Industry fights motorcycle theft
New initiative designed to make motorcycle less attractive to thieves
THE MOTORCYCLE Industry Association (MCI) has launched a scheme to combat the theft of over 26,000 motorcycles and scooters a year in the UK.
The MASTER Security Scheme is the first ever nationwide marking system and has been developed using Datatag technology, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police force, supported by the Home Office.
It uses a sophisticated array of technology to give each component part a unique fingerprint. This involves a combination of visible and concealed elements, including hidden data dots, stealth etching and a number of transponders embedded into parts - similar to the technology that allows the chipping of cats and dogs.
MASTER is based heavily on the Cesar scheme, which Datatag launched to reduce the theft of construction and farm machinery. The Cesar scheme has a 100% success rate of prosecution, where machinery had been tagged.
Honda, Triumph, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW and Yamaha will introduce MASTER across their range of new models in the coming months and will absorb the cost themselves. All motorcycles and scooters from participating manufacturers will be registered on Datatag’s national secure database. This is updated continuously, which means the reporting of stolen vehicles is immediate.
If your bike is stolen and is part of the MASTER scheme, hopefully the police won't return you next door's cat.
