Hampshire Police get heavy on motorbike and moped theft with Operation Imperative

Hampshire Police officers operating in the Gosport area are stamping down on moped and motorcycle theft with their Operation Imperative campaign.

Op Imperative is a scheme used patch-wide by the Hampshire Constabulary to tackle vehicle crime of all kinds, criminal damage, garage burglaries and anti-social behaviour.

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The force say they are acting after becoming aware of an increase in bike and moped theft, as well as reports of machines being ridden illegally.

Alongside releasing a photo of a recovered motorcycle, the force said: “The stolen bike shown on the back of this recovery truck was seized by our team after reports from vigilant members of the public.”

As part of the operation, an 18-year-old from Gosport was arrested on March 26 on suspicion of going equipped to steal motor vehicles and for burglary. He’s now on conditional bail.

The force continued: “Operation Imperative is the name for our response to this criminal behaviour. You will see more patrols in the area and arrests being made, using our police powers to deal robustly with these individuals.”

Hampshire Police went on to tell MCN that the types of vehicles they are mainly seeing reported stolen in the Gosport area are mopeds and motorcycles.

Officers also want to encourage members of the public to report abandoned bikes, even if they have been recovered by their owners, to help build a clearer picture of where crimes of this nature are taking place and increase patrols in hotspots.

This can be done by calling 101, quoting the operation name during your call. If you live in the area you can visit the Let’s Talk survey page to raise your concerns over bike theft.