A high-tech tagging system first introduced last summer is proving a valuable weapon in Bermuda?s ongoing battle against bike theft.

Only four electronically chipped motorcycles have been stolen in the last 12 months, Datatag officials reported yesterday.

And of those four, two were recovered by officers.

Datatag, which has the backing of the Bermuda Police Service as well as major insurers, is now a legal must for riders getting motorcycle theft cover.

More than 2,000 motorcycles have been fitted with Datatag so far, and numbers are rising.

The technology helps make property identifiable to Police in ways virtually impossible for thieves to modify or remove ? giving officers a huge helping hand when it comes to identification and recovery of stolen property.

The tag contains a unique identification code read by Police using a hand-held scanner.

When it was introduced, cycle shop owners raised concerns about how many bikes an under-strength Police would be able to scan.

The Royal Gazette has been told that four scanners are currently in operation, although it could not be confirmed how much Police time was being spent scanning bikes across the Island.

But Datatag said early results were encouraging ? and compared them to figures showing that since 2002 about $8 million worth of two-wheeled auxiliary cycles, motorcycles and rented livery cycles have been stolen in Bermuda.

Datatag Bermuda founder Eugene Bothello said yesterday: ?We know that Datatag is a proven theft deterrent in the UK and Europe, backed by astounding statistics, and we are confident that the technology will prove similarly effective here in Bermuda.

?Especially positive is the fact that increasing numbers of island residents, including existing bike owners not impacted by theft insurance requirements for new bike owners, are approaching bike dealerships about Datatag.?

Police Commissioner George Jackson promised the system would be used ?vigorously? to slash vehicle crime.

?Our police officers are using Datatag scanners and other specialised equipment to conduct checks of motorcycles and we now have access to the Datatag database.

?The Bermuda Police Service will vigorously deploy Datatag technology to detect stolen motorcycles and their parts and will use the related evidence to assist with any subsequent prosecutions.?

Two major insurance firms also threw their weight behind the tagging scheme. BF&M and Argus Group both said they were happy to keep supporting it.

Datatag has been successful in preventing motorcycle theft in the UK. More than 3,000 Datatag scanners are currently in use by the UK police force, and there has been a 100 per cent successful prosecution rate where it has been used as evidence byin court.

Datatag, costing about $150 per vehicle, is supported by a database that gives Police instant access to information. The system uses hidden electronic transponders to help prevent theft.

The state-of-the-art transponders, programmed with a unique identification code for each motorcycle, allow police to locate a motorcycle?s lawful owner using a hand-held scanner ? even if the motorcycle has been damaged or dismantled for use in a ?chop shop?.