Motorcycle Theft Statistics UK Motorbike theft Motorbikes are becoming an increasingly popular method of transport in the UK, with new bike prices ranging from £1,000 to £20,000 dependent on the make of the bike. Surprisingly though, most bikes irrespective of price are not fitted with additional security measures as standard. A recent survey by the National Crime Intelligence Service (NCIS) based on the latest police figures on vehicle crime and performance bikes (500cc and above) has revealed some shocking statistics. More motorbikes are stolen in the UK than are bought new, and it takes on average 20 seconds to steal a motorcycle worth £10,000. The survey is also the first to reveal some of the UK's danger spots for motorcycle crime, and as such has been distributed to police forces around the country. "£3 million worth of motorbikes from UK streets every month" The report has shown that the theft of motorbikes in the UK has allowed criminal groups to steal £3 million worth of motorbikes from UK streets every month. Thefts are primarily undertaken to sell parts on the black market, although joyriding is also cited as a main cause. The report is part of Project Contrail, which targets the organised theft of high-powered motorcycles and is seen by many as a prelude to new bikes being registered as a legal requirement (similar to the car register requirement issued by the Home Office). Other results show the thefts are undertaken by a dozen well known, highly organised gangs. "More motorbikes are stolen in the UK than are bought new" Some of the key findings in the report include: More thefts occur in large urban areas. The thefts are undertaken by a dozen well known, highly organised gangs. 80% of bikes stolen from an owner's home. Thefts are concentrated around Central London, probably linked to patterns of commuting. The top five areas for theft include West Yorkshire, West Midlands and Greater Manchester. The top four makes of motorcycle that account for over 85 per cent of thefts are Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasaki's, and Suzuki's. The Honda CBR 600 is the hottest bike, which retails at £5000, with 350 of them stolen between July and September 2002. Steven Powell, Head of the Project Team for NCIS's Organised Vehicle Crime Section (OVCS), said: "It is an appalling statistic that more motorcycles are stolen in the UK than were bought new. Urban centres are worst hit, and one favoured modus operandi is simple but effective. The criminals drive a large van up to a motorcycle where accomplices open the van door, thrust scaffolding poles through the wheels, and lift the bike into their vehicle. It takes as little as 20 seconds to steal a bike worth £10,000, and only 16 per cent of stolen bikes are recovered." How to reduce the chance of theft? There are a number of ways to reduce the chance of theft, which include: After sales fittings: As annoying as it is most manufactures may not fit your bike with a Thatchem 2-3 way immobiliser it is worth investing in one, as this is the primary method of defence. Buy additional security locks and remote alarms. Try and park in Motorcycle designated areas where ground anchors are found. Although there are not a large number of these areas, they are more secure and growing in number. If possible install a ground anchor at your home address and always keep the bike out of site. Make sure you are suitably insured from a recognised motorbike insurer Consider investing in a dedicated motorcycle garage. * statistics and article provided by www. talk talk.co.uk
not the most up to date but some interesting stuff...more recent news reads a little better Motorcycle theft is down thanks to MASTER Security Scheme 10th July 2014 Following a meeting of the Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group, which met this week, figures have been released which show a marked reduction in the theft of motorcycles which have been ‘tagged’ under the UK’s first national and official motorcycle anti-theft scheme. 52,687 new motorcycles and scooters have been protected and registered with the MASTER Security Scheme since January 2013, of which only 403 have been stolen. This represents a theft rate of 0.76%, compared to an historic rate of 2.6% and means MASTER scheme tagged motorcycles are nearly 4 times less likely to be stolen. Typically around 26,000 motorcycles or scooters were stolen every year, 50% of which are taken within Greater London. Using the current rates of theft, if all bikes were MASTER tagged this would mean c18,000 less motorcycles would be stolen each year.* Of the 403 bikes which have been stolen, the current recovery rate (at the time of this week’s meeting) stands at 37%. In addition, the police are aware of the locations of a number of the remainder of the unrecovered bikes, which will be the subject of police action in the coming weeks. Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCI said “11 major manufacturers have been marking their bikes for over 12 months now, so we are in a position to begin evaluating the effectiveness of the MASTER Security Scheme. It will take another two years to see the full effects, as motorcycle theft is currently mostly centred on bikes of three years or less, but we are highly encouraged by the results we have seen so far." *Figure is the difference between 0.76% and 2.6% of the active parc, i.e. the theft rate of MASTER tagged bikes and the historic rate of theft.) What is the MASTER Security Scheme? It stands for Motorcycle and Scooter Tagged Equipment Register and was launched in 2012. It was developed by the Motorcycle Industry Association with Home Office backing in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police force in response to the considerable nuisance that motorcycle theft caused to motorcyclists, the police, insurers and the industry. It uses technology from Datatag, the country’s foremost supplier of security marking technology (see below for how this deters thieves). 11 major manufacturers were signed up by the beginning of 2013, including Honda, Ducati, BMW, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, KTM, Triumph, Suzuki, Yamaha, Victory and Indian. Facts about motorcycle theft Many motorcycles are broken up into parts within hours of being stolen and reassembled onto legal frames, which have log books. This can net thieves thousands of pounds a day.** 80% of these ‘clones’ find their way into the legitimate dealer network, therefore before the MASTER Scheme it was virtually impossible for dealers or the police to identify stolen parts.** For those innocent people who unwittingly buy stolen vehicles and have their bikes seized by the police, 90% do not continue with motorcycling.** 43% of all insurance pay outs are due to theft (according to MCI research). **(Facts and figures supplied by the Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group). So how does it work? The MASTER Security scheme uses a sophisticated array of technology to give each component part a unique fingerprint. This involves a combination of visible and concealed elements, including hidden data dots, stealth etching and a number of transponders embedded into parts - similar to the technology that allows the chipping of cats and dogs. The combination of these hidden elements along with the high visibility and the unique number on each tag, offers both piece of mind to consumers and help the police in recovering stolen motorcycles. Police have access to Datatag’s register 24 hours a day. Each tag is displayed in a prominent place on the bike, alerting potential thieves to the fact that it is marked and registered. If the tag is tampered with - it disintegrates. If the tag is missing from models from participating manufacturers alarm bells will ring for police and subsequent owners. All motorcycles and scooters from participating manufacturers are registered on Datatag’s national secure database. This is updated continuously, which means the reporting of stolen vehicles is immediate. Datatag launched a similar scheme to reduce the theft of construction and farm machinery – the Cesar scheme which has been hugely successful with 100% success rate of prosecution, where machinery had been tagged. The cost of a bike registered with the MASTER scheme is absorbed by the manufacturer, so there is no extra cost to the consumer. ENDS
So if Ducati have signed up to this system/scheme, how many people on this forum who have purchased a new Ducati of any model since 2013 have been offered it by their dealer ? Certainly since I bought my Multistrada in 2012, the favourite security add on at my dealer has been the Biketrac. Andy
Good point mate, I bought mine brand new in 2013 and knew nothing about this MASTER scheme...Biketrac yep but nothing else!!
I noticed last summer all new Ducati's ( and BMW's ) that I viewed at dealers are using Datatag now. Always amazes me where the dealers stick the Datatag stickers and invariably they're on crooked.
apparently this goes beyond the DATATAG by being used on engine parts etc in a bid to stop bikes being broken uo and sold, stats claim it is a very successful tool against theft...