Representatives from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) met with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to discuss how the industry can continue to play its part in fighting the theft of powered two-wheelers in the capital.
They were joined by senior leaders from major motorcycle and scooter manufacturers to explain what has been done so far by industry and what plans are in development.*
It was also an opportunity to explain what actions the Mayor’s office needs to take to ensure the success of promoting a ‘layered’ approach to security. This solution is being supported by both industry and the Met Police in its ‘Be Safe’ campaign.
MCIA CEO Tony Campbell explained:
“This was a good opportunity to demonstrate how seriously manufacturers are taking this problem and to update the Mayor on some of the initiatives he may not have been fully aware of.
“We know the Mayor would like to hear there is a ‘magic bullet’ which can be fitted to all bikes to stop them from being stolen, but unfortunately there isn’t. If there was, we would be fitting it, as theft is particularly damaging to business and to our customers.
“For many hard-working Londoners, motorcycles and scooters are the only realistic form of commuter transport, in terms of affordability, reliability and ease of movement. We will do whatever we can to help make sure that riders can go about their business safely on the streets of London and are working closely with both the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office to play our part in achieving this.”
What works?
“We have explained to the Mayor that a ‘layered’ approach to security is proving to be the most effective and realistic way of making theft more difficult. This uses a combination of new technologies like ‘tagging’ and ‘tracking’ and riders are encouraged to always supplement this with physical security in the form of locks and chains. But they need something to lock their bikes to, which is where City Hall can make a difference, in providing more secure parking across London.
“Powered two-wheelers are a solution in reducing congestion in the capital, improve air quality and relieve the pressure on parking, as they do in other European cities. They need to be properly factored into London’s transport planning over the long term and secure parking is one of the elements to ensure this is successful.”
MCIA/industry action
MCIA is involved in Home Office working groups which have correctly identified that the solution to reduce theft and scooter crime will involve several different agencies and elements.
MCIA is continuing to develop the MASTER Security Scheme, which is a registration and tagging system fitted to the new bikes of most major manufacturers. It was introduced by MCIA in 2013 and is currently evolving to incorporate more ‘layering’. Recent analysis of MASTER tagged bikes found that they were six times less likely to be stolen than those which were not tagged. There are around 222,000 motorcycles and scooters in the UK which are MASTER protected.
MCIA is working with Met Police in delivering the second phase of its ‘Be Safe’ campaign, which is due to be launched this year. It will make sure its member network is utilised to reach as many riders as possible.
