With the ever present issue of motorcycle theft and related crime in the region, West Midlands MAG is pleased to announce that it is developing a formal communications channel between West Midlands Police and the local motorcycling community.
Superintendent Rich Youds has stepped forward to act as the single point of contact between the biking community and the police. Colin Brown, Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, said “This is an important step in the right direction for combatting motorcycle theft in the West Midlands. There is much that we, MAG, and the wider biking community in the area are doing to try to work in partnership with the force, but these small projects need some structure and co-ordination to yield the best results. It is vital that we have a single route for communications. This will not be a day-to-day replacement for 101 or reporting crime, but will enable wider issues and difficulties to be discussed openly and honestly with a view to improving outcomes. We will be able to put forward ideas and suggestions and also act as expert advisers to guide the actions of the local force initiatives.”
West Midlands Regional Rep, Graham Wells, said “Initially we have asked Superintendent Youds to come back to us with more detailed information and statistics that will allow us to better understand the true nature and scale of the problem based on fact rather than just anecdotal evidence. There are limits to what can be established through Freedom of Information channels, so the ability to interrogate the data in a more scientific manner will help both sides. We also hope that the relationship will help with gaining closer co-operation on things like security awareness events that we are planning in the coming months. This is the beginning of a partnership that we hope will evolve to have direct impacts on the levels of detection and conviction of motorcycle thieves in the area.”
Superintendent Youds said ‘Motorcyclists are an important part of our community, and I’m pleased to be able to work with MAG to understand the needs of the community and seek out ways that we can work together to reduce the incidents of motorcycle-related crime for the benefit of all.’
For more information or to bring your questions and ideas to us, please come along to one of the West Midlands Regional Meetings, held at 8pm on the first Thursday of every month at The Hare & Hounds, Rednal. This is an initiative to help all bikers, so please feel free to get involved. The meetings are open to MAG members and non-members alike.
Contact MAG at 01926 844 064 or central-office@mag-uk.org