vehicle-cloning reports

Response

Avon and Somerset Police’s online vehicle cloning reporting form was introduced in November 2023. As the form was not available before this date, no data is held for January to October 2023. The figures below cover the period from November 2023 to 13 August 2026.

 

Question 1-3 have been copied below in bold and our answer follows:

 

1. Whether each figure represents a unique police report.

Yes. Each figure represents an individual submission received through the relevant online reporting form.

2. Whether the form is specifically for cloned vehicle registration plates.

Yes. The forms listed below were designed to allow members of the public to report suspected vehicle registration plate cloning.

3. Whether the reporting form was available throughout the whole period, and whether any changes were made to the reporting process that could affect year-on-year comparisons.

The online reporting process was introduced in November 2023 and was therefore not available for the whole of 2023. Since its introduction, the reporting forms have been amended on several occasions to improve the information and supporting evidence submitted with reports. These changes may have affected reporting volumes and should therefore be taken into account when making year-on-year comparisons.

 

The number of vehicle-cloning reports submitted through Avon & Somerset Police’s online reporting form is shown below.

 

Form	Period Used	2023	2024	2025	2026
Report vehicle cloning and upload evidence	Introduced 03/2025 – current form			999	638**
Report Suspected Cloning	03/2025 to 02/2026			133	21
Report vehicle cloning	11/2023 to 03/2025	161*	1,137	203
Sum		161	1,137	1,335	659

* from November 2023

** until 13 August 2026