Police have put the fear back into criminals to reduce motorcycle thefts in South Gloucestershire. An operation, which quite literally caught thieves in the act, has helped to dramatically reduce the number of mopeds being stolen in areas including Filton and Patchway. The initiative was launched three months ago to curb the rising number of thefts in South Gloucestershire which at its peak reached more than 60 reported thefts in one month.
It involved officers in plain clothes being deployed in selected locations where incidents had taken place. Their role was to monitor the behavior of people in the area and look out for anyone acting suspiciously. Police positioned a moped in strategic areas to see if opportunist thieves would strike.
Superintendent Andy Francis said: "We used an initiative similar to that of the covert capture scheme which was launched in Bath and North East Somerset to successfully reduce vehicle crime. Within hours of the moped being left on the street a number of people showed interest in it. It was quite clear that because the moped did not have good security provision it was attractive to would-be thieves."
Four people were arrested by police following the series of covert operations. This included a 17 year old who attempted to push the bike away. Following a short foot chase he was arrested and later charged with taking the motorcycle, going equipped to steal, and having no insurance.
On another occasion three teenagers also attempted to steal the moped within 90 minutes of it being on the street. The 14 and 15 year olds from the Horfield area were arrested and one of them was reprimanded for theft.
Supt Francis said: "I believe the word has got around the criminal fraternity that we are carrying out these sort of operations. We have put the fear back into criminals and taken it away from victims. This has had a positive effect on our crime figures with thefts of motorcycles reducing by almost 50%." He continued, "However, we will not hesitate to carry out similar operations to identify offenders and ensure less people become a victim of crime."
Police urge owners of motorcycles to follow simple crime prevention advice to secure their vehicles. Owners should consider using approved security devices and lock their bikes to permanent fixings.
