Whitby: Stolen quad bike found in just NINE minutes as thieves make off from police

North Yorkshire Police were called to a rural area near Whitby at 3.30am on Tuesday December 20 when a quad bike was stolen by thieves.

Officers said the stolen bike was recovered within just nine minutes of the crime being reported as the vehicle was fitted with a tracker.

The owner was reunited with the stolen bike after police officers used information from the tracking company.

Officers are now appealing for witnesses in the Ruswarp area after the thieves made off. Anyone who saw a quad bike near the time or recorded suspicious behaviour is urged to call 101, select option one and speak to the Force Control Room, quoting reference number 12220224240.

North Yorkshire Police encouraged owners of expensive bikes and equipment to remain vigilant and consider installing GPS trackers, immobilisers, motion detection CCTV, shed alarms and quad cages to help deter criminals and prevent thieves from stealing “vital bits of kit”.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “If you have valuable equipment such as quad bikes that you rely on for work, it’s well worth considering how you can make them more of a difficult target for thieves.”