Winnipeg police warn motorcyclists about spike in thefts

Winnipeg police are warning motorcyclists to take precautions to protect their bikes amid a majorincrease in the number ofthefts in the city this year.

There were 122 reported crimes involving the theft of a motorcycle or moped in the city between January and July an almost 72 per cent increase from the same period last year, and an increase of 52 per cent over the past five years, city police say.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Claude Chancysaid this kind of theft tends to be seasonal, with the majority of the reported motorcycle theftsin the latter part of the summer.

"They are easy targets for thieves," Chancy said in an interview with CBC Radio'sUp To Speed."They tend to be rolled. They can be sometimes, depending on the size lifted by two people into the bed of a truck."

Winnipeg police say anti-theft measures that can be commonly found on passenger vehicles are rarer on motorcycles and mopeds. But like cars, thieves still have ways to defeat the ignition system.

Ridersshould use at least two anti-theft devices whenever their bike is parked, no matter the area or the time of day, police say.

They recommend a tire-locking device along with a lever or ignition lock somotorcycles can't be put into neutral and rolled away.

A GPS tracker may also help officers locate the vehicle if it's stolen, police said.

'Seems like every day there's a new theft'

Louie Rondeau left his bike, a Yamaha WR250, out in his driveway overnight last July. He didn't notice it was stolen until the next morning, after droppinghis son off atdaycare.

"Got some footage from a neighbour. It'd just been walked off by someone that's not me," he said.

Based on what he's seeing in social media groups,"it seems like every day there's a new theft," he said.

His bike had an alarm, but "most security devices, thieves have already found a way around them," Rondeau said, adding he's not sure he would've heard the alarm anyway.

"I put a lot of work into the bike. It was kind of my everything bike," he said.

"I completely empathize with [Rondeau's]loss," said the Winnipeg Police Service'sChancy.

"That's something you've worked hard to obtainand enjoy. So we definitely as a service are very cognizant of the fact that we've got a very big problem here."