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Vehicle breakers ordered to register in clampdown on cowboy ringing gangs
Page 8
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II The government plans to clamp down on vehicle ringing, where criminals take the registration details from a damaged or scrapped vehicle and put it onto a stolen one.
All 3,000-plus salvage operators in the UK will have to register with their local councils and keep records of all the vehicles they receive and sell. The Home Office estimates that this will lead to 33,000 fewer stolen vehicles each year. Under the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001, motor salvage operators will also have to obtain proof of identity from every buyer and seller. The police will be empowered to enter salvage yards and inspect any vehicle or parts without a warrant.
Home Office Minister John Denham says: "We need to tackle the cowboys operating in the salvage industry. The lack of effective regulation and policing in this area means that at the moment it is very easy to dispose of stolen vehicles."
The Act will be extended in spring 2003, making it impossible to get a logbook on a scrapped vehicle until it has gone through an examination by the Vehicle Inspectorate.
It has gone out to consultation with the transport industry, police, and local authorities until 1 March; the regulations are due to come into force col June.