How You Can Get Involved: Reporting, Campaigning and Supporting Local Efforts

Most riders think of security as something that happens at the bike – locks, chains, alarms, trackers. That matters. But there’s a whole other side to this that doesn’t involve tools or hardware at all - What you do as part of the wider riding community.

You have more influence than you might think. The way you report thefts, share information, support local groups and talk to decision-makers all feeds into how seriously motorcycle theft is taken where you live.

This guide is about that side of the picture: everyday actions riders can take to push things in the right direction.

1. Report theft and suspicious activity (even if you think nothing will happen)

A lot of riders don’t report attempted thefts or suspicious activity because they assume nothing will be done. It’s understandable – many have had frustrating experiences.

But here’s the reality:

Police and councils can’t act on what they don’t know. Patterns, hotspots and repeat offenders are often identified from multiple small reports that didn’t feel important at the time.

What to report

• The obvious one - A theft or attempted theft of your bike

• Someone interfering with your bike or others

• Repeated suspicious behaviour around bikes in your street, car park or workplace

• Dumped or obviously stolen bikes in your area

  
  

If it’s happening right now and looks serious or dangerous, you call emergency services.

If it’s non-emergency or historic, you use 101 or the force’s online reporting form.

What to include

When you do report, try to give clear, practical details:

• Time, date and location

• Description of people, vehicles, clothing, helmets

• Any registration numbers or partial plates

• What actually happened (tried to lift bike, cut lock, checking bikes, following etc.)

• Any CCTV or doorbell footage that might exist

You’re not expected to be an investigator. Just give them enough to understand What, Where, When and Who as best you can.

Why it matters

Even if it feels like nothing comes of a single report, they:

• Help map hotspots

• Support decisions about patrols and operations

• Back up what local communities are saying about their area

• Can tie into wider investigations later

  
  

It’s not a magic fix. But reporting is the minimum level of getting involved - and it takes just a couple of minutes.

2. Share theft information sensibly (help, don’t inflame)

When a bike gets stolen, the instinct is to hit social media hard – plates, faces, home streets, accusations. It’s emotional and understandable, but it can also get messy quickly.

You absolutely can help by sharing information, but it’s worth doing it in a way that:

• Actually helps the bike be found

• Doesn’t put you or others at risk

• Doesn’t cross into guesswork or vigilantism

  
  

Good ways to share

• Post clear photos of the bike, its plate and any distinctive marks

• Include when and roughly where it was stolen

• Tag local rider groups or community pages that already deal with theft

• Encourage people to report sightings to both the owner and the police

  
  

Keep it fact-based. “Bike stolen from X at around Y time, here’s what it looks like” goes a lot further than speculation about who did it.

Things to be careful of

• Posting unblurred faces and accusing individuals without evidence

• Sharing the exact home address of the owner

• Publicly naming supposed suspects based on rumour

  
  

That sort of thing doesn’t just risk legal trouble - it can also derail genuine investigations and discourage people from coming forward.

Think of your role as signal boosting, not running your own investigation.

3. Join or support local and online groups

There are already people and groups working on bike theft where you live – rider clubs, online communities, small awareness campaigns. They always need more eyes, more voices and sometimes just more bodies.

You don’t have to become a full-time campaigner. Just being present and engaged helps.

Ways you can help out

• Join local bike theft awareness groups or rider communities online

• Turn up to the odd meeting, ride-out or awareness event

• Share general security tips you’ve found helpful, without posting specific details about your own setup

• Offer small bits of help - handing out leaflets, sharing posts, helping with wording or design if that’s your thing

Sometimes it’s as simple as responding when someone local posts: “My bike was stolen from here, what can I do?” and kindly pointing them to reporting routes, useful resources and support.

You don’t have to have all the answers. Just caring and being willing to listen is a good start.

4. Ask for better parking and security where you already go

One of the most powerful things you can do is ask a simple question in places you use regularly: “What can we do to make it harder to steal bikes from here? Who is the best person to speak to about this?”

That might be:

• Your workplace car park

• A gym or leisure centre

• A university or college

• A block of flats with a shared car park

• A public transport hub where bikes are left all day (think train stations, Park and Rides, etc.)

  
  

Often nobody has ever raised the issue in a clear, practical way. You won’t always get what you ask for, but you’d be surprised how often simple changes happen once someone starts the conversation.

Practical asks

You don’t have to write a 5-page plan. Keep it simple and reasonable:

• Asking for proper motorcycle hoops or anchors where bikes are already parking

• Better lighting over bike bays

• CCTV adjusted so it actually covers the bike area

• Clear signage about where bikes should park

  
  

You can frame it as:

• A way to reduce theft and hassle

• A benefit for staff, students or customers

• A small change with a lot of upside

  
  

Even one or two secure hoops appearing at a workplace or station is a win.

5. Support campaigns and organisations that reflect your values

There are rider groups, charities, campaigns and local efforts all pushing in similar directions: better security, better awareness, fair treatment of riders. You don’t have to agree with all of them or join anything formal, but you can still support the ones that resonate with you.

That might look like:

• Responding to consultations or surveys that touch on powered two-wheelers

• Backing campaigns calling for secure parking or fair treatment in bike bays

• Sharing well-put-together resources from theft awareness groups

• Donating time, skills or a bit of money if you’re in a position to

The key is to pick the efforts that feel constructive and solutions-focused, rather than just angry noise. Anger is understandable - but change usually comes from people who can show the problem and suggest realistic steps forward.

6. Be a good neighbour to other riders

Not all involvement has to go through formal channels. Some of the most effective things you can do are hyper-local and quiet.

If you and your neighbours both have bikes outside, swap phone numbers. Make a simple agreement - if one of you hears or sees something odd around the bikes, you’ll call or message. If you can see each other’s bikes from a window, say so.

If you live near a regular bike parking spot - train station, popular bay, pub with bikes outside - simply being the person who looks out of the window when you hear alarms or unusual noise is already a contribution. Most people look away; you don’t have to.

It costs nothing to tap on the window, step outside briefly, or make a quick note of a suspicious van’s number plate. Tiny actions like that are often what stop attempts turning into thefts.

7. Support riders who’ve had their bike stolen

Finally, one of the most human ways you can get involved is by backing people after the worst has already happened.

If someone in your circle, street or local group has a bike stolen:

• Share their post if they’re looking for the bike

• Help them think through next steps: reporting, insurance, practicalities

• Point them towards solid security advice for the future without blaming them

What they don’t need is comment picking apart their choices. If you can be the calm voice that says, “Here’s what you can do now, and here’s how to make things harder next time,” you’re doing more good than you realise.

Start small, but start

Let’s recap. Getting involved doesn’t have to mean standing in front of council meetings or organising rallies.

It can be:

• Taking two minutes to file a report instead of shrugging

• Sharing a stolen bike post in a useful way

• Asking your work if they’ll add a couple of secure hoops

• Keeping an eye on the bikes on your street

• Being the person who quietly directs others towards better security

All of those things add up.

Locks, chains and alarms matter. But so does what we do as a community.

You don’t have to fix motorcycle theft on your own.

You just have to pull your small bit of rope in the right direction.

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We’re new here

This is just a starting point. Over the coming weeks we’ll be diving into the work of specific rider communities, local groups and campaigns that are already tackling bike theft on the ground - how they got started, what they’re doing, and how you can plug in or copy their ideas where you live.

Check back soon for those deep-dive pieces - or better yet, join the forthcoming newsletter and we’ll send the most useful ones straight to your inbox.

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