Motorcycle thefts decrease in 2017
A fall of three percent, but still 8038 motorcycles were unlawfully taken from their ownersJust over 8000 thousand motorcycles were stolen in Australia in 2017, a decrease of 3.6 per cent from 2016.
The detailed breakdown of motorcycle thefts (and all transport categories for that matter) are found in the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) database which shows that of the 8038 motorcycles that went missing, 3521 were classified as stolen and recovered, and the balance (4571) not recovered.
Big drops in theft rates in Victoria and Western Australia – by 25 per cent – were the main drivers of the decrease in the national result, as the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania all recorded increases.
At a more micro level, Brisbane’s CBD was the biggest hotspot with 270 thefts, followed by the Gold Coast CBD (225) and Melbourne CBD (176).
The biggest selling motorcycles in the country are obvious targets for thieves, with 1683 Hondas stolen in 2017, followed by Yamaha (1448), Kawasaki (726), Suzuki (721), KTM (548) and Harley-Davidson (208).
An online theft map shows you where the 8035 motorcycles stolen in Australia last financial year were nabbed from. Simply hover a cluster and you’ll be told the motivation for the theft (ie short term or profit motivated) and whether it was registered.
According to the NMVTRC, motorcycles now make up over a quarter of all vehicles stolen and not recovered.
The NMVTRC’s Executive Director, Ray Carroll, said around 60 per cent of motorcycles are stolen from the home, with the vast majority never recovered.
“The recreational nature of motorcycle riding means that bikes are most often at home when the owner is not,” he said. “Therefore riders need to take extra precautions to ensure their motorcycles are properly secured in garages or behind locked gates at home.
“With close to six in 10 bikes stolen not recovered each year and the fact that a large number of off-road motorcycle thefts are most likely not reported, motorcycle theft has a significant economic and social impact on Australia.
“Preventing and detecting motorcycle theft is challenging, but helping motorcyclists to understand the risks and communicating simple steps riders can take to reduce their risk of theft will go a long way towards reducing the impact of motorcycle theft in Australia.
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