A BRADFORD man has hit out at the police over how they handled a motorcycle theft report.

Simon Rayner, of Queensbury, said: "I had my motorcycle stolen earlier this month.

"I went over to Clayton for a bit of shopping."

Mr Rayner called into Home Bargains in the retail park on Clayton Road at around 3pm on February 16 to buy a couple of tins of dog food.

"A woman rushed into the shop and said 'there's a gang of boys stealing your motorbike'.

"She said they were all wearing balaclavas and were swinging a hammer.

"I dropped everything at the till and ran outside but they were gone.

"I reported it to police and they came and had a word and said leave it with us.

"I put a post on the Bradford Crime Watch Facebook page and someone came back and sent me a TikTok video that had my bike in it along with a bunch of others.

"The day I reported it, they told me 'We know where your bike is'.

"I said to them, 'Why don't you go and get it?'

"A few days later, police came and took a statement off me.

"The next day they told me they had closed the case.

"What kind of message does that send? These gangs are given the green light to rob people.

"And they're blatantly doing it in broad daylight."

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Police received a report of a stolen motorcycle taken from a retail park on Clayton Road, Bradford, between 2pm and 3pm on Thursday, February 16.

"CCTV footage of the theft has been reviewed but no suspect has so far been identified."

The police also provided some advice for motorcycle owners.

In a West Yorkshire Police motorcycle and scooter crime prevention advice leaflet, the police suggest parking motorcycles in places where lots of people are passing who may see someone try to steal it.

They said a chain and lock should be used to attach the bike to a solid immoveable object but added that locks of poor standard or are incorrectly installed can be breached.

They also say that a padlock and chain placed around the front wheel only and left on the ground can be smashed off far easier by a hammer attack, than if it was placed off the ground.

They suggest that disc locks to the 'Sold Secure' standard are placed on the rear wheel in conjunction with other security measures on the bike, "making it more difficult to access by offenders."

 

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