In past years, visitors to the Isle of Man TT have suffered from serious amounts of bike theft. Not on the Island – where vigilance at the ferry port during the TT puts off most scrotes – but on the way to the races, especially at the Merseyside ferry ports.
However, for 2025, riders’ rights groups from across the spectrum joined forces with police in the North West to clamp down on bike theft en route to the TT. A counter-theft campaign, dubbed Operation Needle, was operated by Merseyside Police in collaboration with Liverpool City Council, Liverpool BID Company, Lancashire Constabulary, Isle of Man Constabulary, the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership (NVCRP), the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), and the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF). It was directly supported by financial contributions from NVCRP, the MAG Foundation and BMF. These funds enabled enhanced security measures in Liverpool city centre, including Oxford heavy-duty bike chains, additional barriers near hotels, increased police patrols, and electronic detection equipment.
The initiative achieved outstanding results, with no reported motorcycle thefts in the city centre locations where the measures were applied. Across Liverpool, only two motorcycles were reported stolen during the 2025 TT period, a significant reduction from the five reported in both 2023 and 2024 and 12 in 2022.
Operation Needle’s, sergeant Craig Winstanley, said: “It is great to see the work of many partner agencies paid off this year, with another reduction in the number of bike thefts. While it is regrettable that two people suffered the anguish of having their motorcycles stolen, the number of victims was significantly lower than in previous years. This is thanks to our joint efforts with partners and our commitment to listening to the motorcycle community, considering their concerns, and taking action to protect motorcycles. From speaking to motorcyclists from both the UK and overseas, they have given us really positive feedback about the security measures we have been able to implement thanks to the additional funding we have received.”
Mark Kameen, project lead at NVCRP, said: “The deployment of targeted crime prevention measures has proven to be an effective deterrent, with no reported motorcycle thefts in areas where the security provisions were in place. Achieving a 100% reduction in thefts compared to previous years highlights the impact of proactive, collaborative efforts.”
Colin Brown, MAG’s director of campaigns and political engagement commented: “MAG is proud to have contributed financially through the MAG Foundation. Working alongside BMF and NVCRP, we’ve helped protect riders’ bikes and strengthened the motorcycling community’s trust in Liverpool as a safe transit point for the TT. We look forward to future work with Merseyside Police”
Paul Morgan CBE, BMF’s government relations executive, said: “The BMF was pleased to support Operation Needle, working in partnership with the police and other agencies to deliver a successful anti-crime initiative that ensured motorcyclists had a safe and enjoyable time in Liverpool en route to the TT races.”