Listen, I understand the concept of 'antisocial behavio(u)r', as the UK defines it—both on motorcycles, and otherwise. And I understand that it can be a problem. Just like I understand that rowdy assholes can (and do) keep regular people who have to get up in the morning awake by being noisy right outside their apartments.
I've lived through it; I know. It sucks.
And I'd never say that there aren't people who probably shouldn't have bikes (or cars, or probably any other vehicle). People contain multitudes; some are awesome, and some are ginormous jerks. It's truly a timeless, borderless sentiment.
But if you live in the UK, there's a new governmental consultation that just started on May 28, 2025, that you need to know about. I can feel your eyes glazing over from here, but please pay attention, because this does concern you, even if you don't think it does.
From May 28 through July 8, 2025, the UK government is seeking testimony from all interested stakeholders regarding an amendment to existing law. At issue: Whether vehicles seized for "antisocial behaviour" can and should be disposed of in a much smaller timeframe than the law currently allows.
What kind of difference are we talking? The disposal timeframe (read: crushing of seized vehicles, including cars, motorbikes, and everything else) would shrink from 14 working days to 48 hours. Also, the phrase "working days" would be changed to just "days," as in units of measure on a calendar.
Pardon me, a rando from across the pond, but that seems like far too short a time for anyone to actually do anything to stop it. And if it was something proposed by my federal, state, or local government, I'd say the same thing.
You know why? Because mistakes happen. No matter how you feel about law enforcement, they're humans. Humans of all kinds, at all levels, make mistakes. It's part of being human. Now, please note that the government's stated reasoning behind this law change is to prevent criminals from re-offending once they get their vehicles back.
But what about the person whose motorbike or car got stolen, and who wasn't even involved in any criminal activity? If someone stole your bike to go do mischief, why are you the one who should be punished for it? Sure, you might have insurance on the bike, but you can't tell me that having your bike crushed in 48 hours because some jerk stole it isn't going to jack your insurance rates sky high (assuming it's covered in the first place).
Also, what about long weekends—including those things my British friends like to call 'bank holidays,' which often just means a three-day weekend to the rest of us. If vehicles seized for being involved in "antisocial behaviour" can be crushed within 48 hours, and someone's trying to get their vehicle back, you may not even be able to get a real, live person on the phone within that time frame.
I don't live in the UK, and I haven't lived there in the past, either. But I know people there, as here, often require their vehicles to go to work, or to school. If your vehicle is seized through no fault of your own, and you're unable to get through to a person in time to try to sort out the error, that could literally wreck your entire life.
I'll quote the UK government's request for public consultation on these amendments here, because it seems almost cruelly laughable.
"The aim of the charges has never been to impose a penalty on vehicle drivers or owners. This remains the case. The need for removal of a vehicle does not necessarily result entirely, or at all, from a culpable action or neglect on the part of the owner or driver. Where a criminal offence might have been committed, it is for the police to deal with that as a separate matter."
Maybe you didn't mean it that way, person (or committee) who wrote this document, but that's exactly what's going to happen. We've known for years that motorbike theft is a serious problem in the UK. I can't speak about automotive theft, as that isn't a beat I've been covering for the past several years. But if motorbike theft is a known problem, and if vehicles that were seized due to antisocial and/or criminal behavior are the ones that you want to have crushed within 48 hours, who do you think is going to pay?
Not the people who stole those motorbikes, which is who you presumably mean to punish. No, it'll be the responsibility of the hapless motorbike owners, who probably couldn't get someone on the phone to sort out their bike theft drama in time.
Way to not kick them while they're down, guys. No notes.
If you're in the UK, and you want to respond to the government's open request for consultation from stakeholders, you're eligible to offer your testimony if you are a member of one of the following categories:
- the public
- representatives of victims
- the police
- or vehicle recovery operators and related bodies
To respond, find out full details here, on the official website, and then either fill out the form located at that link, or send an email to Vehicle_Recovery@homeoffice.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can also send postal mail to the address listed in the link at the beginning of this paragraph.
