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With the vast majority of bicycle thefts across the UK going unpunished cycle-crime is in the news again. In this post we look at recent reports and how Cambridgeshire police have massively reduced bicycle theft in their area.
In previous blog posts we’ve highlighted police warnings about anticipated escalation in bicycle thefts and the need for robust cycle security.
A couple of recent news stories demonstrate the challenges faced by cyclists who fall victim to cycle theft.
Bicycles Worth £36K Stolen from Elite Cyclist
A story in the Daily Mail describes how an ardent, elite cyclist was forced to travel to Poland and spend around £6000 to retrieve four valuable Niner bikes stolen from his parents’ garage.
In June the victim discovered that three of his bikes, along with his partner’s bicycle, had all been burgled overnight, from the garage in which they were stored. The victim initially thought this was likely to have been perpetrated by organised criminals engaged in a ‘steal-to-order’ bike thieving racket. But after conducting his own investigations and talking to local people he was given the names of alleged opportunist perpetrators who were likely to have broken into the garage at random. These details were shared with the local police force.
After publicising the theft on social media the victim was contacted by someone who claimed they had all four bikes. This led to the bikes being effectively ‘held to ransom’, prompting the victim to initially hand over £300.
Although the police were informed of the theft, along with details of the alleged perpetrators and the ransom, they were sadly very ineffective. The victim ultimately resorted to engaging a private investigator, at a cost of around £2500, who discovered the bikes had been advertised for sale on a Polish sales site.
After it was confirmed the valuable bikes were his the person who had posted the advertisements in Poland was tracked down to an address in Leicester. The theft victim even used a drone to confirm the Leicester address was the location used in the bike advertisements.
The local Staffordshire police were fully informed but struggled to authorise a search warrant for the address prompting the victim to take matters into his own hands. After liaising with the seller the victim travelled to Warsaw in Poland where he was reunited with his valuable bikes. He acknowledged how local police clearly wanted to do all they could to help but had been hampered by red tape. The overall cost in retrieving these bikes from Poland is estimated to have been around £6000.
Cycle Crime Leaves Victims Emotionally and Financially Crushed
Another recent cycle crime report, this time in the Guardian, demonstrates how bike theft disproportionately affects those on low incomes.
In this case a 23 year old bike courier from Leeds, who relies on her bike to do her job, lost her valuable cycle to a thief in under a minute. She was visiting a Chinese takeaway to collect an order and had locked the rear wheel of her bike using a D-lock but had not attached it to railings or an immovable anchor point. It took the cycle thieves just 47 seconds to steal her uninsured £1300 e-bike from outside the takeaway.
The crime was reported to local police who, after a few days, contacted the victim to tell her that if there was any CCTV from the takeaway she would need to gather this herself. After losing her e-bike to thieves the victim became depressed, lacked motivation to use her old manual bike and found it difficult to go outside.
Similar experiences are reported by other cycle theft victims. In one case in which a £300 road bike was stolen the Metropolitan police closed the case within days of the theft report without having conducted a thorough investigation. This unsatisfactory conclusion prompted the victim to seek out her lost bicycle which she eventually found advertised on Gumtree.
After arranging to meet the seller the victim called the police to let them know. They sensibly told her not to pick up the bicycle and warned her that she might be stabbed. But the victim, along with some supportive housemates, decided to take the risk and meet the seller. After confirming the bike was hers the theft-victim confronted the seller with photos of the bike along with details of the police crime record. This was enough to scare the dishonest seller away.
Most Bike Thieves are Not Violent - But Some Are
Although the police force correctly warned this cycle theft victim not to risk encountering violence when meeting those offering her stolen bike for sale its important to recognise that most cycle thieves are not violent. Police estimate that 70% of cycle theft crimes are committed by people with substance abuse issues. They will often quickly sell bikes on to criminal handlers for a fixed, low price of maybe just £50 which they can immediately use to get their next fix.
While the majority of those who commit cycle theft are not violent the potential for violence from bike thieves is very real. In one case the rider of a £3000 road bike was surrounded by three men when cycling down a path in North-East London. He was punched and his valuable bike was stolen. Only a few days earlier another cyclist was assaulted and robbed on the same path, putting him in hospital with a broken jaw and missing teeth.
Bike Theft is a High Volume Low-Level Crime
What the police refer to as ‘high volume low-level crimes’ have been in the news lately as police forces are reported to be allocating minimal resources to address them. Bicycle theft falls into this ‘high-volume low-level crime’ category.
Bikes provide essential, low cost transportation often for people on lower incomes. The victims of bicycle theft can often experience painful emotional trauma as well as financial cost and significant inconvenience. Statistics show that 66% of those victimised by cycle thieves sadly reduce their cycling activity and 25% give up entirely.
For many cyclists their bikes are their primary modes of transport providing independence as well as keeping them fit. The impact of losing a valuable bike to thieves goes way beyond the monetary value.
How Cambridgeshire Police are Tackling Bike Theft
Cycle theft in Cambridge has been a significant issue in the city for many years but there are positive signs of improvement. Previously the city had been recognised as the worst place in the UK for cycle crime with as many as 2% of residents reporting bikes stolen in 2020. But since 2020 bike crime in Cambridge has been reduced by 60%.
Year on year from 2021/22 to 2022/23 bike thefts in the area fell from 2859 to 2301. But while this is an excellent improvement just 43 of these recent offences resulted in a charge or summons to court (only 1.9%). Although the number of recorded cycle theft crimes has notably declined the professional opinion of police officers in the area is that cycle theft is “probably” one of the most under-reported crimes so the true figures are likely to be much higher.
To respond to concerns and recognising the cycle theft issue in the area, a multi-agency Cambridge Cycle Crime Prevention Task and Finish group was set up in October 2020. A campaign called “Save Our Cycles” was launched by the task group to encourage locking and registering of bikes.
Police officers with a genuine passion for cycling and a deep understanding of a what bikes mean to their owners are recognised as vitally important to this task group. Their work and the methods adopted in Cambridgeshire are now being used by other police forces.
Key aspects of their successful ongoing campaign include:
- Recognising that policing alone is not enough. Partnering with other organisations and communities is beneficial.
- Police officers with a genuine passion for cycling play an important role.
- Targeting of known, prolific offenders.
- Issuing criminal behaviour orders.
- Installing more CCTV.
- Erecting improved bike storage facilities and boosting cycling infrastructure.
- Holding events to educate people.
- Holding monthly bike marking events.
- Encouraging cyclists to register their bikes.
- Highlighting the need for the best quality bike locks (Sold Secure approved) and robust bike security.
- Ensuring cyclists insure their bicycles.
Bike Marking Events
As part of their education and bike theft prevention campaign Cambridgeshire police are holding monthly bike marking events. People are made aware that marking and registering their valuable bikes helps deter thieves as they know the bike can be traced back to its owner.
They also use these events to stress the importance of bike insurance, what to do in the event of a theft along with the recommendation to use high quality cycle locks with Sold Secure approval.
Our Bike Security Recommendations
We’ve previously provided what we hope are useful and actionable bicycle security recommendations. Here’s a summary that should help prevent your valuable bicycle from being stolen.
- Invest in at least one high quality lock. Some insurers recommend the use of two high quality cycle locks when out and about. Only use Sold Secure approved cycle locks.
- Security mark your bicycle. This is one aspect of the successful campaign that’s underway in Cambridge. Visible security labelling acts as a powerful anti-theft deterrent.
- Register your bike with BikeRegister. This is a police approved marking scheme that’s another key element of the successful Cambridge bike security campaign.
- Insure your bicycle. Make certain your bike is adequately covered for theft.
- When out and about - park your bike in a well lit area where it can be seen by passers by.
- Wherever possible, use designated bicycle parking facilities and always lock both wheels and the frame to an immovable object.
- Make certain the lock or chain doesn’t touch the ground to avoid the risk of the hard surface being used as an anvil in a sledgehammer attack.
- Take any removable components with you, such as saddles and lights.
- Don’t park your bike in the same location every day. This helps avoid thieves who may be stealing to order.
- When at home, store your bike in a secure, locked location such as a locked garage, shed or inside the home.
- Make certain the bike can’t be seen from outside the property.
- Lock the bike to an immovable anchor point wherever it is stored.
- Follow the three R’s recommended by the Metropolitan police:
- Record. Keep a record of all identifying features and marks, including the frame number. Take photos of the bike and store them in the cloud.
- Register. Register your bike with BikeRegister.com.
- Report. Always report bike thefts to the police as increasing numbers of security marked bicycles are being successfully recovered.
For more information on Recent Reports Highlight Need for Effective Bicycle Security talk to Insight Security