Operation Needle: Eliminating Motorcycle Theft with Merseyside Police

Every year, racing enthusiasts from across the globe attend the Isle of Man TT races, a hero fixture in the calendar. Up to 7,000 have been known to travel through Liverpool to attend the event on their motorcycles, with one of the most popular methods of reaching the Isle of Man from the mainland being a ferry from the city.

In the past, this increased footfall led to city centre hotels being targeted by opportunistic criminals and organised crime groups who sought to thieve motorbikes brought by those travellers.

To combat this, Merseyside Police consulted Safer Group in 2025 to form a security solution in association with Liverpool BID, and with funding from the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the Motorcycle Action Group Ltd. This solution successfully eradicated motorcycle theft in the city centre during the 2025 event, leading to the growth in our partnership for the much-anticipated 2026 event.

The overall goal of this project was to deter criminal activity by protecting the thousands who chose to travel through Liverpool to attend, and the vehicle assets they travelled with. In addition, sub-objectives included:

• Establishment of a temporary secure environment in hot-spot locations

• Reassurance of riders and strengthened public confidence

• Improved evidence gathering, reporting, and police efficiency

Owing to the concentration of a high number of valuable assets within a small location, the risk of crime was elevated. The complex nature of protecting an asset that is primarily transport, also warranted consideration.

The deployment was also dependent on coordination between numerous organisations, including local authorities, event organisers, hotels, parking, and ferry operators. Ensuring consistent procedures and maintaining communication networks can prove to be difficult in these circumstances.

Our solution further relied on rider compliance to ensure vehicles had been properly locked and parked sensibly. This advice was provided to riders within a wider outreach from Merseyside Police during Operation Needle, which contained clear guidance for best protecting motorcycles while in the city.

Our approach prioritised the deployment of the Safer POD® S1 and Safer POD® S4 solutions, which were positioned in hotel car parks known to be used by the riders attending the event.

Data collected by Merseyside Police highlighted that these parking facilities were a previous hot spot for criminal activity during the TT, due to the increased traffic of valuable assets. The deployment of our solutions would successfully create a temporary secure environment within the high-risk locations that visitors would congregate in.

Both the Safer POD® S1 and Safer POD® S4 served to provide 24/7/365 real-time surveillance in addition to offering a visible proactive deterrence to any individuals who wished to commit theft before an incident could take place.

Building on the success of the Safer POD® S1 deployment of 2025, scaling the project to more sites with the addition of our Safer POD® S4 even stronger. Offering Bi-spectrum active thermal detection up to 100m and standing at an imposing 3.6m fully deployed, the award-winning Safer POD® S4 offers upgraded deterrence and detection.

No reported motorcycle theft took place within Liverpool City Centre once again during Operation Needle.

The co-ordinated effort between stakeholders, and the protective measures introduced alongside the wider work of Merseyside Police during Operation Needle, was proven effective in deterring any potential criminal activity during the Isle of Man TT.