Spike in bike thefts prompting ‘proactive’ police response

The island has faced a spike in the number reports of bike and e-bike thefts from bike shelters, sheds, shared garages and parking areas, which is part of the problem as there are often multiple unsecured bikes.

While many stolen bikes are recovered each year, the original owners are often unable to be traced and offenders are not prosecuted.

The investigations into bike thefts are part of Operation Bass.

‘Our investigations have shown that these are opportunistic thefts. We haven’t seen a big trend of bikes being re-sold or shipped off island; instead they are often found abandoned days or weeks later. Thieves might spot a chance to easily steal someone’s personal belongings, in this instance pedal cycles, and commit to it,’ said Inspector Adam Miller.

‘We are committing to investigating these offences, however the prevention of crime is a key part of the police and the community working in tandem to tackle criminality, and in cases like this, is essential to reducing offending.

‘As well as being able to prevent potential thefts by acting when we have seen suspicious behaviour, Operation Bass has seen us cover a number of stolen bikes, and take the opportunity to stop and engage with the public.'

He said that there had been an overwhelming positive response and people had been keen to chat with officers and to prove they own the bike.

Officers will continue speaking to cyclists and take proactive measures to arrest those responsible for the thefts.

‘As a result, in this uplift in cycle thefts officers put together a team who have used live CCTV as well as overt and unmarked patrols to actively target and disrupt this criminal behaviour,’ said Sergeant Jarrod Turian.

Officers have made two arrests so far, with one suspect on bail pending further enquiries, another is so far charged with three pedal cycle thefts with a combined value of £6,000, one of those in a burglary of a commercial premise, and also remains on bail for further thefts still under investigation.

‘On one of the arrests as part of this proactive action officers were able to recover the bike and return it before the owner was even aware it had been stolen.’

LOCKS DISCOUNT

Bicycle retailers in Guernsey will be offering a 10% discount on cycle locks sold between now and the end of February.

The deal can be claimed at Ian Brown’s, Le Mont Saint Garage, Duques Garage, Bicycle Solutions, Wheels & Co, Adventure Cycles and Cycle World.

‘Due to a sharp increase in reports of stolen pedal cycles over the last six weeks, we have been working closely with bike shops in Guernsey to discuss how we can work together to prevent these crimes from taking place,’ said Guernsey Police crime reduction adviser Christopher Williamson. ‘We are pleased that these retailers will be offering this discount and would urge islanders to take them up on their generous offer, and purchase a good quality, well rated lock to secure their bicycle. It doesn’t matter where it is parked, lock it up and keep it secure.’