MAG makes steady progress on improved motorcycle theft reporting.


improve motorcycle theft reporting

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has continued to make progress on their work to improve motorcycle theft reporting.  MAG today publishes a revised edition of the 2020 National Police Force Bike Theft Ranking document.  

MAG’s Campaigns Team is continually working to improve the quality of motorcycle crime data available to riders and policy makers.  This work is driven by the need to take robust action to reduce levels of motorcycle theft in the UK.

MAG’s annual report on motorcycle theft statistics – released in August – is being used as a tool to open the debate with many police forces, commissioners and politicians.  The report mentions issues with figures reported in Hertfordshire and concerns about figures reported in Gwent.  Dialogue with both forces and their respective Police & Crime Commissioners has led to an offer to explore potential routes for increased data accuracy by Hampshire Police and correction of the data supplied by Gwent.

MAG has also had meetings with Home Office policy advisors and the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).  As the revised report mentions, 46% of all reported thefts disclosed have occurred in London, making the need for a concerted campaign in the capital very clear.

MAG’s Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, said:

“I am happy with some of the response we are seeing, but there is still an incredibly long way to go.  Motorcycle theft has declined during the pandemic, but there is no case for complacency.  There remains the need for riders to demand a more proactive response to the issue.”

MAG works with the Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group (MCRG) and has recently offered to take on a lead role in its work.

The revised National Police Force Bike Theft Rankings document can be found here:  https://bit.ly/TheftRank2020v2

MAG calls on all riders to use the data in the report to challenge their local Police & Crime Commissioners, MPs and Councillors to devise a multi-agency plan to robustly tackle motorcycle theft in their area.