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Checking History?
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Anyone know what to do to check whether a bike (indeed any vehicle, I guess)
has been stolen in the past?
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HPI - though that costs a little bit of money.
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We don't have a registration number, only engine and frame numbers and IIRC
(only used it once before) HPI require this for the check.
Had a chat to local 'community safety warden' ... he says there's no easy
way, just take the numbers to local station and see if they'll check up on
PNC but it's not certain they will.
I'd have thought there would be an easier [1] way to simply check that a
vehicle is stolen or not, irrespective of ownership and without giving
personal details etc.
[1] We don't have a 'local' station anymore .. well, we do, but it isn't
manned regularly and all calls go through a Sheffield 'head office'. Indeed
I'd guess the closest local nick we have is Doncaster Main Police Station
and somehow I feel a little 'odd' going there. ;)
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As I'm out and about I decided to pop into Doncaster main Police Station.
It seems that they can't check whether a bike is stolen, or not, without the
registration number. When they have an unknown quantity, such as field
bikes etc, they generally add up (value wise) whether it's worth the effort
and don't usually follow up frame and engine number checks to determine
ownership as it's a long-winded process and generally a lot of effort. They
might if they found a few cars/bikes/vehicles of some value but for one-offs
they generally don't bother. They didn't say what they did with these,
possibly confiscated, vehicles without registration.
They wouldn't/couldn't check my engine/frame numbers and wouldn't/couldn't
give me the information anyway due to data protection act. They gave me a
DVLA number to call.
Eventually got through to DVLA and they said much the same thing. Very nice
young (sounded like) lady said the DVLA records can only be searched using
the registration number. Although the engine and frame numbers were usually
in the records, they weren't searchable, or at least easily searchable.
So ... She suggested I get a Kawasaki dealer to verify the age of the bike,
[1] letter head only needed, send it off with engine/frame numbers and my
details and they'd issue a new registration!!! Simple nowadays, apparently.
She said checks are not routinely made as to whether the vehicle is
legitimate, stolen or not. When vehicles are reported stolen they are
usually reported using a registration number with the engine/frame numbers
recorded, but again not easily searched for even on PNC!!!! There isn't an
automatic cross-reference of stolen registration numbers and engine/frame
numbers. She's sending me a pack with more information and all relevant
forms, so we'll see how it pans out.
So, in the meantime, we're going to withdraw from ebay, sort the paperwork
out, she said it costs about £35, then put it back on ebay properly
registered etc ... ;) Might even make a bit of money as a bike with a
registration number and documentation ought, I guess, to be worth more than
a non-registered. possiby stolen, bike.
I is gob-smacked that I went to the police, told them of a possible stolen
bike and they really cba to follow it up.
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it's probably not in anyone's interest to follow it up - if it was
stolen, presumably insurance has been paid out to whomever it was
stolen from (unless they were 3rd party only in which case, tough
titty). And the cumulative cost of everyone's time to try and trace
the thing is probably worth more than the bike is.
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I is also quite happy.
Mind, it wouldn't surprise me if we tried to register it with DVLA, only for
them to come back saying it was reported stolen some while ago ... :(
Gonna be an interesting exercise, watch this space. ;)
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Looked on local Police website and can't find guidance so I was wondering
iof anyone had ever had to check the legality of a bike before and what you
need to do to get a Police receipt saying it's not stolen etc?
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