Two arrests and ten bikes seized in crackdown on motorcycle crime in Sunderland

Two people have been arrested and 10 bikes seized after 48 hour blitz on motorcycle crime in Sunderland.

As part of Operation Capio, on Monday April 15, police followed a suspicious motorcycle on Silksworth Road in Sunderland which turned out to have been stolen from an address in Gateshead in September 2023.

The rider – a disqualified driver – was arrested when parking up at a petrol station and will now appear before the courts. 

A subsequent search of his home led officers to find a further five bikes that have been linked to motorcycle-related disorder across the city.

The following day (Tuesday April 16) three bikes, all believed to have been stolen from the Concord area, were successfully located at an address in Washington, along with a number of false plates. On the same day, plain-clothed officers spotted a nuisance rider in the Hylton Castle area of the city and tracked him to a nearby home where the rider – in his 20s – was found to have no insurance.

He was duly reported for motoring offences and his bike taken away.

Sergeant Chris Mcclennan, of Northumbria Police, coordinated this week’s Operation Capio clampdown and he has praised the work of everyone involved.

He said: “We are well aware of the detrimental impact that motorcycle-related crime can have and that’s why it’s a priority for us to seize these bikes and identify the riders.

“The activity this week follows weeks of intelligence gathering and information provided by our communities and the results speak for themselves.

“This proactive action is not in isolation and we have officers across the entire area targeting nuisance riders and looking to meet motorcycle-related crime head-on.

“As ever, I’d like to thank the public who continue to support us and would encourage anyone who has information about motorcycle-related crime in their area to get in touch with us and report it.

“By doing so, that will allow us to take robust action.”

Concerns over criminal activity can be reported via the ‘Report’ page of the Northumbria Police website or by calling 101.