Fewer bikes are being stolen B
But our post-lockdown enthusiasm for cycling may mean more opportunities for thieves
IKE thefts were at their lowest levels in more than a quarter of a century last year.
This trend might not continue, however, with reports of thefts spiking as lockdown was eased.
There were 271,000 bikes stolen in 2019/20, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales - the lowest number of incidents since 1981.
The survey asks people if they have been a victim of a crime in the previous year, so is a better indicator of the numbers of crimes like thefts where victims may not report incidents to the police.
Police forces in England and Wales recorded only 84,545 bike thefts in the same year.
Most bike thefts were considered to be a crime (93% of them according to those who responded to the survey), but maybe not a more serious one - 75% of incidents were rated as between one and six out of 20 in a scale of seriousness.
According to the survey, bike thefts were more likely to take place during the week (72% of crimes), and when it was dark (53%).
Three in five thefts were from home (62%), made up of 9% from the home itself, 48% from outside areas or places like garages and car parks, and 6% from a street near home.
That compared to 5% from places near work, and 33% from other places like shops, schools, and pubs.
BikeRegister, the UK’s national cycle database, said the number of thefts reported to them was up 48% year-on-year in June, after falling during lockdown.
At the time, BikeRegister’s Managing Director, James Brown said: “Thieves will have struggled to commit crimes during lockdown due to the restrictions that were in place. However, as these restrictions are starting to ease and people are moving around more, criminals are facing an easier task, and they have the bonus of being able to target the thousands of new bikes bought during the last few months.”
He recommended cyclists get their bikes security marked and registered - to deter thieves and help track down the bike if it does get stolen.
Half (49%) of bikes were locked at the time they were stolen - the highest proportion in more than a decade.
Cycling UK points out the quality of locks can vary enormously - cable locks can be cut with scissors and very cheap U-locks can be sawn through with a hacksaw in minutes.
Both Cycling UK and BikeRegister recommend locking bikes to an immovable object or ground anchor in home sheds, garages or at work, using a lock rated as gold-standard by Sold Secure (a not-for-profit company administered by the Master Locksmiths Association).
Of those incidents where unlocked bikes were stolen, people said they hadn’t thought about or got round to getting a lock (27%), thought they were in a safe area and didn’t need one (26%), forgot to use their lock (16%), or don’t own a lock (13%).