On Sunday 30 August, a KTM 350 was stolen from outside the Cottesloe Beach Hotel after its owner had been there for about 10 minutes.
Then his GPS tracker alarm went off.
The bike had been moved without its key fob – which was still in the victim’s pocket.
He ran outside and discovered his motorcycle was gone.
After speaking with a nearby witness, the victim and his son jumped in a car and started following the tracker.
It led them to Roydhouse Street in Subiaco, where they spotted the victim’s helmet abandoned in a driveway.
They called police for help.
When they drove back past about 10 minutes later, the helmet was gone.
First Class Constable Mark Chamberlain, Constable Nick Garnett and Probationary Constable Rowan Collis responded while Senior Constable Dion Murphy and the victim provided updates on the motorcycle’s movements.
Then the tracker pinged again, this time on Meakers Way in Girrawheen.
Officers headed to the address and located the stolen motorcycle in the backyard of a home.
Two 16-year-old males were arrested at the scene.
"Thanks to S/C Murphy providing us with continuous tracker updates, we were able to act on fresh leads as they came in and didn’t waste any time getting there,” P/C Collis said.
The pair were taken to Wembley Police Station, where they were charged and refused bail before being conveyed to Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre.
Acting Sergeant Karl Young said the arrests highlighted the value of a strong investigation, swift police response and live tracking technology.
“This was an excellent example of the fundamentals of policing in practice: a quality investigation combined with a timely response to a call for help,” he said.
“The live tracking provided the opportunity, but it was the officers’ quick decision-making and response that ultimately resulted in the motorcycle being recovered and two people being arrested.”
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