In Beijing it used to be easy to spot a car owned by the police just by reading its plates, but now things are changing.

Police-owned cars used to carry licence plates starting with the character for "Jing" followed by "OB" or "OD."

Now the police are to adopt plates just like civilians', the Beijing Evening News revealed on Wednesday

The dropping of the special plates will stop police vehicles from enjoying privileges on road such as avoiding driving fines and provide anonymity when carrying out undercover work, experts said.

Replacement of the plates has begun and will be completed by the end of the year, according to the report.

"I don't feel any difference using the new plates," an officer from Beijing Public Security Bureau said yesterday.

But some argue that the change in plates makes it harder for normal people to supervise the police's work.

Beijing is not the first city to drop special plates for its police.

Since 2003, Shanghai, Kaifeng and Luoyang in Central China's Henan Province, and Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province have all demanded their police vehicles carry normal plates, reports said.

In Dalian, police vehicles that break traffic regulations are subject to the same punishments as those owned by normal citizens, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

(China Daily November 18, 2005)