Frankston police are encouraging residents to install one-way screws to secure their vehicle registration plates.

Police from the region are reporting higher levels of number plate thefts in a trend which is consistent with reporting throughout Victoria.

A Frankston police officer said stolen plates were often displayed when drivers left service stations without paying for fuel.

He attributed the rising number of petrol and number plate thefts to the growing cost of fuel, and added that plates, and the people who stole them, could be hard to track down because the plates were often "passed from hand to hand".

One-way screws are available from automotive accessory retailers.