Number plates are the single most-stolen item from cars in Australia — ahead of anything inside the vehicle. Most people lock their doors and hide their valuables, then leave the one part thieves actually want held on with two screws that come off in seconds. This guide explains why plates are targeted, what happens to them afterwards, and the simple change that makes your car a target thieves skip.
The scale of the problem
This isn't a rare event. In Victoria alone, number plate theft has reached record highs — over 27,000 offences in a single recent year, a jump of nearly 46% on the year before. That works out to roughly 75 plates stolen every day, and plate theft now accounts for more than a third of all theft-from-vehicle offences in the state.
Every other state tells a similar story, which is why police forces and motoring bodies across Australia — Victoria Police, the RACV, Neighbourhood Watch, and their interstate equivalents — have all run public campaigns urging drivers to secure their plates.
Why thieves want your plates
A number plate on its own seems worthless. The value to a thief isn't the plate — it's the anonymity it provides. Stolen plates are used to:
- Disguise a stolen vehicle. Fitting stolen plates to a car of the same make and colour — "cloning" — hides its real identity from police and cameras.
- Evade tolls, fines and speed cameras. Any offence caught on camera traces back to you, the original owner, not the thief.
- Commit other crimes anonymously. Petrol drive-offs, ram raids and burglaries are routinely carried out on vehicles wearing stolen plates, so witnesses and cameras lead police to the wrong person.
In other words, if your plates are stolen, the problem doesn't end when you replace them — you can find yourself fielding fines and police enquiries for offences you had nothing to do with.
How fast it happens
Here's the uncomfortable part. A standard number plate is held on with ordinary screws — the kind that take a Phillips or flat-blade screwdriver. Those come off in under ten seconds. A thief walking through a car park can have your plates off and pocketed before anyone notices they've stopped at your car.
That speed is the whole problem. Thieves rely on being gone before they're seen. Anything that slows the removal down — even by a minute — turns your car from an easy target into one they'll walk past for the next one.
How anti-theft security screws work
Anti-theft (or "one-way") security screws are the simplest, most effective defence, and they're what police-run programs like Victoria's SafePL8 initiative fit to plates for free at community events.
The design is clever in its simplicity: the screw head can be tightened with an ordinary screwdriver, but not loosened with one. The slot only turns one way. Once it's in, backing it out requires a special removal tool that thieves don't carry and can't improvise in a car park. Faced with a plate that won't come off in seconds, a thief moves on.
They're not permanent in a way that traps you — if you legitimately need to remove your plates, the removal tool does the job, and most police stations can help. But for day-to-day security, they turn a ten-second job into one that isn't worth attempting.
Why this matters even more for valuable plates
If you follow our weekly auction results, you know Australian plates are assets — heritage and signature combinations regularly sell for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. A plate that cost you $40,000 at auction, held onto your bumper by two screws a child could remove, is an extraordinary risk to leave unmanaged.
For a collectible plate, security screws aren't just theft prevention — they're asset protection. The cost of the screws is trivial against the value of what they're protecting, and against the nightmare of trying to recover a stolen one-of-a-kind combination.
The FLX approach: security as standard
This is why every FLX bracket ships with anti-theft security screws included — four per bracket, with the matching key, at no extra cost. Most competitors treat security screws as a paid add-on. We don't, because a bracket that presents your plate beautifully but leaves it easy to steal is only doing half the job.
Every FLX bracket mounts using your vehicle's existing factory mounting points, with the security screws holding the plate firmly in place — nothing drilled into the plate itself, and nothing a passer-by can remove with a pocket screwdriver.
What else you can do
Security screws are the highest-impact single step, but police and motoring bodies recommend layering a few habits on top:
- Park off the street where you can — a locked garage is best, a driveway close to the house next best.
- Park in well-lit areas or within view of CCTV when you're on the street.
- Be careful sharing photos of your plates online — marketplace and social media images let thieves clone your registration without ever touching your car.
- Report theft immediately to police if it happens, so the plates are flagged before they're used in another offence.
The bottom line
Number plate theft is common, fast, and leaves you exposed to consequences well beyond the cost of a replacement plate. The fix is cheap and simple: anti-theft security screws turn a ten-second grab into a job not worth attempting. If your plates are valuable, it's asset protection. If they're standard, it's peace of mind. Either way, it's the easiest security upgrade you can make to your car.
Every FLX bracket includes them as standard — browse our heritage mounts and signature frames and conversion kits, or add a set of anti-theft screws and spacers to plates you already run. Precision-cut in Melbourne, fitted using your car's existing factory mounting points.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can a number plate be stolen? A plate held on with standard screws can be removed in under ten seconds with an ordinary screwdriver. That speed is exactly why thieves target plates — they're gone before anyone notices.
How do anti-theft number plate screws work? The screw head tightens with a normal screwdriver but can't be loosened with one — the slot only turns one way. Removing it requires a special tool that thieves don't carry, so a plate fitted with them can't be quickly stolen.
Can I still remove my plates if they have anti-theft screws? Yes. A dedicated removal tool takes them out when you legitimately need to, and many police stations can assist. They stop opportunistic theft, not lawful removal.
Why do thieves steal number plates? To disguise stolen vehicles (cloning), to evade tolls, fines and speed cameras, and to commit other offences anonymously — because any camera or witness traces the plate back to you, the original owner, not the thief.
Do FLX brackets come with security screws? Yes. Every FLX bracket includes anti-theft security screws as standard — four per bracket with the matching key, at no extra cost. Most competitors charge for these separately.
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