Walter Finch
A DRIVER is facing jail after he gave police a fake UK licence during a routine stop in Elche.
The 29-year-old’s card immediately ID the cop’s suspicions at a checkpoint on Avenida Alcalde Vicente Quiles, which is the section of Avenida de la Libertad that runs from the Municipal Park to the Renfe train station.
According to the police report, the document ‘did not have the required security features’.
Officers found that the licence did not react to ultraviolet light, the expiration date was printed in flat ink instead of being embossed, and the changing laser image on the bottom left of the front side did not react to different angles of light.
The driver was then unable to provide the traffic cops with a convincing explanation for the fake document.
This incident highlights a growing concern over the presence of fake documentation among foreign nationals, a trend that has seen an increase post-COVID-19 pandemic.
This has prompted enhanced training for officers to spot these sophisticated forgeries, which are often nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
Elche’s proximity to the international Miguel Hernández Airport in Alicante-Elche means local authorities are more vigilant, particularly with passengers from non-Schengen countries like the UK, where freedom of movement is restricted within the EU.
