Behind the tape

Expert advice to get the details right in your crime fiction from serving police officer Lisa Cutts

Q

How would the police go about tracing a partial number plate – say there’s a couple of numbers or letters missing? In my story it’s important that the police can trace a number plate to a fifty-mile (or so) radius of a particular town and I’m not sure how many cars within that radius would have that number plate. I would like them to narrow it down to half a dozen or so.

Sue Hunter via email

A

The police can run either a full or partial number plate through the Police National Computer (PNC) – some officers have access to this as well as the staff in the police control room – and it will give either one total match for a complete registration or a number of possible matches if only some of the numbers or letters are known. The more known, the smaller the potential matches will be. In your scenario, if a witness has five of the seven characters it will give a more focused list, but also if the make, model or even the colour are known, that will help enormously. The police officer or investigator carrying out the enquiry can also hone the list to vehicles registered within a certain radius, so that would include criteria set for a fifty-mile radius. The downside would be a vehicle where the owner’s details haven’t been updated and so won’t be reflected on PNC.

Q

In the UK, is there an equivalent of a ‘private investigator’? I know in American crime fiction and films this is a common trope/character. I am thinking of a UK-based story which features such a character as my main protagonist and was wondering how realistic this would be in a story set in the UK?

Mike Lynch via email

A

Yes, we do have private investigators here in the UK. I haven’t worked with any so my knowledge is sparse to say the least. They do cover all types of investigation such as security work, background checks and missing persons investigations.