Motorcycle thieves have struck twice in Dundee this month.  Police believe that the same thieves who stole nearly 100 motorbikes in Newcastle have now arrived here.

Motorbikes were stolen from homes on Umgeni Road and Reynolds Street.  Col Linda Ferreira of the Newcastle Motor Vehicle Theft Unit said it appeared as if the same modus operandi as that used in Newcastle was used in both incidents.

“It does not matter if the bikes are off road or road machines.  The thieves take them.  Many people do not really bother to secure the bikes and I would urge owners to fit trackers and ensure that their motorbikes are properly locked,” Col. Ferreira said.

She added that many motorbikes are not on the ‘NATAS system’ which makes identifying bikes through engine numbers difficult.

Thieves are believed to smuggle the stolen motorbikes out of the country into Mozambique.  “The bikes are stripped and hidden under mattresses and taken out of the country.”

Turning to the recent spate of car thefts in central Dundee, where six vehicles were stolen in a week, Col Ferreira said police soon hoped to make an arrest.