July 13th 2024.
Every year in the UK, tens of thousands of bicycles are reported stolen. To be exact, around 77,313 bikes are reported stolen, which averages out to one bike every seven minutes. But here's the thing - that's just the official number. The real total is most likely much higher. It's a concerning issue that has caught the attention of Alistair Carmichael MP, the Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson. He even went as far as to joke that bike theft has been "decriminalised", after it was revealed that 90% of cases go unsolved and only 2% result in someone being charged.
Despite these alarming figures, there is some good news. It seems that bike thefts are slowly declining. According to data collected by bike insurance firm Bikmo, there has been a 12% decrease in bicycle thefts throughout England and Wales. In 2022, there were 73,218 incidents recorded, compared to 64,507 in 2023. However, there are still certain areas in the UK that have a high rate of stolen bikes per 100,000 people.
Topping that list is Cambridge, which experienced a 12% increase in bike thefts in 2023, with a rate of 812 thefts per 100,000 people. This puts Cambridge at the number one spot for bike theft rate in the UK. In total, 1,286 bikes were stolen in the city in 2023. Right behind Cambridge is Oxford, with a theft rate of 688 per 100,000 people and 1,179 reported thefts in 2023. York ranks third on the list, with 556 thefts per 100,000 people and 855 incidents reported in 2023.
Surprisingly, even though Newcastle upon Tyne is among the top cities for bike theft rate, it actually experienced a decrease of 25% in both the number of thefts and theft rate. In 2022, there were 433 thefts per 100,000 people, which dropped to 325 in 2023. A total of 626 bike thefts were reported in the city in 2023. Cardiff takes the fifth spot on the list, with a rise in thefts from 284 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 312 in 2023. The total number of thefts in 2023 amounted to 1,398.
It's clear that bike theft is still a major issue in the UK, but efforts are being made to combat it. The previous government aimed to make pedestrian and cycling journeys represent half of all trips made in towns and cities by 2030. It remains to be seen what plans Labour has in store to tackle this problem, but it's likely that they will follow in the footsteps of the previous government. In the meantime, there have been several initiatives put in place, such as allocating £35 million for the National Cycle Network and launching a new £8 million e-cycle program. However, despite these efforts, concerns about bike theft remain a significant hurdle.
Titus Halliwell, the National Police Lead for Cycle Crime, encourages cyclists to take precautions to protect their bikes. This includes using at least one quality Sold Secure lock when leaving their bike unattended and registering their bike on a Secure By Design accredited database, such as BikeRegister. These measures act as a strong deterrent to thieves and increase the chances of a stolen bike being returned.
While there has been a slow decrease in the theft rate, it's important to note that the figures still remain high. James Brown, the Managing Director of BikeRegister, stresses the importance of marking and registering bikes. A marked bike is 83% less likely to be stolen than an unmarked one, making it a crucial step in preventing bike theft and increasing the chances of recovery if it is stolen. With these measures in place, we can hope to see a continued decline in bike theft and an increase in the number of cyclists on the road.
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