Record year for bike thefts in North Van
Bicycles on the North Shore are disappearing in record numbers, report North Vancouver RCMP.
There have been 182 reported bike thefts in North Vancouver so far this year, compared to a total of 132 in all of 2014 — a 38 per cent increase.
“It’s been an excellent summer for bike thieves,” said Sgt. Warren Wilson. “From 2014 to 2015, the stats have skyrocketed.”
The hardest-hit neighbourhood has been Lower Lonsdale, where the Sea Bus is used as a de facto getaway vehicle. Other hot spots are Capilano Mall and Lynn Valley, especially for mountain bikes.
Most of the stolen bikes wind up on the Downtown Eastside, where they are sold for about 10 to 15 per cent of their real value.
“People are stealing everything that’s locked, and not. They’re using them for transportation of other stolen property, to get around, or to sell for drugs,” said North Vancouver RCMP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong.
Really high-end bikes are sold for parts and so they disappear into chop shops, De Jong said.
Neighbouring jurisdictions Vancouver and West Vancouver are also noticing a growing number of bike thefts. Vancouver had 2,387 cases in 2014 compared to just 1,528 in 2011 — and 2015 isn’t looking much better.
“Unless things change drastically, it appears, unfortunately, that we are on track to have an increase yet again this year,” said Vancouver Police spokesman Const. Brian Montague.
Many bike thefts never go reported, which makes returning found or seized bicycles to their owners difficult, De Jong said.
“This is nothing,” De Jong says, opening up the cage full of unclaimed bicycles in the bowels of the North Vancouver RCMP detachment. There were also plastic bins full of handlebars, cranks, wheels and seats.
Bikes picked up by the police, either because they are found abandoned or seized from thieves, have their serial numbers logged and stay in the RCMP system for about 90 days. After that, they are usually destined for the auction block. There were 151 bikes turned over to the City and District of North Vancouver for last year’s annual auction.
Sometimes, savvy theft victims will go online and sleuth out their own bikes being resold. Asked if residents should attempt to retrieve them on their own, Wilson is clear.
“No, no, no, no, no,” he said. “We never suggest that. If they do locate it on eBay or Craigslist, call us up. We’ll certainly try our best to assist them in getting it back.”
Anyone who buys a bike that has been stolen, whether they know it or not, could be charged with possession of stolen property, he added.