MAG released a national police force ranking system for motorcycle theft in August.  Two forces failed to respond to FOI requests within the time restraints.  Leicestershire Police have now responded and the details have been analysed.
The ranking system aims to demonstrate, in a fair and balanced manner, the level of motorcycle theft around the entire UK.  To give a fair representation, things like geographic size and population differences between police force areas have been allowed for by calculating a figure for the number of thefts per thousand registered motorcycles in each force area.

Having now received the delayed FOI response from Leicestershire Police, MAG can now reveal that the force ranks 30 out of 37.  With 21,919 registered motorcycles in Leicestershire and 464 recorded thefts, Leicestershire has crept in just below the national average.  The figures translate to 21 per 1000 registered bikes or 1 in 47.

Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, commented: “Let’s be clear: the national average is far too high, so Leicestershire Police cannot afford to be complacent.  I am pleased to see that we have now received the data for Leicestershire, and hope that we will see a more timely response for future requests.  I am also hopeful that a response from Humberside will eventually arrive.

We are happy that we are opening doors to further discussions on the subject of bike theft. We have ongoing engagement with West Yorkshire Police and the Metropolitan Police Force.  We are opening talks with Nottinghamshire and Merseyside Police, but are still waiting for meaningful engagement with West Midlands, Manchester and Cumbria.

We are also pressing for recording systems to be reconfigured in the six forces that were unable to respond to the FOI requests.  The fact that Essex, Hampshire, South Wales, Thames Valley Police and Police Scotland cannot provide this most basic level of detail in their areas is simply not acceptable.”

Contact MAG at 01926 844 064 or central-office@mag-uk.org