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Motorcycle Theft Drops During Pandemic

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Motorcycle theft fell a surprising 2.7% to 9021 in the past financial year (2019/20) while overall Australian motor vehicle theft increased 2% to 56,312.

It appears motorcycle thieves stayed home during the coronavirus pandemic as motorcycle thefts had been on course for a bumper year.

Thefts were trending up with a 10.% increase to 9672 in the 2019 calendar year. In fact, that was the biggest increase of any category of vehicle.

Instead, motorcycle thefts have dropped dramatically during the pandemic which seems to run completely contra to thefts of other motor vehicles.

The National Motor Vehicle Theft Council even points out that there is a correlation between the performance of the economy and crime.

They tip that with the recession caused by the pandemic it is “almost certain the current uplift in vehicle crime will extend into 2021 at a minimum”.

However, that may not include motorcycles.

Motorcycle thefts

London motorcycle theft
(Image: Met Police)

The biggest drop in motorcycle theft was in NSW, down 251 (11.6%) from 2160 to 1909.

At the other end of the scale, Tasmania was up a whopping 27.1%.

 

State or Territory 2018/19 2019/20 % change
Thefts % of thefts Thefts % of thefts
ACT 104 1.1 110 1.2 5.8%
NSW 2,160 23.3 1,909 21.2 -11.6%
NT 100 1.1 77 0.9 -23.0%
QLD 1,864 20.1 1,956 21.7 4.9%
SA 711 7.7 783 8.7 10.1%
TAS 170 1.8 216 2.4 27.1%
VIC 2,037 22.0 2,056 22.8 0.9%
WA 2,121 22.9 1,914 21.2 -9.8%
AUS 9,267 100.0 9,021 100.0 -2.7%

 

Motorcycle thefts by Local Government Area

Once again, the South East Queensland and Perth regions were the most popular targets for thieves.

As a consequence, these areas usually attract higher insurance premiums.

 

State or Territory LGA 2018/19 2019/20 % change
QLD Brisbane (City) 466 599 28.5%
QLD Gold Coast (City) 273 277 1.5%
VIC Melbourne (City) 232 247 6.5%
QLD Logan (City) 168 185 10.1%
QLD Moreton Bay (Regional Council) 169 185 9.5%
WA Cockburn (City) 117 151 29.1%
NSW Newcastle (City) 156 119 -23.7%
WA Stirling (City) 156 116 -25.6%
SA Adelaide (City) 52 114 119.2%
WA Rockingham (City) 85 114 34.1%

 

Most stolen

As usual, the most stolen motorcycle brands are also the most prevalent in the market such as Japanese bikes.

However, scooters and off-road bikes were also prime targets of thieves as they are lightweight and easy to steal. Some are also used on properties and tourist destinations where they may not be re-registered.

That explains the high theft rating of off-road brands such as KTM and Husqvarna, and scooter brands such as SYM, Kymco and Piaggio.

Top motorcycle theft targets

Make 2018/19 2019/20
Honda 2,010 1,938
Yamaha 1,582 1,574
Kawasaki 854 884
Suzuki 816 819
KTM 647 598
SYM 287 336
Kymco 223 257
Piaggio 203 221
Harley Davidson 219 186
Triumph 182 160
Husqvarna 145 146
Longjia 142 130
Hyosung 173 129
Ducati 92 101
Aprilia 94 99
Vespa 78 94
BMW 78 92
Bolwell 65 68
CFMoto 60 57
Vmoto 65 56