3 motorbike thefts every hour! What are the most stolen models?
Thefts are an integral part of all societies and even in Italian cities, although generally safe compared to many other corners of the planet, many of them are recorded. When it comes to means of transport, motorcycles and scooters are among the most stolen and in recent years we have been seeing a slight growth in the numbers.
How, where, why and how much?
Let's analyze all the data, compare them with the times we are living in and with the profound differences that we can encounter throughout the country, to have a clearer idea of the phenomenon and understand how we can protect our two-wheeled loved ones.
Why do motorcycle thefts happen?
The question might seem trivial, but in reality the reasons that lead certain criminals to take possession of other people's scooters or motorbikes are various and also change according to the Italian regions. Most of the crimes committed fall into 3 specific categories:
- Theft for resale abroad
- Theft due to disassembly and sale of spare parts
- Theft for use in organized crime activities
Obviously there is also a small percentage that goes beyond these reasons and which includes all the other possible reasons. This last category includes non-professional thieves who basically steal for personal reasons and not to run an illicit business.
Why motorcycles and not other vehicles? Obviously we are talking about a business which in the case of resale and spare parts can be fairly profitable, but in the case of use by organized crime these are ideal means for carrying out certain types of crimes or for transporting illicit substances quickly between city streets. Furthermore, motorbikes and scooters are relatively easy to steal, they are light and can easily be moved and hidden inside vans or other vehicles.
What to do if my motorbike is stolen?
The process is simple: if someone steals an object of our property without our consent, it is considered theft and requires a personal report to a police officer of a command or Qeustura, Carabinieri or Local Police, it makes no difference which one we choose.
Our responsibility ends with the signing of the report and from that moment the ball passes to the police, who activate a search procedure for the vehicle and try to recover it and return it to its rightful owner.
Things don't always go in the best way and vehicles often simply disappear into thin air, but there are also many cases of the vehicle being found and returned to its rightful owner.
What are the most stolen motorcycle models in Italy
The latest ranking of the most stolen two-wheelers refers to 2021 (2022 ministerial data) and sees a total number of recorded thefts of 26,707 vehicles.
There are 3 motorbike thefts every hour, and although these are numbers that have been constantly decreasing for 10 years now, the last year has once again seen a growth in thefts of up to 6% more compared to 2020, and we don't know what they will be like the data corresponding to 2022.
The period of strong crisis of employment, economic and social fabric could be a response to this sudden increase.
In Italy, the ranking of the most stolen two-wheelers has seen scooters at the top for many years. Why them? They have always been the favorite means of transport for getting around the city and in some cases they are real best sellers which are also at the center of an enormous illegal buying and selling activity of both complete vehicles and spare parts.
The reason is mainly due to the type of vehicle, which is more difficult to steal and exploit both in terms of dismantling for spare parts sales and for use in criminal activities. Thefts of medium and large displacement motorcycles are limited almost exclusively to export for illegal sale on other European markets.
On the contrary, scooters are by nature lighter, more compact and practical vehicles, which, despite having a much lower value than motorbikes, are far easier to steal and are available in greater quantities. The "business" of stolen scooters in cities is thriving also because it is the most widespread means of transport after the car, and this gives criminals the opportunity to build various businesses that are much more profitable than simple theft for resale.
The SH alone is worth 20% of the total thefts in Italy; with a success like this it is logically also the most stolen. It has been the undisputed king in the sales charts for several years and finds its greatest diffusion in large cities. Rome, Naples, Palermo and Milan are undoubtedly the urban centers where SH and similar are most widespread and, logically, always under the eye of thieves.
The cities and regions with the most motorcycle thefts
As anticipated, Italy is such a particular and varied country that has great differences between North and South, also with regard to theft of cars and motorbikes. Obviously the more populous regions have a greater chance of occupying the top area of the ranking, but the data are not so obvious, as we can see from the following list of the regions with the most thefts:
One of the most populous regions such as Veneto is outside the Top 5 and other southern regions adjacent to Campania do not have such a high number of thefts.
In this case we must identify the areas of greatest activity of motorbike thieves in the main Italian cities, which is why it is easy to understand how Naples, Rome, Palermo, Milan and Florence are the epicenter of the phenomenon. It is no coincidence that these are also the Italian cities with the greatest presence of scooters and motorbikes and the places where the Honda SH, the favorite of thieves, is most widespread.
How many stolen motorbikes are found and returned?
Unfortunately, just over 1/3 of the two-wheeled vehicles are recovered by the police. In the 2022 ministerial data, referring to the whole of 2021, the scooters and motorbikes that returned to their legitimate owners were 9,678, just 36% of the total stolen vehicles.
Furthermore, it is not specified in what conditions these vehicles were returned to their owners and which of these were still running. A small consolation: in 2022 the police returned 6% more stolen motorcycles and scooters to their owners than the previous year.
How to protect yourself from motorcycle theft
Thieves are becoming increasingly sophisticated in staging motorbike thefts across the country. The first useful and logical piece of advice is undoubtedly keeping the vehicle in a closed place such as a garage, a condominium car park or a private courtyard.
When you are out and about, however, you don't always have the opportunity to park in guarded places or where you can keep an eye on your vehicle. The simple steering lock offered as standard on all motorcycles certainly helps (and must always be inserted), but it is not a valid deterrent for criminals, in fact a well-aimed kick is often enough to force the lock.
Equipping a motorbike with a more effective anti-theft system is not only recommended, but almost mandatory given the numbers involved.
What anti-theft systems exist and how do they work?
There are various ways of increasing safety when we are not in the saddle and they range from the classic alarm that sounds as soon as someone tries to move the motorbike to the various mechanical solutions such as chains, disc locks, brake locks (some of these also equipped with acoustic warning devices) or the EasyBlock.
All these accessories protect against theft in a more or less effective way, but they are also well known by thieves who for years have been studying the most disparate methods to neutralize the lock and take away the poor motorbike or scooter they've got their hands on.
EasyBlock the wheel lock anti-theft always with you
Often you end up not using your mechanical anti-theft device out of pure laziness.
Maybe you're in a hurry or don't want to get your hands dirty before an important meeting.
But it is precisely in these situations that thieves take advantage of our distraction to commit theft.
With its design designed to be simple and quick to use, EasyBlock aims to help motorcyclists protect their motorbike in every situation.
EasyBlock works as a safety system linked to the motorbike, becoming part of the chassis itself and consequently bringing various advantages in terms of safety and practicality of use, as the device does not have to be removed and placed in a glove compartment.
EasyBlock is available in two configurations, one dedicated to motorbikes which prevents the rotation of the rear wheel through the mechanical locking of the crown and one for scooters which blocks the vehicle directly from the rear rim and can also be activated with just the foot; a safety spring prevents accidental insertion.
Made of CNC machined aluminum and zinc-treated ferrous composite, they have a stainless steel pin that blocks the movement.
