The new MASTER security marking scheme could protect thousands of motorbikes in London from thieves

A new security scheme has been launched to protect motorbikes in London from thieves.

The crime figures do not make pleasant reading for bikes.

London is the hardest hit city by motorcycle crime, with on average more than 35 machines taken each day- often more bikes are stolen on a daily basis than are sold new.

Some 26,000 machines were stolen in the UK in 2009, and due to the methods employed by professional criminals only a small percentage are ever recovered.

Motorcycles are nearly four times more likely to be stolen than cars.

Figures from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) show an estimated 43 per cent of all insurance total-loss payouts are due to theft.

Figures from the Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group suggest that 40 per cent of motorcycle theft victims give up biking.

With all this as the background, the MCI has launched a security marking scheme called The MASTER - Motorcycle and Scooter Tagged Equipment Register.

The security marking scheme has been developed in conjunction with the police and security marking technology Datatag.

It is available to participating manufacturer members of the MCI so that they can offer new motorcycles and scooters marked, tagged, registered and recorded by the MASTER scheme.

Early adopting members of the scheme are Honda, Triumph, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW and Yamaha.

Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCI, said: “Security marking of bikes has been proven to be effective in both reducing theft and aiding recovery, and we are confident that by launching this scheme we not only promote standardisation across the industry but also start a long-term reduction in motorcycle crime.”

Detective Constable Ian Elliott, from the Met Police’s stolen vehicle division, said: “We’ve long known that security marking is one of the most effective theft deterrents. This move by the motorcycle industry to put in place a standard national security scheme will help reduce crime enormously, particularly here in the capital, as thieves will simply avoid these marked machines.”

Watch the video above to see Det Con Elliott talking more about the new scheme.