Crime Desk

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Stolen Vehicle Unit seized a number of motorbikes at a Brands Hatch motorcycle racing event in Kent over the weekend.

After noticing a rise in high performance motorbike thefts in London in the last three years, officers launched a proactive intelligence led operation at the event in Kent at approximately 07:15hrs on Saturday 5 March, where they intended to examine a number of bikes.

During the operation officers examined 144 high performance bikes which had engines above 599cc. Sixteen of these were identified as either stolen or 'rung'. Some of those 16 were made up of stolen parts.

Officers did not make any arrests but seized the 16 bikes, one of which was a sidecar.

The operation was set up to ensure that unsafe and stolen bikes were not being used on the race tracks. Some of those bikes seized may well belong to completely innocent victims who were unlucky enough to have bought stolen goods.

Detective Chief Inspector Will Young, who heads the Stolen Vehicle Unit, said: "The purpose of the operation was to recover as many stolen motorcycle engines and frames as possible and restore them to their rightful owners. However, we also want to use the successful results over the weekend to send a clear message to anyone who thinks that they can use stolen machinery to enter race events - this is illegal and any stolen vehicles or parts will be seized by police.

"This is the start of a continued piece of work that the Stolen Vehicle Unit is leading on in order to remove stolen bikes from racing circuits. We will continue to work closely with the sports governing bodies to try and introduce processes whereby the industry can effectively prevent stolen bikes being used on their race tracks."

Advice to owners of motorbikes:

Always secure unattended motorbikes. Where possible secure it to an immoveable object or to another's chain. Use a good quality chain and lock and try to secure it so that the chain does not lie on the ground as this makes it easier for a thief to break.

Advice to buyers of motorbikes:

When buying a used motorbike private buyers and dealers should check not only that the frame and engine numbers match the paperwork but that they are correctly stamped in the correct font for the manufacturer.

A credit check is an invaluable way to ascertain whether a vehicle is in itself a stolen vehicle. However, it will not reveal whether the number plate being checked is on the wrong vehicle and the frame and engine numbers have been altered to correspond with the number plate. If in doubt what the font should look like, visit a reputable dealer and have a look at chassis numbers on some of their new bikes.