Hundreds of Leeds bikers descend on city in demonstration calling for police crackdown on motorbike thefts

There have been countless instances of disappearing motorbikes in the region, according to enthusiasts, but not enough is being done to stop it.

That is why on Sunday (July 30), bikers in the city rode from Sherburn-in-Elmet through to Crossgates and Seacroft in the hope of drawing attention to bike crime.

“We’re absolutely sick of how bad the situation is, with people wearing balaclavas and riding about on stolen bikes – nothing is getting done,” said Steven Dean, 46, who runs the Facebook group ‘West Yorkshire Bike Crime’.

It has attracted almost 2,000 members in the three months it has been running and sees daily posts about pinched motorbikes.

Victims of motorbikes thefts post doorbell footage in the group with appeals for witnesses, while others take to the forum with pictures of bikes they have spotted that they believe may have been stolen. The ultimate aim is to reunite stolen bikes with their owners.

Steve, from Leeds, continued: “People are waking up in the morning and finding their padlock on the floor when they look outside, with their bike nowhere to be seen.

“One of my mates phoned me and said that his bike had been taken from his garden overnight. Not long after, I saw it shooting past me, with three people in balaclavas.”

Chief Inspector Pete Hall, of West Yorkshire Police, said that the force is “acutely aware” of the concerns about motorbike-related crime and is determined to target the culprits.

He added: “Additional funding has supported increased proactivity by our specialist off-road bike team under Operation Dieselcrest, and that work is already bringing positive results.

“One of the challenges we face is in identifying those involved in these incidents, and we would ask the public to let us have any specific information about who in their communities is involved in the anti-social use of motorbikes and any other relevant information, such as where they are keeping vehicles.

“Where riders are identified, we always look to seize bikes and take positive action, as well as making referrals to Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team and tenancy enforcement.

“We will not tolerate offending behaviour like this that impacts negatively on the lives of people in our communities, and we will be continuing to work alongside our partner agencies to make full use of all available legislation to disrupt and enforce against those involved.”

Last year, the force said it had secured £100,000 of safer streets funding which was being used to support projects including those to prevent illegal vehicles entering parks and to monitor areas where thefts have been reported.

But for motorbike enthusiast Steve, there is still work to be done. He said: “It’s hard for the police to identify suspects, but they need to do more. At the end of the day, their off-road teams should be chasing them until they catch them.”