Majority of motorcycle thefts committed by young boys

According to Okinawa Prefectural Police, 103 of the 113 persons arrested on suspicion of motorcycle thefts in 2015 were boys between 14 and 20 years of age. The proportion of boys in the same age group arrested as suspects in all theft cases was 32.7 %, making the motorcycle thefts especially stand out.

Police officials blame the easiness of selling and buying used motorcycle parts on the Internet, and say that might be one of the causes why young boys engage in motorcycle thefts. Police believe buying and selling stolen motorbike parts on the Internet is widespread.

For example, last October police arrested a group of 10 boys on suspicion of stealing 87 motorcycles at various parts of the island. In every case, they had taken the bikes apart and sold the parts on Internet sites. According to police investigators’ estimate, the spree had netted the gang nearly ¥9 million.

19:32 28 Mar , 2024