Police sting looks to put the brakes on rise in bicycle thefts in city

Published on Tuesday 16 September 2008 10:15

A MAJOR police operation has been launched to target prolific bike thieves in Edinburgh.

Police have made three arrests so far as part of Operation Appetite which comes after a spike in the number of cycles stolen in Leith.

Officers targeted known offenders, as well as carrying out random spot checks, which resulted in six stolen bikes being seized, three of which have since been returned to their owners.

Police say they are also preparing to bring charges against several individuals thanks to information uncovered during the operation.

The officers were looking at both professional bicycle thefts, where top-of-the-range bikes are stolen to order for resale, and more casual incidents of theft.

They also carried out a major awareness campaign to encourage owners to be more vigilant in protecting their bikes.

Officers delivered crime prevention leaflets to 1000 homes in "hotspot" areas, advising people on simple and affordable means of securing their cycles.

In addition, leaflets were attached to 79 bikes that were identified by officers as being inadequately secured.

Pc Graham Belfall, from the Neighbourhood Action Unit at Leith Police Station, admitted people were often unaware of how unsecure their bikes could be.

"Pedal cycles can be of high value, and it is surprising that they are regularly left vulnerable to thieves," he said.

"We launched this initiative as we had seen a rise in the number of bicycle thefts in Leith in recent months, and certainly from speaking to people a lot of them were unsure of how to protect their bike properly.

"A lot of people will leave their bike in a common stair, without thinking about how secure that is, and a lot of people will padlock the bike to the iron railings, without thinking that these are often quite easily broken.

"We will continue to target bike thieves and it is anticipated that further individuals will be charged as a result of this operation.

"We would urge people to take simple precautions, such as always securing their bike with a padlock and taking a note of the frame serial number, which is often the best way to reunite a stolen bike with its owner."