Man calls for pawnshops to be barred from selling bikes

The owner of a local bike shop would like to see pawnshops prohibited from buying bikes as a way to curb bike theft, but some pawnshop owners aren’t sold.

Jay Woytowich, who owns Doug’s Spoke N Sport on 20th Street, said the idea, adopted in some other jurisdictions, could help prevent bike theft in the city. Local cycling advocacy group Saskatoon Cycles has described bike thefts as “rampant.”

While police are already taking steps to curb the sale of stolen bikes in pawnshops, this could be a proactive move to eliminate the practice entirely, Woytowich said.

“They are doing something about it, but if they were able to completely stop the process ... it would give some people one less avenue (for thieves to sell stolen bikes).”

Because some bike owners don’t report thefts to police, pawnshop owners and law enforcement have no way of knowing if some bikes for sale in pawnshops are stolen, he said.

“It’s an easy place to sell stuff and if you just want a quick buck, it’s an easy place to do it.”

Trent Seidel, owner of Prairie Pawn Brokers in Riversdale, called the idea “ridiculous.” He said checks are already in place to ensure stolen property doesn’t end up for sale. He sees pawnshops as a “safety net” for stolen goods, he said.

When an unknown person tries to sell a bike at his shop, the person has to provide several pieces of information, including governmentissued photo ID. All transactions, including photos of the items, are also logged on a computer program called Business Watch International, which is cross-referenced with the Canadian Police Information Centre. The Saskatoon police pawn detail frequently checks it, Seidel said.

The pawnshop then has to wait 45 days before it puts an item up for sale, giving police time to check it against records of stolen property and giving the owner of a stolen bike time to report the theft to police. If this happens, Seidel said not only will he return the bike to its owner and absorb the cost, but also provide police with information on who made the transaction.

“If they’re pawning a stolen bike and they’re putting their government-issued picture ID to it, and that information is directly sitting in the hands of police, wouldn’t that be enough for anybody with even half common sense to realize that this isn’t the place to take a stolen bike?”

Seidel noted bike owners are responsible for recording the serial numbers on their property and filing police reports if their bikes are stolen.

“Really, the onus comes back to the owners of bicycles,” he said.

Woytowich agrees, noting the most important step bike owners can take is keep proper records and report thefts as soon as possible.

Cathy Watts, co-chair of Saskatoon Cycles, said limiting the sale of bikes to pawnshops may be a partial solution, but there’s “no quick fix” to bike theft and the issue “has to be attacked on many angles,” including members of the public getting informed. Adequate bike parking is also important for theft prevention, she said.

Saskatoon police declined to comment on whether changes should be made to existing pawnshop regulations. In a prepared statement, police spokeswoman Kelsie Fraser said “Basically, as long as people are recording serial numbers in their police files, and pawnshops are obeying the requirements set forth, any stolen bicycles in pawnshops have a high likelihood of being recovered by police.” She noted the police force has a new bike registry to help recover stolen property.