By Eric King-
West Yorkshire Police has today released CCTV footage of notorious motorbike thieves banned from touching any property that does not belong to them.
Cops revealed how five men and six youths from Leeds had been banned from touching any vehicle in the county without the owner’s permission. CCTV footage shows members of the gang stealing a motorbike in Leeds.
Cops say the group are part of an organized gang behind an upsurge in the theft of motorbikes across Leeds. CCTV evidence show how the gang were able to steal a properly secured motorcycle with seconds. The bikes were said to have been either stripped down and sold, or used in crime before being passed on to youths who used them anti-socially around the estate.
The gang embarked on a campaign of stolen motorbikes, scooters and quads for youths to ride around about on. And the issues increased dramatically in the summer when local policing teams and ward councillors were inundated with complaints about bikes being ridden dangerously at speeds of more than 90mph, on pavements, through children’s play areas, and in and out of traffic.
Most offenders masked their faces with scarves, hoodies or helmets, and changed number plates of stolen bikes. However, following the impressive work of Operation Badgeland,-a team of officers set up to tackle bike thefts, they were able to identify key members of the gang. They worked alongside officers from Operation Leodis funded by Leeds City Council to tackle mainly housing-related anti-social behaviour.
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Chief Inspector Nick Ireland, of Safer Leeds, said: “We are confident that the successful securing of these wide-reaching orders against these key individuals will give a real boost to our efforts to tackle the organised theft of motorbikes along with the anti-social behaviour that it fuels.“This gang was behind a significant upsurge in the theft of motorbikes which not only had a real impact on the lives of the victims of those thefts but also on people’s lives in the communities where these bikes were ridden dangerously and anti-socially.
“The problem was so bad that we saw a flood of complaints with people understandably suggesting it was only a matter of time before someone was killed or seriously injured.”He said the innovative use of civil injunctions mean there were now additional measures to control the behavior of those individuals.
“We hope people will support this work by reporting any suspected breaches of the conditions made on the individuals involved,” he said.
“We can assure them we will take all reports seriously and act upon them.”
Leeds City Council’s executive member with responsibility for Safer Leeds said: “The way in which these individuals were riding motorbikes in areas of east Leeds was both reckless and extremely dangerous and put the personal safety of both motorists and pedestrians at risk. “We simply will not accept this type of anti-social behaviour in our communities and I am pleased that working with the police we have secured these orders against the perpetrators.”I hope this ruling sends out a clear warning to others thinking of taking part in this type of activity that it will not be ignored and they will face similar action being taken against them through the courts.”
The ban is not sufficient punishment because it will not necessarily stop or deter the perpetrators from re-offending. Touching another’s property will always be an offence under the law, so the CCTV revelation may only serve to shame those who are recognised by others who didn’t know they were bike thieves