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Cape Town - Three arrests in recent weeks suggest that license disc tampering is on the rise, reports the City of Cape Town.
"From these cases it is clear that the drivers are either tampering with the licence discs themselves or paying someone to do it for them. We’re also not ruling out the possibility that people with legal documents are selling photocopies to others. While licence disc fraud is not a new phenomenon, we are concerned that it is on the increase," said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.
The City of Cape Town’s Traffic Service has noticed an increasing trend of vehicle licence fraud. In the last 10 days, officers arrested three suspects found driving vehicles with altered licence discs.
The details are as follow:
• On 24 January 2017, officers pulled over a Toyota Avanza during a vehicle check-point in Gugulethu. When they inspected the licence disc, they noticed that the expiry date had been copied onto the disc. A quick check revealed that the disc had expired at the end of October 2016, but the date displayed was the end of June 2017
• On 23 January 2017, two officers manning a vehicle check-point in Mowbray stopped a VW Fox. Officers inspected the disc and found that was a different colour and texture and had a different font from a genuine disc. When they called it into the control room, it was confirmed that the disc was fraudulent
• On 18 January 2017, staff stopped a VW Golf at a check-point in Mitchells Plain. Again, it was found that the vehicle licence had expired in October 2013, but the disc indicated an expiry date for 2015. Officers found that the licence disc had been tampered with
Why would motorists risk using fraudulent vehicle licences are as follows?
• The eNaTIS Admin Mark introduced to prevent motorists with outstanding fines and warrants from doing transactions like renewing vehicle licences or driving licences
• Damaged vehicles bought on auction that are not repaired to a full roadworthy state and would therefore not qualify for licensing. Owners then copy the licence token of a similar vehicle and modify the old discs
• Motorists trying to avoid the cost of licensing their vehicles
Meanwhile, the Automatic Number Plate Recognition Unit held a number of roadblocks in the last week and arrested 102 motorists with outstanding warrants, served 814 warrants and released 299 motorists on a warning.
Elsewhere, City traffic officers arrested 60 suspects for offences including drunk driving and reckless and negligent driving and issued 1 221 fines.
Drugs in taxi
Law Enforcement officers meanwhile pulling over and searching a taxi in Long Street on Saturday evening.
According to the City of Cape Town: "Their interest was piqued by the loud music emanating from the vehicle. Officers found that the occupants were drinking in the vehicle and when they conducted a search, they also found dagga and a tik ‘lolly’ under the driver’s seat. All of the passengers were fined for drinking in public while the driver was arrested for possession of drugs. He was also fined for not having a driving licence."
