On one hand, it’s great that the total number of vehicle thefts has reduced over the years, with nearly a 3x reduction from 2019 to 2021. Unfortunately, motorcycles have consistently been the majority of all stolen vehicles for the last 11 years.
This means that motorcycles are over 50% more likely to be stolen compared to a car or commercial vehicle – a worrying statistic for any bike owners reading now!
That being said, don’t worry too much – this article will guide you through the steps of what to do when your bike has been stolen, as well as cover ways to prevent this from happening in the first place.
What to do when your motorcycle is stolen?
Firstly, remain calm and remember that handling this frustrating situation well will give you and the authorities the best chance to recover your motorcycle!
- If you’re 100% certain your bike has been stolen, make a police report immediately. The faster you work, the higher the probability your motorcycle can be found. Additionally, your case may be connected to a bigger investigation into motorcycle thefts in the area; your report could be crucial to the police in their investigation.
- Call your insurer to make a motorcycle theft claim, and provide all the details and documents needed for the investigation and claims processing:
- Claims form (Completed)
- Copy of Identification Card Driving License (Policy Holder)
- Copy of Identification Card and Driving License driver (other than Policy Holder)
- Copy of Registration Card
- Copy of Hire Purchase Agreement (if applicable, and inform your financing company)
- Police Report
- Policy Cover Note
- Check if there is a CCTV nearby that could have recorded the theft! If there is one, the police will be able to retrieve the video footage as evidence.
- Look for it again! This time start asking around; someone might have seen what happened. Ask if anyone has seen someone pushing a motorcycle, or lifting it up into a vehicle, or just seen a strange truck or van roaming around. Drive around the area and see if you can spot your motorcycle. If you do find it, contact the police for next steps.
- How about online listing sites? You might find it by checking online motorcycle ads for any signs of your motorcycle. They might also try to do a quick paint job to make it not look like yours, so look for any of the same model. If you want to take it to the next level, you could also check for the individual parts of your motorcycle too.
- Post pictures on your social media platforms/forums and let your friends and fellow Malaysians help keep an eye out for your motorcycle. Additionally, you can also bring your photos to nearby junkyards and ask them to keep a watch for it too.
Things to Note:
- A theft claim may take up to 6 months or more if your insurer needs more information from you. However, in most cases, claims are settled as soon as the theft investigation is finalised without any other issues.
- There is a minimum waiting period for the police to try and locate the stolen motorcycle. After the waiting period, you’ll need to call the police officer in-charge and collect a letter stating that the bike was not found. Use this letter and send a copy to your insurance company and financing company (if applicable).
- If your vehicle has been found while your theft claim is being processed, your insurer will contact you to explain what to expect when getting your motorcycle back. First, a police officer will carry out a risk assessment and inspect the motorcycle. Please note that if you are informed that your vehicle is recovered, do NOT take possession of your motorcycle from any authority/party unless authorized by the police and immediately notify your insurer for them to make proper arrangements to conduct an independent survey of your vehicle and/or to take possession of your recovered vehicle.
How to prevent theft of your motorcycle?
Here are a bunch of tips to help reduce the likelihood of your motorcycle being stolen:
A. Engage the steering lock before removing your ignition key and don’t leave a spare key anywhere on the motorcycle.
B. Lock your bike even if you are in a private carpark, and we don’t mean with just a single padlock. A disc lock is probably the most basic form of security, but determined thieves can easily hoist a bike into a waiting truck. It’s best to use two or more locks of different types in addition to your bike’s built-in lock. Also, use good quality locks – alarmed disc locks, steel-made U-locks and asymmetrical chains would probably deter a thief more than a single padlock that can be broken easily.
C. Add a cable or chain to anchor your bike to something solid, like a railing, lamp post or tree.
D. Using a canvas cover on your bike will make identification of your bike harder, and less of a target.
E. Park your motorcycle at shops you frequently visit or even pay them a small fee to look after your bike for you or for secure undercover parking. Even while at your own risk, it still might be safer compared to an unmanned open public carpark. If possible, choose well-lit parking areas with high traffic, and in view of a security camera.
F. An Alarm system in place that will draw attention to any criminal activity and hopefully alert you if you are near enough.
G. Install a GPS tracker where you can monitor your bike via live video or track the exact location in the event of theft, depending on the features available.
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Stay safe, keep informed and check it out.