Cyclists warned to security mark bikes as thefts go up

A RECORD number of bikes have been stolen in Edinburgh in the last year as thieves took advantage of the city's cycling boom, figures revealed today.

Around five cycles a day were taken in the Capital between April last year and March – an 18 per cent rise on the previous year despite repeated drives by the force to encourage owners to improve bike security.

The increase has coincided with a surge in cycling in recent years, with more expensive bikes – many worth several thousand pounds – now common sights.

Professional gangs are taking bikes from streets, common stairways and sheds.

Police are pushing their bike marking scheme, in which personal details which can only be seen under ultraviolet light are added to bike frames.

Crime prevention officer PC Bert Wilson said: "The rise in thefts has been difficult to address because many bikes are of low-value. Owners leave them in the same place every day without adequate security. The owners have also been less willing to opt for bike marking, which makes it hard to get property back.

"We're also seeing greater numbers of expensive bikes among the serious bikers. They are more likely to use better locks and lock them in public places. Unfortunately, some of these measures can be overcome and expensive models are more attractive to thieves.

"But it's among the owners of expensive models that we've seen the highest take-up of the bike marking scheme."

Police have been organising bike marking sessions at which owners can get details branded on a frame, with the information registered with a website.

PC Wilson added: "These markings also make it easier to secure convictions against those who are caught."

A range of crackdowns have been carried out in a bid to quell the number of the thefts, including giving officers mugshots of serial offenders, extra plain clothed patrols and stopping "suspicious" cyclists, such as those not wearing a helmet, who may have stolen the bike.

Across the force area, the number of bikes stolen has also risen between last April and March, with 2,159 thefts compared to 1,838 for the previous 12 months, a 17 per cent rise.

A spokesman for cycle group Spokes said: "We wouldn't want people to be put off cycling by these theft figures.

"Buying a solid lock and being careful where you leave a bike, preferably in plain view, are the secrets of hanging on to them.

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