Crime reduction 

Disabled badges

Theft of disabled badges has been increasing in Thames Valley recently. Disabled badges are valuable to thieves, who seek to sell on the badge.

We believe that this is due to:

• General increases in parking charges across the region.
• The start of the London congestion charge.
• General restrictions on parking within town centres.

Keeping your badge as safe as possible

If you are parking your car in a disabled bay, make sure that the badge and ‘time clock’ are clearly displayed.

Use a permanent marker to write your car’s registration number on to your badge - this will make it difficult for a thief to sell the badge on. Police will also be able to see that the badge belongs to your car. Be careful that the badge details are not written over.

Mark your registration number on to the other side of the badge using an ultra-violet pen. You can get these from your local police station or local Neighbourhood Policing team.

Using a permanent marker, write the appropriate code at the end of the badge registration number - AFM (adult female), AM (adult male), CFM (child female), CM (child male). This will help to identity the person that the badge belongs to.

If the number on the badge and the registration of the car it’s located in doesn’t match, then police have a reason to make further inquiries. If you are the badge-holder, don’t worry if you’re using your badge in a friend’s car. It is fine if the badge-holder is travelling in that particular car.

More useful tips:

• Make sure that your car is locked and that the windows are all closed.
• Never leave your badge where it can be seen – unless it’s on display when you are parking. If possible, remove it from the vehicle with all other valuable items, including satellite navigation systems, mobile phones, and jewellery.

For more information specific to your local area, please contact your local council who issue disabled badges.