Motor vehicle thefts in rural North Yorkshire coast double in six months
Police report 40 vehicles stolen as councillors prepare to address rising rural crime
The number of motor vehicles stolen in rural parts of the North Yorkshire coast has ‘doubled’ compared to last year.
Between May and October, there was a large increase in the number of stolen motor vehicles (SMV) in the Scarborough district area, while the number of thefts in the area also saw a “slight” increase.
A new report by North Yorkshire Police reveals that 40 vehicles, mainly motorbikes and mopeds, were stolen over the past six months.
NYP said 21 vehicles were stolen during the same time period last year.
According to the rural crime report, which does not include the urban areas of Scarborough and Whitby, there have also been “isolated thefts of cars and vans across the district”.
In August, a campervan was stolen from outside a property in Scarborough.
Councillors on the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee will meet on Friday, November 28, to discuss the rural crime situation on the coast.
Despite the increase in the number of stolen motor vehicles, North Yorkshire Police said that its cross-border partnership working with Cleveland police as part of Operation Alibi was helping to “detect and deter rural crime”.
“Our roads policing and operational support units and rural task force are continuing to assist local policing in increasing patrols and stop-checking vehicles across the district,” a police report to the committee states.
Officers said that as a result of its patrols, there had been “a drop in the number of reported quad bike thefts from a high of four in May, as there have only been two across the remaining five months in the district”.
There has also been a “slight rise” in thefts compared to the same period last year, with peaks in June, September, and October, which saw almost 20 incidents reported each month.
NYP said that this September’s increase, which was the largest, included “a mixture of thefts” involving a “caravan, e-bikes, a cement mixer, fencing wire, eggs, and a mobility scooter."