Registration Numbers Club

Big Brother is Alive and Well!

Manchester is the first city outside the capital to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to capture, it is claimed, up to 600,000 vehicle details every day. According to the police, the system will bring ‘enormous benefits’ in the fight against terrorism, crime and car theft. The data will be stored for up to five years leading civil rights organisations to say that it is just another step towards a ‘Big Brother’ state.

The fixed cameras, which can scan vehicles travelling at speeds up to 100mph, are installed on 12 major routes into the city and details of the registration, vehicle colour and the time will be recorded, but not an actual photograph. The information will be used to identify stolen vehicles, track cars used by criminals, suspected terrorists and banned drivers and spot vehicle licence and insurance dodgers.

But is it right that civilians should be subjected to this kind of mass surveillance as they simply go about their private daily business? There is surely no problem with it being used to locate stolen vehicles or to catch those failing to pay for tax or insurance. And, again, no one would surely object to it being used to locate those suspected of being involved in criminal activities. But mass surveillance along these lines and such lengthy storage of data effectively challenges our civil liberties.

Greater Manchester Police already use mobile ANPR cameras. Fixed cameras are also situated at the Trafford Centre, one of the largest shopping centres in the northwest.
Now that a congestion charging scheme has been announced for Manchester, how convenient the new ANPR cameras will be to help process payments, a point strenuously denied by GM Police of course!

The Lengths Some People Go To

Recently, a Gloucestershire man cut his car in half with a disc cutter in protest at it being clamped outside his house. The untaxed Ford Fiesta which had been correctly notified to the DVLA as being off-road was parked on his drive but had just part of a rear wheel over the pavement.

Apparently the vehicle was going to be scrapped but when the owner arrived home from work, representatives from NCP Services told him he would be fined £200.00 and the car would be confiscated. NCP claimed that, as part of the car was over the footpath, it should have been taxed.

The owner made several attempts to explain that the vehicle had a Statutory Off Road Notification certificate (SORN) and confirmed it had not been driven on public roads but all this was to no avail. Instead of letting NCP confiscate it, the owner decided to cut it in half, offering them the half that was allegedly over the pavement.

But surely a little common sense could have prevailed and an initial warning given by the NCP operatives which would have been far better than letting the situation develop into such a farce. Luckily no one was hurt and the only damage was to the car. So, classic car owners out there, who take vehicles off the road during the winter months, please note. If even your bumper sticks out onto public space you are likely to get a visit.

Scottish Meeting

On Tuesday 27 May 2008 the Registration Numbers Club held a small mid-week gathering in Scotland at the picturesque town of Blair Atholl. Club member Sam Murray from Aberdeen organised this get together just after the May bank holiday. Members met at the historic Blair Castle where they toured the historic building.

A scenic drive along the banks of Loch Tummel followed, ending at nearby Pitlochry Golf Club where an evening supper was enjoyed. Visit www.rnc.cc for further photographs of the event.

Summer Rally 2008

The Registration Numbers Club held its annual rally on Sunday 6 July 2008 at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire with a splendid display of cherished number plates. A well attended dinner for members was held on the previous evening at the Greyhound Coaching Inn & Hotel in the nearby market town of Lutterworth. A full report will appear in the next issue but, if you can’t wait until then, please visit www.rnc.cc where prize winners are pictured.

The RNC shared the venue with the Velocette Owners Club this year and had a mutually beneficial weekend with many visitors taking away details of the club.

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