A daring daylight theft unfolded on Saturday, March 28, when a gang of masked thieves broke into a Midland residence on Water Orton Road, Castle Bromwich. Arriving on two mopeds with two accomplices on foot, the group forced entry by damaging the gate lock just before 5:30 pm.
Once inside the property, the thieves targeted a Yamaha 900 tracer motorbike (registration AY68 YRP) parked on the driveway. Using hammers, two gang members destroyed the bike’s steering lock and a Kryptonite Disklok security device on the wheel. Despite triggering an alarm and being recorded on multiple cameras, the brazen thieves managed to wheel the motorbike away.
Gary Smith, the bike’s owner and a professional rapid blood biker who uses it for urgent medical deliveries, was away during the incident but monitored the theft live via phone alerts. He recounted how the gang had evidently been planning the heist, having noticed a previous intruder attempting to inspect the bike about a month earlier. At that time, an alarm forced the intruder to flee without stealing the motorbike.
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Smith explained, “As soon as they broke in, I watched them stealing it on my phone at 5:19 pm. They used a crowbar to break the steering lock, then smashed through the Disklok and wheeled the bike out. They couldn’t start it, so they pushed it along the road for about a mile.”
Despite police arriving within 15 minutes after multiple calls reporting the theft, the raiders had already escaped with the motorcycle. The thief’s actions caused an estimated £1,000 worth of damage to the gate.
Valued at around £4,500 secondhand, the motorbike originally cost approximately £7,000. Smith, an advanced rider affiliated with rapid blood bike services supporting the Cosford air ambulance and Midland Freewheelers, expressed his frustration about the attack and the vandalism of his property.
“I am offering a substantial reward for any information that leads to the return of my bike and the conviction of those responsible,” Smith urged.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson confirmed an ongoing investigation into the theft, emphasizing efforts such as house-to-house inquiries and reviewing CCTV and dashcam footage. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police via Live Chat on the official website or call 101, quoting crime reference 20/195244/26.