Sheffield police dog hailed for tracking down motorbike theft suspects

Police dog Luna was deployed as part of a police search for a stolen motorbike and its riders ‘seen bombing around the streets’ of Sheffield.

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South Yorkshire Police said the way the bike had been ridden had caused ‘grief for local people and road users’.

After the bike was spotted, a police pursuit was mounted, with the bike ridden on pavements, footpaths and across parks.

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During the pursuit, the stolen bike was abandoned and the rider and passenger ditched their helmets as they fled.

But PD Luna was released and tracked down a suspect, who was arrested at the scene.

The stolen bike and helmets were recovered for forensic examination.

South Yorkshire Police said roads policing officers were also involved in the operation.

“Hats off to PD Luna,” a force statement said.

“Yesterday we went hunting for a stolen motorbike seen bombing around the streets causing grief for local people and road users.

“The problem with motorcycle crime is that the riders often have no regard for the safety of other people - riding on pavements, footpaths, across parks etc, and these two yesterday were no different.

“It is very difficult to safely pursue these offenders but thankfully we are bit smarter than them.

“So, after a couple of short pursuits and the bike going off-road, it was time for a team effort.

"They thought they could out smart the strategically placed traffic cars by avoiding the roads, but they weren't expecting our dog Luna with Handler Matt patrolling the woods. In fact they were so surprised that they ditched the stolen bike, threw off their rather colourful helmets, which this far had effectively hidden their identities, and ran off. “Now this was just what our Luna had been waiting for as her last couple of outings had resulted in 'launch aborted,' with her targets giving up.”

South Yorkshire Police mounts regular operations to identify nuisance bikers causing misery in communities.

Bikes are regularly seized as part of the crackdown.

The force also has a dedicated off-road bike team.

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