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A teenage gang of motorbike thieves and drug dealers are causing havoc on the streets and flaunting their crimes on Instagram.

Calling themselves the 'Repo Gang', the young men post pictures of themselves flaunting powerful motorcycles, scooters and scrambler bikes allegedly stolen from hard-working owners across the city.

In some posts the yobs show off the stolen vehicles, while in some posts they are advertised for sale stating "pick up only."

Suspected members of the gang, aged between 15 and 18, have already racked up charges for vehicle theft, Class A drug dealing, possession of weapons including knives, assault and criminal damage.

Instagram accounts set up by the teenagers, who appear to be based in the Kirkdale area, show them posing with bikes and their faces covered.

The 'repo', or 're-possession', culture is not unique to Liverpool, and similar slang terms associated with motorbike/scooter related crime appear to be used by criminal groups up and down the country.

One man, who did not wish to be named, recognised his stolen Lexmoto scooter on an Instagram page, with a teenage boy posing next to it.

The photo of the bike, stolen on December 9, had been edited using an 'laughing face' emoji to hide the young rider's face.

The dad, who is in his 40s, told the ECHO: "I am a relatively new biker and I wanted it to travel to work. It took me a few months to save up as I have a family to support as well.

"I woke up one morning and it was gone. They had ripped the gate off from my back-yard and I assume they have hot-wired it. I reported it straight away.

"Seeing them posing with it knocked me sick to my stomach. Apart from the fact they appear to be covering up their faces it's almost as if they are proud of what they are doing."

He told the ECHO he spotted the bike riding in the County Road area on December 10 and saw it being driven into Cockerell Close.

He said: "I was later told that someone had seen it in the back yard of an address, and that the people living there were known gang members. I told the police and they said they could not do anything because it was hear-say evidence.

"If it was not for my job I am almost tempted to go round, to get a few other victims together and go and deal with it ourselves."

The bike was eventually recovered when another stolen vehicle, fitted with a tracker device, was located in Cockerell Close.

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However the victim was told the bike was so badly damaged it was a write off.

He told the ECHO the Repo Gang teenagers regularly ride suspected stolen bikes dangerously around the area.

He said: "There's not a week goes by when you don't see them on County Road and Westminster Road. I have seen them mounting pavements, going through red traffic lights. It's ridiculous.

"They're going to kill someone. I have got children, it could be my daughter coming home from school."

Community Inspector Graeme Rooney, of Merseyside Police , said: "We know the massive impact theft of vehicles can have on victims – the expense of repairing or replacing them, paying insurance premiums and the inconvenience of not having a vehicle that may be essential for getting around.



"We take bike theft extremely seriously and continue our efforts to tackle it, regularly assessing hotspot areas across the force and directing resources accordingly.



"Our community teams continually reinforce security messages with residents about ensuring their vehicles are safer, such as securing motorbikes with locks and in garages or outbuildings."



Insp Rooney added: "We also know how frustrating it is for the community to then see stolen bikes riding on pavements, through red lights and creating a general nuisance.



"I would like to reassure people who see and report these incidents that action is taken on a regular basis.



"We have multiple tactics that we can use to identify and prosecute people for the theft and illegal use of off-road bikes.





"We are supported in this by the National Police Air Service helicopter, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, and housing providers. We are all committed to eradicating this problem and work closely on a daily basis.



"We regularly seize bikes after members of the community have come forward with information, and always encourage people to tell us who is using these bikes and where they are being kept. Seizing the bikes where they are stored is by far the easiest and safest way to remove bikes from our streets."



Anyone with information on the anti-social and nuisance use of off-road bikes is encouraged to keep reporting incidents to @MerPolCC, call 101 with reference 19100027515 or @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 and we will keep taking action #OpBrookdale