Cycle theft is a continuous growing crime, in all parts of the country. An ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude won’t protect your bike from theft. In the UK a bike is stolen every minute and less than 5% of those are returned to their owners. Bike owners are more likely to have their cycles stolen than car owners their car. Westminster is the worst affected place in London for cycle theft with over 3,000 bikes stolen over the course of one year, followed closely by over 1,500 in Hackney. Over a two year period 45,000 bikes were stolen in London alone. In Oxford bike theft rates have soared to almost 3,000 in a one year period. The majority of bike theft goes unreported, in 2010 an estimated 533,000 bikes were stolen but only 115,147 were actually reported to the police, meaning that only 1 in 5 victims report bike theft to the police.
The top 10 police forces for bike theft in 2010:
Metropolitan police: 21,315
Thames Valley: 6,060
Greater Manchester: 5,185
Cambridgeshire: 4,477
Avon and Somerset: 3,895
West Midlands: 3,222
Leicestershire: 3,057
Lancashire: 2,727
Sussex: 2,668
Humberside: 2,440
With such high figures of theft, it should not be taken lightly. It is important to report your bike crime to the police if your bike has been stolen, to enable them to crack down on bike theft and gather representative figures.
Bikes aren't just stolen when you are out and about away from home. They are increasingly being targeted when left outside the home or attached to cars in driveways. There are a variety of different methods that you can use to help protect your bike from thieves.
Bicycle Insurance
Insurance is always good to have, to keep you protected in case your bike does get stolen. Bike insurance is available from many insurance companies with premiums starting from around £50. Bicycle insurance does require that you: Lock your bike securely at all time, use an approved lock and secure the bike to an immovable object. Bike insurance policies vary greatly, see more bike insurance details here>
Bike Locker
At home it can sometimes be difficult to store your bike out of public view. If you do not have a secure garage or leave your bike out on display, your bike will become an easy target for thieves. There are a range of bike sheds available on the market. For maximum security Asgard has a range of secure metal storage units, designed specifically to secure a bike. Asgard is the home of the UK’s bestselling bike storage unit. Asgard pushbike storage can hold from 1 to 4 bikes, dependant on the size. With recommendations from industry specialists there is no better way to keep your bike safe outside your home.
Bike Padlock
A good bike lock is great in deterring thieves from steeling your bike. Don’t go cheap, invest in something heavy duty that will stop a potential thief from coming anywhere near your bike and secure your bike. There are a variety of tough bike locks on the market. Asgard have a range of bike locks on offer, and other security locks such as the alarmed cycle disc lock, which activates when someone attempts to move your bike. See it in action>
Register Your Bike
Register your bike on Immobilise, which is the national property register. You can register many items on here from computers to phones. If a registered item is stolen, immobilise makes it easier to recover your property, it helps police to identify stolen goods and simplifies insurance claims.
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