Maldives Police Service (MPS) has warned that cases of motorcycle theft are increasing and that 30-50 cases are reported every month in Male’ City alone.
Speaking to PSM News, Inspector of Police Ibrahim Khaleel said that thieves make use of a narrow window of opportunity they get to commit theft. As such, Khaleel noted that incidents of motorcycle theft usually involve the owner forgetting to take their keys out or to secure the shutter lock. He noted that most of these cases involve dimly lit areas with no CCTV cameras. He added that most of the cases involve the theft of older brands of motorcycles such as the Wave 110 or Wave 125 which can be easily unlocked without the key.
Furthermore, Inspector Khaleel said that MPS retrieved over 100 motorcycle keys a month after their owners enter their homes after forgetting to retrieve the keys after parking their vehicles. He said that MPS places stickers on the motorcycles to verify that the police service have the keys to enable their owners to retrieve them. He noted that the number of motorcycle keys MPS receives is high.
Additionally, Inspector Khaleel said that motorcycles are stolen at all times of the day and that they are used by criminals for travel or are broken down to sell the spare parts in the Greater Male’ Region and the atolls. He highlighted that police officers on patrol have a list of motorcycle registration numbers and that they retrieve a large number of stolen motorcycles while stopping drivers at checkpoints. He added that many motorcycles are also found after watching CCTV footage.
Inspector Khaleel also said that citizens should become more vigilant due to the increase of motorcycle thefts, by securing their locks and retrieving the keys after parking their vehicle. He also advised them to refrain from storing any valuable items in their motorcycle.