By Chris Brown

New licence plate policy will speed up investigations, province says

Jan 18, 2022 | 3:08 PM

Lost or stolen licence plates must be reported to police before a replacement is requested, under a new policy that takes effect Wednesday.

The province says early reporting of lost or stolen plates allows police to be on alert for licence plates that may be used for illegal purposes. It will also speed up vehicle theft investigations, they say.

A lost or stolen plate can create larger problems if it is used in criminal activity, including greater risks to officer safety, says the province.

Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish says this is a common-sense change to make and ensures “police have accurate information that can better help them when interacting with motorists and is crucial for an investigation.”

Government says the change was successfully piloted at 12 registry agent offices across Alberta last year. It comes at the recommendation of the Provincial Auto Theft Review Committee, a subcommittee of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, designed to address auto theft in Alberta.

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The province says that in 2020, registry agents issued 46,307 replacement licence plates for Albertans. Of those, 30,687 of the plates were noted as lost and 15,620 of the plates were noted as stolen.