Operation Yellowfin continues action to tackle motorbike related crime and ASB

Update from Humberside Police:-

No let-up in action against criminals stealing motorbikes and using them to commit crime.

Humberside Police remains resolute in efforts to bring motorbike thieves and those who ride motorbikes in an antisocial way to justice. Op Yellowfin is a police operation to tackle the crime associated with motorbikes and off-road bikes.

In the past months, dozens of stolen bikes have been recovered or seized.  Bike helmets discarded by suspects have been recovered and offenders arrested.  But this is only part of the story of Op Yellowfin.

Chief Inspector Paul Butler said, “It’s been two years since Op Yellowfin was rolled out across the whole of Humberside, it had had such great results in Hull previously that we made sure the rest of the Force could adopt the same approach at tackling the issues which had blighted our communities.

“We continue our operations throughout the year but now that the weather has improved we are starting to see, despite the Government lockdown, an increase again in thefts and the antisocial use of motorbikes across the Humberside Police force area.

“Officers on both sides of the River Humber are continuing to proactively stop motorcyclists.  Not just if we suspect them to be riding a stolen bike or riding in an antisocial way, but also, with the support of the motorcycling community, stopping motorcyclists and talking to them about their safety and the security of their own bikes.

“We have spoken to lots of people who have been really pleased with the information we have given them about Op Yellowfin and have taken on board the crime prevention advice.

“Front line officers continue to work alongside CID and our intelligence units to gather information about people we suspect of carrying out thefts and motorcycle related crime. 

“But I cannot stress enough how important it is for us to hear from our residents about the problems they are experiencing so that we can tackle this straight away.  We do have hot-spot areas in North Hull and in Grimsby where we regularly patrol but know that others experience problems too and we always want to be called about these issues so we can deal with them before they become bigger problems.

“It is the information from residents about stolen bikes, scooters, mopeds etc being stored in lockups and garages that we value too.  If we have information like this call us on 101 and quote ‘Yellowfin’ to our call takers and officers. That way we’re able to tie together all motorbike-related crime with the valuable information and intelligence needed to deal with it effectively.

We continue to educate riders through Op Yellowfin too and want to remind owners of some basic crime prevention tips to prevent their pride and joy being stolen.  This is not often their pride and joy but their method to get to and from work too so the inconvenience of having a bike stolen has a massive impact on their lives.

• Always lock your bike with its fork and ignition locks.
• Invest in a secondary quality disc and chain locks.
• Secure your bike to a rail, anchor point or anything solid.
• Where there are no anchor points lock bikes together with your friends.
• Fit a quality approved alarm and tracking system.Invest in an insurance-approved ID and marking system (eg. micro dot, DNA marking, acid etching…)
• Park and lock your bike in well lit, busy locations. Try not to leave it in a remote area especially overnight.
• Cover your bike. It can hide its value and your security kit as well as protect it from the weather.

Chief Inspector Butler concludes, “We know we’ve still got a lot of work to do, but what I will say is that our work to tackle motorbike crime and the crimes related to it won’t stop.  Making our communities safer for everyone”

Following the #OpYellowfin on social media will keep you updated on the work we are doing – showing how bikes have been seized recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

Here’s some of the action taken across the Force:

8 April – #EastHull Local community officers have responded to reports of a youth riding a mini-moto bike in Estcourt Street. One youth located and dealt with for numerous offences. Officers used their magic powers and made his bike disappear! Wow! #IzzyWizzyLetsGetBusy #Seized!

8 April – #BEVERLEY: #Team1 Stolen motorbike found and recovered this evening #GoodSpot #Seized

4 April – #NLincs – We have received several reports of this motorcycle riding recklessly around Scunthorpe today. Your local neighbourhood officers were out and about. The motorcycle has been located, seized and the rider dealt with. #safercommunities #opyellowfin

19 Feb – #NELincs #opyellowfin #southward – Stolen motorcycle recovered from the Grange Estate, Grimsby. Male decided to dump the bike and run even though he said he had bought it from a friend. Now will be returned back to its rightful owner.