A motorcyclist whose bikes were stolen and then dumped a short distance away claims he is the one being “punished” after he was charged £300 to collect them.
Thieves smashed a window of Stephen Woods’ garage in Lochee in the early hours of Monday before kicking open a door and rolling away his two Honda CX500 motorbikes.
Police believe the gang may have been spooked as they left the £1,000 bikes on Merton Avenue, just a street away from Stephen’s home on Clement Park Road.
Having slept through the whole episode, Stephen, 51, was called by police later that morning to tell him his bikes had been taken, but were undamaged.
A lorry from Ninewells Garage came to pick up the bikes and took them to the police’s lock-up for fingerprint analysis, but Stephen could not believe it when he was told he had to pay £300 to have them released again.
It is the second time in recent months that the issue of recovery charges has arisen, with Maryfield resident Bob Stewart also hit with a bill following a similar incident.
He was charged £160 by Police Scotland to get his motorcycle back despite finding it himself, just yards from his home, after thieves got tired of pushing the 500lb bike and dumped it.
In the wake of that incident, Victim Support Scotland said it was “totally unreasonable” that a victim of crime should incur the costs for a vehicle that had been stolen.
Stephen, a social worker, agrees and said: “What I think is the real crime is that I have been charged £300 to pick up my bikes.
“If the bikes had been found in Forfar, or somewhere like that, I could understand the charges.
“I’ve paid the £300 but I feel like I’m being punished for being a victim of crime.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “There will be occasions where a stolen vehicle is required to be seized for scenes of crime examination.
“In most cases Police Scotland does not pay for recovery or removal costs and the owner or their insurance policy would meet these.”