Official motorcycle theft statistics show an overall reduction in all but two areas across the UK

Official police data supplied to MCN by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) has shown a 7.9% drop in bike thefts across the UK.

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The data shows year-to-date numbers by region to the end of August 2024 – with incidents dropping from 17,188 in 2023 to 15,832 in 2024.

“The decrease in thefts is a clear indication that coordinated industry-wide efforts are yielding positive results, providing hope for even lower theft rates in the future, and hopefully a reduction in insurance premiums,” MCIA boss, Tony Campbell said.

“Whilst this is encouraging news, the volumes of stolen motorcycles being recovered post theft has dropped significantly, meaning it is likely more are being shipped abroad.”

Campbell went on to say that the industry body would be working with various powers in an attempt to further reduce the problem. The latest 2024 figures also represent a more than a 20% decline in thefts since 2017.

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“MCIA are working closely with authorities to see what can be done at the main ports in order to understand the scale of the problem and put in place measures to combat the issue,” he continued.

On top of working with the ports, the MCIA are encouraging riders to remain vigilant and take steps to secure bikes safely.

Overall, all but two regions showed a year-to-date decline in theft. These were London, and the whole of Wales. London numbers were up by 3.9% – rising from 4269 to 4434. Wales went from 441 to 506 – a climb of 14.7%.

One of the biggest drops came in Yorkshire and the Humber, with 1752 bikes taken by the end of August 2023, compared with 1402 this year.