Multiple crime rings could be behind spike in bicycle thefts, police say
Multiple crime rings could be behind a recent spike in stolen bicycles south of the North Saskatchewan River, investigators with Edmonton police believe.
Bike thefts peak every summer, but the numbers have climbed drastically during the pandemic.
Edmonton police analysts began noticing the spike at the beginning of June concentrated in areas such as Strathcona, Bonnie Doon and King Edward Park, and areas around Mill Creek Ravine and places connecting travel corridors along Whyte Avenue.
“We started to look at whether or not we thought that there was a similar (method of operating) to all these different break-ins, and there is,” said Det. Amanda Ross, who is investigating the issue.
The sheer volume of the thefts, she said, leads her to think there’s more than one person or group behind them.
Between April 1 and June 10, the number of break-ins at detached garages in the southwest division — including neighbourhoods like Garneau and Malmo Plains — was 164, more than double in the same period last year when there were 76 break-ins. Fifty-eight bikes were stolen in these incidents, compared to 30 in 2019.
In the southeast division, neighbourhoods like King Edward Park, Otstewell, Forest Heights and Avonmore saw 33 bikes stolen in 64 break-ins between April 1 and June 10 this year. There were 13 bikes stolen in 58 break-ins in 2019.
Sometimes the thieves leave behind a different stolen bicycle.
“Whoever is doing these, I think they’re stealing a bike, and then if they go to the next house and they find a nicer bike, they’re upgrading,” she said.
The break-ins are in older neighbourhoods. The garages are often detached and easier to break into.
Ross said thieves are targeting high-end bicycles, and the time frame every single night is between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
“Sometimes bikes are being stolen so they can be stripped down for parts and those parts are being sold, and other times they’re selling the bike as a complete bike, and they’re either doing that for quick cash or they’re likely doing it for drugs,” she said.
The pandemic may have made things worse this year, Ross said, because demand for bicycles is outpacing supply in stores, and the economic downturn may have contributed to an increase in property crime.
“Property crime happens more often when people fall on hard times, for sure,” she said.
Officers also have broken up some camps in the woods where bicycles are being stripped down and sold for parts. But bicycles can also be moved online easily within a day or two, through places like Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji and Craigslist, she said.
“I think they’re selling these bikes for less than what’s reasonable. And I think that’s a good message to the public — if it seems like it’s a really good deal, it’s probably too good of a deal, and they should probably be wary if they’re buying that (because) they might end up in possession of stolen property themselves.”
The Edmonton Police Service recommends people with detached garages cover their windows or install window bars, and strengthen or upgrade access doors to enhance security. They also recommend adding deadbolts, latch protectors or guards, and removing garage door openers from inside your vehicle if it’s parked outside.
You can also register your bike on Bikeindex so it can be more easily returned if it’s stolen. Bikeindex counts boost in thefts According to data provided by Bikeindex, 29 registered bikes in the City of Edmonton were reported stolen to police between April 1 and June 10, 2019, and all but two have been recovered.
But 103 registered bikes were reported stolen in the same time frame this year. So far 90 have been recovered.
In all of 2019, 832 bikes were marked stolen and 123 were recovered. A total of 538 bikes were stolen this year as of last Tuesday.
Hank Van Weelden had his $12,000 bike stolen from a locker inside his parkade this month. He’s glad the loss was covered by his insurance, but the customized bike collector says the loss was still devastating.
“I think people sometimes don’t see the value in it — criminals are just taking bikes and they mean so much to certain people,” he said. “It can be really devastating, and for me it is as well, because, you have so many memories with it ... that are gone, and you know, just all for a quick buck.”