Confusing the number plate recognition cameras...

[_]

It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.

But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

[Alasdair]

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:36:54 GMT, _

Post by _
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Does the camera not simply take a photograph?

[Dr Zoidberg]

Post by Alasdair
On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:36:54 GMT, _

Post by _
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Does the camera not simply take a photograph?

But they then have to interpret that picture , identify the numberplate in
the image , and read the letters and numbers.

I suppose it would be possible to have a pattern surrounding it that could
confuse this , but it wouldn't be eassy to achieve and would potentially be
classed as attempting to pervert the course of justice if you were doing it
to avoid being caught for no insurance , etc.
If you vehicle is legal anyway then you don't have anything to worry about
from ANPR , and if you do go past a camera van with your camouflage in place
then it's likely you'll get pulled anyway which it's unreadable.

[Alasdair]

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:01:16 +0100, "Dr Zoidberg"

Post by Dr Zoidberg
But they then have to interpret that picture , identify the numberplate in
the image , and read the letters and numbers.
I suppose it would be possible to have a pattern surrounding it that could
confuse this , but it wouldn't be eassy to achieve and would potentially be
classed as attempting to pervert the course of justice if you were doing it
to avoid being caught for no insurance , etc.
If you vehicle is legal anyway then you don't have anything to worry about
from ANPR , and if you do go past a camera van with your camouflage in place
then it's likely you'll get pulled anyway which it's unreadable.
--
Alex

Surely if the numberplate meets the statutory requirements, they can
do little about it. I'm not aware of any law which says that a
numberplate has to be camera readable. The OP didn't intend to alter
the numberplate, just put some decoration on his car.

[Graham Moore]

Post by Alasdair
Surely if the numberplate meets the statutory requirements, they can
do little about it. I'm not aware of any law which says that a
numberplate has to be camera readable. The OP didn't intend to alter
the numberplate, just put some decoration on his car.

I think you are wrong there. The fonts, sizes, spacing, colours are all
very specifically laid out just to aid things like ANPR.

Altering the spacing of digits to produce a more personalized plate
could result in an MOT failure or risk being pulled over by the plod.

G.

[Adrian]

Post by Alasdair

Post by _
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor
car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Does the camera not simply take a photograph?

Speed cameras, yes.
ANPR cameras, no.

There's a clue in the name. Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

[Aidy]

Post by Adrian
There's a clue in the name. Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

And if you had number plate paintwork how would it tell what your plate was?
The point of the question was fooling the number plate recognition software.

Have to admit it's a good question, one I've never thought of before :) No
doubt PtCoJ though, like laser jammers.

[Adrian]

Post by Aidy

Post by Adrian
There's a clue in the name. Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

And if you had number plate paintwork how would it tell what your plate
was? The point of the question was fooling the number plate recognition
software.

Oh, it'd certainly fool the software.

But it wouldn't fool RealLivePlod, who would be on your arse like a ton
of bricks.

[Graham Murray]

Post by Adrian
But it wouldn't fool RealLivePlod, who would be on your arse like a ton
of bricks.

Why? The number plate would still meet all the requirements given in the
regulations.

[Alasdair]

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:43:33 +0000 (UTC), Adrian

Post by Adrian
But it wouldn't fool RealLivePlod, who would be on your arse like a ton
of bricks.

But if RealLivePlod could read the number, why would there be a
problem?

[Palindrome]

Post by Aidy

Post by Adrian
There's a clue in the name. Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

And if you had number plate paintwork how would it tell what your plate was?
The point of the question was fooling the number plate recognition software.
Have to admit it's a good question, one I've never thought of before :) No
doubt PtCoJ though, like laser jammers.

I would assume that the ANPR system relies heavily on edge detection.
The sensor presumably requires finite time to capture an image. A much
shorter time than human visual persistence.

A number of resonant ceramic transducers, hidden between number plate
and car, might do the job nicely. The ANPR would only get blurred
images, whereas, to the eyes of the police officers, the number plate
would appear fine. In fact, better than fine, the process should keep
the number plate spotless.

Anyone want to buy an "automatic number plate cleaning system"?

--
Sue

[Cynic]

Post by Palindrome
A number of resonant ceramic transducers, hidden between number plate
and car, might do the job nicely. The ANPR would only get blurred
images, whereas, to the eyes of the police officers, the number plate
would appear fine. In fact, better than fine, the process should keep
the number plate spotless.
Anyone want to buy an "automatic number plate cleaning system"?

You'd need to vibrate the plate to at least 10% of the width of the
lines in the letters of the plate - which would give a noticeable blur
to the human eye (besides needing *lots* of power)

Another way would be to insert infra-red LEDs into holes drilled
through the numbers. Get the type of IR LEDs that are black in
colour, and carefully sand them to be flush with the number. The
number plate will look perfectly OK to the eye, but with the LEDs
switched on will be covered in large white dots to the ANPR camera,
obliterating the number.

Test the installation by taking a photograph with a normal digital
camera, most of which are sensitive to infrared to some degree.

[Oscar Fister]

The best working systems would not be discussed here.

[Periander]

Post by Oscar Fister
The best working systems would not be discussed here.

And to date none of the suggestions made would work, I'm afraid though that
you'd have to trust me on that.

[Cynic]

Post by Periander

Post by Oscar Fister
The best working systems would not be discussed here.

And to date none of the suggestions made would work, I'm afraid though that
you'd have to trust me on that.

I bet my IR LED suggestion would work. Or maybe find a paint that is
black to visible light but highly reflective to IR, if such a thing
exists, and paint the numbers and letters with it.

The ANPR cameras may have IR filters, but I doubt they are good enough
to block direct light from a strong IR emitter. A normal camcorder
usually has IR blocking filters, but try looking at the front end of
an operating TV remote through the display of a camcorder (or digital
still camera).

[Mike_B]

Post by Cynic

Post by Periander

Post by Oscar Fister
The best working systems would not be discussed here.

And to date none of the suggestions made would work, I'm afraid though that
you'd have to trust me on that.

I bet my IR LED suggestion would work. Or maybe find a paint that is
black to visible light but highly reflective to IR, if such a thing
exists, and paint the numbers and letters with it.

<G> So we defeat it by using a substance that may not exist...

[Cynic]

Post by Mike_B

Post by Cynic

Post by Periander

Post by Oscar Fister
The best working systems would not be discussed here.

And to date none of the suggestions made would work, I'm afraid though that
you'd have to trust me on that.

I bet my IR LED suggestion would work. Or maybe find a paint that is
black to visible light but highly reflective to IR, if such a thing
exists, and paint the numbers and letters with it.

<G> So we defeat it by using a substance that may not exist...

No, by using black IR LEDs which certainly *do* exist - and are very
cheap. My *alternative* solution might not exist (but I suspect that
it does)

[Ophelia]

Post by Mike_B

Post by Cynic

Post by Periander

Post by Oscar Fister
The best working systems would not be discussed here.

And to date none of the suggestions made would work, I'm afraid
though that you'd have to trust me on that.

I bet my IR LED suggestion would work. Or maybe find a paint that is
black to visible light but highly reflective to IR, if such a thing
exists, and paint the numbers and letters with it.

<G> So we defeat it by using a substance that may not exist...

But if we don't know what it is, the police won't either....................

[Periander]

Post by Cynic

Post by Periander

Post by Oscar Fister
The best working systems would not be discussed here.

And to date none of the suggestions made would work, I'm afraid though
that you'd have to trust me on that.

I bet my IR LED suggestion would work. Or maybe find a paint that is
black to visible light but highly reflective to IR, if such a thing
exists, and paint the numbers and letters with it.
The ANPR cameras may have IR filters, but I doubt they are good enough
to block direct light from a strong IR emitter. A normal camcorder
usually has IR blocking filters, but try looking at the front end of
an operating TV remote through the display of a camcorder (or digital
still camera).

Nope, wrong track entirely - OK well maybe you'd beat one or two of
commercial systems, but not many and certainly not the ones I've seen.

[Norman Wells]

Post by Periander

Post by Cynic

Post by Periander

Post by Oscar Fister
The best working systems would not be discussed here.

And to date none of the suggestions made would work, I'm afraid though
that you'd have to trust me on that.

I bet my IR LED suggestion would work. Or maybe find a paint that is
black to visible light but highly reflective to IR, if such a thing
exists, and paint the numbers and letters with it.
The ANPR cameras may have IR filters, but I doubt they are good enough
to block direct light from a strong IR emitter. A normal camcorder
usually has IR blocking filters, but try looking at the front end of
an operating TV remote through the display of a camcorder (or digital
still camera).

Nope, wrong track entirely - OK well maybe you'd beat one or two of
commercial systems, but not many and certainly not the ones I've seen.

What's wrong with just having false number plates?

[Cynic]

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:12:49 +0100, "Norman Wells"

Post by Norman Wells

Post by Periander
Nope, wrong track entirely - OK well maybe you'd beat one or two of
commercial systems, but not many and certainly not the ones I've seen.

What's wrong with just having false number plates?

You would need to ensure that the false number plate is of a
legitimate vehicle with tax & insurance. It would also need to be of
the same model & colour car that it is fitted to in order to be
reasonably safe to use.

You would then be hostage to fortune - if the car the plate is cloned
from is taken off road for any reason, you would be pulled over PDQ.
If you tripped a speed camera without noticing, the NIP would be sent
to the keeper of the cloned car who would probably contest it,
resulting in the cloning being exposed and every policeman looking for
your car.

Cloned plates are fine for a short time, e.g. a one-off robbery etc.,
but would be very dangerous to keep on your car for any longer.

You could of course fit a foreign plate to avoid those problems, but
could then stand a higher chance of a random stop, especially if the
country of the plate does not match the side the car's steering-wheel
is fitted, or other things noticed in the car whilst it is parked are
at odds with the purported country of registration.

[Cynic]

Post by Periander

Post by Cynic
The ANPR cameras may have IR filters, but I doubt they are good enough
to block direct light from a strong IR emitter. A normal camcorder
usually has IR blocking filters, but try looking at the front end of
an operating TV remote through the display of a camcorder (or digital
still camera).

Nope, wrong track entirely - OK well maybe you'd beat one or two of
commercial systems, but not many and certainly not the ones I've seen.

Why would an ANPR camera not detect an IR light source ?

[w***@gmail.com]

Where do I get this?

[Graham.]

Post by w***@gmail.com
Where do I get this?

HTH

[pamela]

Post by Graham.

Post by w***@gmail.com
Where do I get this?

http://youtu.be/svdNknIFlUM
HTH

I don't know about that James Bond contraption but, at one time,
it was said Elnett hair spray left a deposit on the number plates
which would confuse the cameras. That's what I was told years
ago.

[Phil L]

Post by pamela

Post by Graham.

Post by w***@gmail.com
Where do I get this?

http://youtu.be/svdNknIFlUM
HTH

I don't know about that James Bond contraption but, at one time,
it was said Elnett hair spray left a deposit on the number plates
which would confuse the cameras. That's what I was told years
ago.

No doubt started by Mr Ellnet

[burfordTjustice]

On Fri, 03 Mar 2017 17:27:46 GMT

Post by pamela

Post by Graham.

Post by w***@gmail.com
Where do I get this?

http://youtu.be/svdNknIFlUM
HTH

I don't know about that James Bond contraption but, at one time,
it was said Elnett hair spray left a deposit on the number plates
which would confuse the cameras. That's what I was told years
ago.

LOL "There's a sucker born every minute"

[harry]

Post by w***@gmail.com
Where do I get this?

Er..... you're replying to a nine year old post.

[p***@tesco.net]

An easy way to confuse the camera is to out a GB plate near to the front or end of number plate or even a thick line like a 1

[Adrian]

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor
car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

[Francis Burton]

Post by Adrian

Post by _
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor
car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

But if one has nothing to hide, then no harm is done by hiding
nothing?

Francis

[Essex Laptops - Andy Usher]

Post by Francis Burton

Post by Adrian

Post by _
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor
car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

But if one has nothing to hide, then no harm is done by hiding
nothing?
Francis

I disagree, If someone has it in for you they can just make anonymous calls
to crimestoppers giving your Reg Plate and saying your involved in the
supply of drugs for intance, a record is made and when that persons vehicle
iss flagged on the ANPR then there is every possiblility you willl be pulled
up for no valid reason. This just one example of how the Police abuse the
system.

[Aidy]

Post by Essex Laptops - Andy Usher
I disagree, If someone has it in for you they can just make anonymous
calls to crimestoppers giving your Reg Plate and saying your involved in
the supply of drugs for intance, a record is made and when that persons
vehicle iss flagged on the ANPR then there is every possiblility you willl
be pulled up for no valid reason. This just one example of how the Police
abuse the system.

We'll gloss over the fact that your scenario is unlikely to be true.
However assuming it is, why is that an example of the police abusing the
system?

[Essex Laptops - Andy Usher]

Post by Aidy

Post by Essex Laptops - Andy Usher
I disagree, If someone has it in for you they can just make anonymous
calls to crimestoppers giving your Reg Plate and saying your involved in
the supply of drugs for intance, a record is made and when that persons
vehicle iss flagged on the ANPR then there is every possiblility you
willl be pulled up for no valid reason. This just one example of how the
Police abuse the system.

We'll gloss over the fact that your scenario is unlikely to be true.
However assuming it is, why is that an example of the police abusing the
system?

Watch the Traffic Cops on Sky and you will see that the pulled over a car a
Citroen C5 just on that basis

[Aidy]

Post by Essex Laptops - Andy Usher
Watch the Traffic Cops on Sky and you will see that the pulled over a car
a Citroen C5 just on that basis

Why is that the police abusing the system?

[Alex Heney]

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:35:38 +0100, "Essex Laptops - Andy Usher"

Post by Essex Laptops - Andy Usher

Post by Aidy

Post by Essex Laptops - Andy Usher
I disagree, If someone has it in for you they can just make anonymous
calls to crimestoppers giving your Reg Plate and saying your involved in
the supply of drugs for intance, a record is made and when that persons
vehicle iss flagged on the ANPR then there is every possiblility you
willl be pulled up for no valid reason. This just one example of how the
Police abuse the system.

We'll gloss over the fact that your scenario is unlikely to be true.
However assuming it is, why is that an example of the police abusing the
system?

Watch the Traffic Cops on Sky and you will see that the pulled over a car a
Citroen C5 just on that basis

That doesn't answer his question as to why it is the police abusing
the system.

[Francis Burton]

Post by Essex Laptops - Andy Usher

Post by Francis Burton

Post by Adrian
"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

But if one has nothing to hide, then no harm is done by hiding
nothing?

I disagree, If someone has it in for you they can just make anonymous calls
to crimestoppers giving your Reg Plate and saying your involved in the
supply of drugs for intance, a record is made and when that persons vehicle
iss flagged on the ANPR then there is every possiblility you willl be pulled
up for no valid reason. This just one example of how the Police abuse the
system.

I think you misunderstood my point. I was suggesting that someone
who has not broken any law should not have reason to be flagged by
ANPR, so their making the numberplate unreadable will have no bad
consequences in terms of law enforcement. Assuming that the person
is doing no harm, they should not be penalized for it. I'm turning
the usual "if you have nothing to hide" argument on its head.

Of course, there could be benefits to having your numberplate read
and stored in the database - e.g. to provide an alibi and remove
you from a list of suspects. In this sense, you would be helping
law enforcement and avoiding hampering the police in their inquiry.

Even so, I suspect that failure to cooperate in this way would have
a miniscule effect on the ability of the police to solve crimes,
especially when compared to the pre-ANPR situation.

Why should I have my details about my movements stored on a police
state database if I have nothing to hide?

Francis

[LSR]

Post by Adrian

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a
motor car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the
appropriate colours, such that the number-plate recognition
algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

Surely a conspiracy requires the involvement of more than one person.

[M.I.5Ÿ]

Post by LSR

Post by Adrian

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a
motor car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the
appropriate colours, such that the number-plate recognition
algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

Surely a conspiracy requires the involvement of more than one person.

No surely about it - it does.

[Alec McKenzie]

Post by M.I.5Ÿ

Post by LSR

Post by Adrian

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a
motor car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the
appropriate colours, such that the number-plate recognition
algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

Surely a conspiracy requires the involvement of more than one person.

No surely about it - it does.

And also, the involvement of more than one person in doing something
can lead to a prosecution for criminal conspiracy, even if what is
being done is not in itself illegal.

[Foggy Weather]

Post by Adrian

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor
car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

Conspiring with who exactly?

[Peter Crosland]

Post by Foggy Weather

Post by Adrian

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a
motor car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the
appropriate colours, such that the number-plate recognition
algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

Conspiring with who exactl

Attempting to pervert the course of justice is also an offence as a certain
Mr. Archer once found out. It would be interesting to hear the leagl
arguments about this on both sides.

eter Crosland

***@yahoo.co.uk

[_]

Post by Peter Crosland

Post by Foggy Weather

Post by Adrian

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a
motor car which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the
appropriate colours, such that the number-plate recognition
algorithm was confused?

"Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice"?

Conspiring with who exactl

Attempting to pervert the course of justice is also an offence as a certain
Mr. Archer once found out. It would be interesting to hear the leagl
arguments about this on both sides.

One would, of course expect that in such a case, justice would have to be
actually proceeding on a course; if no offense has been committed, then
justice remains asleep.

[Peter Lynch]

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Reality check:
Even if you did this. The chance of getting a suitable pattern on your
first attempt are pretty low. How many tickets are you willing to get
while you tune the pattern to one that eventually confuses the (current
version) software?

[The Real Doctor]

Post by Peter Lynch

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Even if you did this. The chance of getting a suitable pattern on your
first attempt are pretty low. How many tickets are you willing to get
while you tune the pattern to one that eventually confuses the (current
version) software?

I presumed that by "pattern composed of the appropriate colours" he
means "stick lots of extra number plates on".

Ian

[_]

Post by The Real Doctor

Post by Peter Lynch

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Even if you did this. The chance of getting a suitable pattern on your
first attempt are pretty low. How many tickets are you willing to get
while you tune the pattern to one that eventually confuses the (current
version) software?

I presumed that by "pattern composed of the appropriate colours" he
means "stick lots of extra number plates on".

Well, no.

I was thinking of black marks on a yellow or white backgound resembling
letters and numbers - not any such marks actually BEING a letter or a
number, but having the same charcteristics (size, thickness, spacing,
complexity of form, etcetera) as the letters and numbers on the plate, such
that a machine might not be able to locate and/or read the plate correctly.

[Alex Heney]

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:17:30 GMT, _

Post by _

Post by The Real Doctor

Post by Peter Lynch

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Even if you did this. The chance of getting a suitable pattern on your
first attempt are pretty low. How many tickets are you willing to get
while you tune the pattern to one that eventually confuses the (current
version) software?

I presumed that by "pattern composed of the appropriate colours" he
means "stick lots of extra number plates on".

Well, no.
I was thinking of black marks on a yellow or white backgound resembling
letters and numbers - not any such marks actually BEING a letter or a
number, but having the same charcteristics (size, thickness, spacing,
complexity of form, etcetera) as the letters and numbers on the plate, such
that a machine might not be able to locate and/or read the plate correctly.

You could try it, but would be very unlikely to succeed.

Most ANPR cameras work from the front, so you would have to be
blocking the air inlets to be effective.

And then if plod cannot get a reading, they will just pull you over
for a manual check.

With Gatsos, again, if the software cannot detect the number, they
will check the photos manually.

the ones it *might* be effective against would be the "average speed"
cameras (SPECS).

But you would have to offset that against the fact that traffic plod
would pull you over at every opportunity, and would be *really*
looking for something to do you for.

[Mike Ross]

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Captchaplates. Love it.

Mike
--
http://www.corestore.org
'As I walk along these shores
I am the history within'

[R. Mark Clayton]

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

You mean "numberflage".

[R. Mark Clayton]

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Numberflage you mean?

[Graham.]

On Fri, 3 Mar 2017 17:52:31 -0800 (PST), "R. Mark Clayton"

Post by R. Mark Clayton

Post by _
It is, of course, illegal to obscure/alter/tamper with one's number plate.
But would it be illegal to paint the front and rear portions of a motor car
which surround the plate with a pattern, composed of the appropriate
colours, such that the number-plate recognition algorithm was confused?

Numberflage you mean?

I've always felt that the DVLA aid and abet the lawbreakers, because
most vanity plates just don't work unless they are displayed (cough)
imaginatively