IT'S BEEN hard to miss the recent upsurge in bike theft. For whatever reason – fashion, social media influences, availability of new power tools, public spending cutbacks, there are more scrotes than ever out thieving bikes.

Metropolitan Police video shows how easy it is to steal a scooter Video of Metropolitan Police video shows how easy it is to steal a scooter

And now, there's a new online database, that's attempting to reverse the tide a bit. BikersUnited.co.uk, set up by Visordown founder Ben Cope, lets victims of theft report their stolen motorcycle or scooter and alert other bikers in real-time to a theft in their area. The website also allows its users to report suspicious activity and those selling stolen machinery, with the aim of disrupting criminal activity, by making it harder for thieves to operate.

According to BikersUnited, motorcycle crime is a nationwide epidemic with over 30,000 motorcycles and scooters stolen in 2017, up from around 8,000 in 2012. The number of ‘Moped Enabled Thefts’ carried out in London alone has jumped from 827 in 2012 to over 23,000 in 2017. You are more than 30 times more likely to have your phone snatched in London now than you were five years ago.

Thefts generally occur for two reasons: bikes are taken and sold whole or broken up for spares, or the bikes are then used to commit further crimes - from muggings and robberies up to more serious organised gang crime. The new website combats theft in several ways - bikers can report stolen bikes, abandoned machinery, and suspicious behaviour, online and on the streets. The site will then collate the info and pass it onto the police.

Ben Cope commented: “As an individual, it’s hard to tackle bike crime. However as a group our collective input can make a difference.

Bikers are, and have always been, a tight-knit community, and there is a huge appetite to help the police track down and prosecute criminals who have, up to now, been operating with impunity.

The structured nature of our reporting system enables us to build a picture of where these criminals are operating and gather clues that will prove vital additional evidence to the police. It will also alert local bikers to incidents in real-time and with this knowledge they can help look for your bike and ensure they maximise their own security.”

MORE INFO:

https://bikersunited.co.uk

https://twitter.com/bikersuniteduk