Representatives from the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) met with London mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday to discuss the epidemic of PTW-enabled crime. The MCIA explained how industry would 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 – a solution being supported by the motorcycle 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 were 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 we are working closely with the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office to play our part in achieving this.”
Campbell continued: “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 such as tagging and tracking and riders are encouraged to supplement this with physical security in the form of locks and chains. However, bikers 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 to reducing congestion in the capital, improving air quality and relieving 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. The scheme 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 to deliver 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.
More in the next issue of BDN.
Pictured are members of the Motor Cycle Industry Association outside City Hall