Police Recover 15 Stolen Motorbikes and Quads

Police in Middlesbrough have seized a total of 15 stolen motorcycles and quad bikes in an attempt to tackle the issues of off-roaders riding in local towns.

The recovery job began when police officers from the Middlesbrough Proactive Team saw a big group of people in balaclavas riding along Riverside Road on Monday 19 August. The group of thieves were then followed which gave the police a chance to see where the stolen bikes were being kept.

The following morning the police returned and began recovering the motorcycles and quads, forcing entry with heavy-duty cutters. The police found a total of 12 bikes, three quads, and machete weapons. There were also balaclavas and class A drugs stored in the containers.

The list of motorcycles recovered ranged from motocross and enduro bikes to a Yamaha MT-07 and MT-09. Speaking after the recovery was made, Middlesbrough Proactive Team, Sergeant John Sproson said “Off-road bikes are consistently raised as an important issue by our communities, they cause misery through their antisocial and criminal use.”

“This operation shows that we will take every opportunity to take them off the street. We would like to ask the public to contact us and tell us where they are being stored.”

As the bikes were being recovered a 19-year-old and 16-year-old were caught arriving at the scene, which resulted in them being arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and subsequently taken into police custody for questioning. They were eventually bailed as the investigation remains ongoing.

Unlike many cases where stolen bikes never return to their owner, that’s not been the case for three of these machines which have returned to their owner, while one quad bike has also been returned. Five motorcycles will unfortunately be destroyed as they were identified as ridden illegally with no insurance on the previous day.

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