We’re two guys who have been affected by motorcycle theft and motorcycle-enabled crime in London. We’ve decided to start this group to help others who have been affected by motorcycle theft.
Is the problem that bad?
In 2018, over 800 motorcycles were stolen per month (up to October 2018, the latest figures available), meaning that over 10,000 motorcycles were stolen in London alone. From January 2015 to October 2018, over 45,000 motorcycles were reported stolen in London. Over 31,000 of these thefts resulted in no further action.
Aren’t most thefts covered by insurance?
Unfortunately, many couriers’ insurance does not cover theft, meaning that the loss of their motorcycle can lead to a loss of several thousand pounds and a loss of employment. For those riders who don’t rely on their motorcycle to generate income, theft insurance can be extremely expensive in London given the spate of thefts and many bikers cannot afford to have their motorcycle stolen, as finding insurance later on may well prove impossible.
Our approach to solving the problem
We focus mainly on recovering the bikes back to their legitimate owners and out of the hands of criminal gangs.
We use a network of spotters in London who are willing to help us. If they spot a suspicious looking motorcycle, this gets reported to us for further investigation. Often, the motorcycles are on false number plates and we therefore verify VIN numbers and any other ways of checking whether the motorcycle is stolen or not.
Once we have established whether or not the motorcycle is stolen, we liaise with Police – if the vehicle is needed for forensics, we will secure the vehicle until the police can recover it. If it isn’t needed, we will contact the owner and arrange a free recovery to their home address. This mitigates the financial burden of being a victim of crime, as a recovery carried out by the Police for non-evidencial purposes will often cost the owner over £200. In most cases, it will take less than an hour between the initial report to the return of the motorcycle.
Our overall aim is to free up police resources so they can focus on catching criminals – if they have to secure a motorcycle, this can often “cost” them several hours, as well as ensuring that meaningful prosecutions are brought against those who are stealing motorcycles.
