Norway's car owners are facing a growing threat that fuels serious crime: the theft of their vehicle license plates. A recent incident in Drammen, where police stopped a stolen car on false plates, underscores a national trend where stolen identifiers become tools for robbery, drug trafficking, and evading tolls.
A Drammen Incident Exposes the Problem
Police in Drammen recently stopped a driver who attempted to flee a traffic control. The vehicle was confirmed stolen, fitted with false license plates, and operated by a driver without a license and suspected of being under the influence. This case is not isolated. It represents a common endpoint for thousands of license plates reported missing across Norway each year. Officials state that stolen plates are frequently used to disguise vehicles involved in other criminal acts.
The Scale of the Issue
Fresh figures from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) reveal the scope of the problem. Last year, 13,452 cases were reported to police where vehicle owners had their license plates stolen or lost. This marks a significant increase from approximately 11,000 cases reported in 2018. The actual number of missing plates is believed to be considerably higher, as some reported cases involve vehicles losing both plates while others lose only one. "We do not have figures on the exact number of plates lost, since the reported cases concern vehicles that can have either one or two plates," explained senior advisor Lars Odvar Johansen at Statens vegvesen.
Official Advice for Car Owners
Authorities are clear on the required course of action for vehicle owners. The imperative is to report the loss immediately to prevent significant personal and legal consequences. "You must report to the police when you lose your plates or they are stolen. You must do this as quickly as possible," Johansen stated. Plates on the loose can be placed on another vehicle. There are several reasons someone wants to put other plates on a vehicle, for example to carry out criminal acts or to avoid toll charges and parking fees. Failure to report puts the registered owner at risk of being held liable for fines, tolls, or even crimes committed by the vehicle using their plates. "If you have not reported it, these claims will be sent to you. If you have reported the loss of the plates, you have good documentation and it is easier to dismiss any claims that might appear," Johansen said, urging car owners to regularly check their plates.
From Simple Theft to Organized Crime
The concern over license plate theft as a facilitator for more serious crime is long-standing. Runar Karlsen, a former chief of the National Criminal Investigation Service and now a directorate director, voiced concerns as early as 2012 about a rise in such thefts. Karlsen noted that the intent behind stealing license plates is often to conceal other criminality. This can include their use in profit-driven crimes like burglaries or robberies. Furthermore, stolen plates can be attached to cars transporting illegal goods across Norway's borders, complicating law enforcement efforts. The ease of the theft itself compounds the problem. On newer cars, a thief can remove the plates in mere seconds, making it a low-risk, high-reward criminal activity.
A Call for Vigilance
For Norwegian drivers, the message is straightforward yet critically important. What might seem like a minor nuisance—a missing license plate—can quickly spiral into a serious legal and financial headache. It also indirectly enables activities that undermine public safety. Regular visual checks of your vehicle, especially after parking in public areas, are now a necessary habit. In a country where trust in public systems is high, this crime exploits that very trust, transferring liability from the criminal to the innocent with a few quick turns of a screw. As criminal techniques evolve, does the response from both authorities and manufacturers need to become more proactive to protect car owners from this form of identity theft?