Gardai say cyclists need to be spending up to €150 on a lock to make sure their bike isn’t stolen.
Almost €2 million worth of bicycles stolen since 2016, while early 7,000 have been taken since the start of last year – and less than a third have been recovered.
A new campaign’s been launched encouraging people to spend 10 to 20% of the value of their bike on two locks.
In order to quell the rampant theft of bike, Gardaí today launched their ‘Lock it or lose it campaign’. They say that the average cost of a bike stolen is around €510.
The most common time for a bike to be stolen is during the hours of 8am and 5pm, with Friday being statistically the most common day for bikes to be stolen. The analysis also shows that Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway make up 83% of the theft of bikes. 52% of bikes are stolen on public streets. 32% are stolen from homes.
Crime Prevention Advice
- Spend 10% to 20% of the value of your bike on two locks.
- Lock your bike tightly to an immovable object.
- Keep the lock off the ground.
- Take a photo of your bike, note the serial number and email it to yourself so that you have a record of it.
- Lock your bike indoors or in well-lit areas if possible.
Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Tony Davis said ‘We are appealing to everyone from the pros to the Sunday cyclist to lock their bikes as securely as possible. There has been an increase in the number of people cycling over recent years but unfortunately there is poor awareness of bike security.
A few simple tips such as; spending 10% to 20% of the value of the bike on two locks, locking your bike tightly to an immovable object and keep the lock off the ground, will make life difficult for the thief. Take a photo of your bike, note the serial number and email it back to yourself so you have a record of it. Of the 14,000 or so bikes stolen since 2016, we have only approximately 16% of the bicycle frame numbers recorded’.
Sergeant Davis added ‘There is a trend of not reporting theft of bikes to Gardaí which makes it difficult for us to reunite any recovered bikes with their owners. If your bike is stolen, report the theft to Gardaí as soon as you can. If you are buying a second hand bike, look for proof of ownership before purchasing. If you have had your bicycle stolen, you can go onto the Garda website to view bicycles and all other property that is currently in our property stores. Finally, I would ask all bicycle suppliers to highlight the ‘Lock it or Lose it’ campaign when someone is purchasing a bike’.
