishment and responsibility are provided?

Illegal seizure of state numbers are provided for by both criminal and administrative legislation. What makes this act a crime is the presence of grave consequences from its commission, which are not included in the structure of the criminal article.

Punishment for a crime and for an administrative tort is provided for in the relevant articles of the codes - criminal and administrative offenses:

The mildest criminal punishment under Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - a fine, the most severe - imprisonment. The fine can reach 200 thousand rubles, imprisonment cannot exceed 1 year. The same crime, committed with complicity, entails tougher sanctions - an increase in the size of the fine and the terms of other punishment. After serving, the perpetrators will have a criminal record.
Administrative measures entail milder sanctions and do not provide for consequences in the form of a criminal record. The same tort of confiscation of registration plates, which does not contain signs of a criminal act, is provided for in Art. 19.37 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The maximum that can be imposed for an administrative offense is a fine not exceeding 5 thousand rubles, or administrative arrest for no more than 15 days.

The distinction between criminal and administrative torts is made according to the constituent element of the crime - the motive for committing the act.

Administrative and criminal liability

Illegal confiscation of plates with a number is prosecuted administratively in the absence of signs of a crime in the act.

In practice, the differentiation process looks like this:

In the absence of legal grounds, a person appropriates the registration plates of someone else's car.
The pursued goal is hooligan motives, a desire for revenge, or some other reason.

If both elements are present together, the right

the user qualifies the act as an administrative offense. The main thing is that the motives for committing the act do not coincide with those listed in Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. An administrative offense poses a lesser public danger and entails the imposition of an administrative penalty.

Criminal liability was introduced by the legislator relatively recently - in 2014.

The legislator specifies two criteria as grounds for classifying an act as criminal:

presence of selfish motive;
intent to commit a grave or especially grave crime.

Criminal liability for unlawful taking of state property. number are attracted when at least one incentive specified in Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Because motive is often difficult to prove, a low percentage of such criminal cases go to trial. Usually everything is limited to administrative punishment.

In addition, the injured drivers themselves, trying to undergo re-registration as soon as possible, do not indicate in their statements the real reason for the loss, citing unclear circumstances. All this significantly reduces the effectiveness of law enforcement officers’ attempts to combat this type of criminal “business” such as the theft of car plates.