THE British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association has launched a campaign to cut the time it takes for police to catch criminals who use lease or rental vehicles. Currently, it can take up to a week to trace the driver of a leased or rented vehicle via its number plate, but under new proposals, that period could be slashed to just 24 hours.

A number of police forces have expressed concern over the difficulty of obtaining driver details in an emergency and approached the BVRLA to establish what, if anything, could be done.

Members agreed that a proposal should be made to the police confirming the industry's willingness to provide lessee information and a contact name only, by the following working day, with a dedicated fax number and a recognised system for ensuring the authenticity of any request.