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Bike thiefExpensive bikes being targeted by thieves in South Wales
Police have advised people to secure their bikes at all times – even when they are inside a garage or shed – following a spate of thefts in South Wales. It is thought that high value bikes are being targeted with two dozen having been taken from properties across Dunvant and Killay since the start of September with further thefts in Parkmill, Newton, Blackpill and Southgate.
Speaking to the South Wales Evening Post, South Wales Police sergeant Paul Hall said:
"The rise in bicycle thefts in these areas is not normal and we believe that sheds and garages are being targeted specifically for these high-value bikes.
"Even if a bicycle is left in a locked and secure shed or garage our advice is to ensure that the bike is also locked to prevent it being stolen."
Police say they will be visiting bike shops and cycle routes to raise awareness of the problem.
Earlier this year, police in Hull said that organised gangs were targeting high-end bikes with as many thefts in eight months as in the whole of last year. Their belief was that bikes were being stolen, taken out of the city and then exchanged with other stolen bikes to avoid detection.
Check That Bike – a website that enables victims of cycle theft and potential purchasers of second hand bikes to check frame numbers – has previously used police data to compile a list of the top ten postcodes for bike theft. OX1 – the centre of Oxford – topped the list with another Oxford postcode, two in Cambridge and three in London also featuring. Bristol, Portsmouth and Leicester completed the ten.
For more advice about securing your bike, take a look at our Bike Locking Bible.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
- SamSeed 12 sec ago
My 6KU, replaced everything but the front chainring over the past 5 years.
- froze 1 hour 57 min ago
This was a very good listing of bikes for under 1,000....
- Hirsute 5 hours 18 min ago
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
- lonpfrb 5 hours 38 min ago
Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
- lonpfrb 6 hours 4 min ago
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
- don simon fbpe 7 hours 18 min ago
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
- chrisonabike 7 hours 59 min ago
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
- ktache 8 hours 38 min ago
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
- Veganpotter 9 hours 35 min ago
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
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11 comments
I had my bike nicked out of my shed in Cardiff last year. Spotted it on Gumtree two months ago. Police found out who had it. Gave me the guy's name and phone number and told me to go and get it! Turns out the chap wasn't too willing to acknowledge it was mine so the plod said they'd get it a month ago (I'm at the other end of Wales now) Still waiting...
If you are fairly certain you are being followed I would call the police instead of deviating from your normal route home, especially in the sticks. Or drive to a police post at a service station if you are on the motorway.
And how long are you expected to then drive around waiting for the police to turn up?
I do wish it was legal to create a shed alarm which involved the use of voltage, pepper spray and razor wire nets. We are too soft on crime in this country.
Is it illegal though? If you put up a sign saying you will be electrocuted if you open the door? No sign well you hadn't given fair warning. Put a sign up and you have complied with a duty of care to tell the thief not to proceed as they may injure themselves.
Still not enough, amazingly. Ever wonder why signs saying an area is patrolled by dogs has a picture of a dog on them? In case the prospective criminal can't read.
Which has been successfully used as a defence before.
Could always try one of these http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2964
Sorry, no good. Sounded promising until I got to the bit which said ‘blank’ – what you need is something to seriously maim the theiving scum but leave your pride and joy undamaged. More common sense, less judge guidance is required in cases where people get hurt when committing crime.
In the MTB world, it has been noted that a number of people have been followed when driving home from events and MTB centres with bikes on their cars. The theives then return later to somewhere they now know there are expensive bikes.
It's well worth the extra few minutes to do a couple of u-turns or similar on your way home with a bike to see if anyone is following/hopefully shake them off.
If you do see a vehicle following you, get it's reg and forward it to the police.
Agree with Paul regarding strava and also when returning home, keep a look out who is around. Its sad you need to do this but the chav scum keep on coming and until we can sterlise the little bleeders its not going to go away.
If the law made bike theft more in line with car theft then it may help, but then it needs police resourcing and they have a tough enough time with the cut backs and insufficient funding.
make sure your Strava profile hides your local area... these thieves are using Strava to target high value bikes...
oh, the bikes are being disassembled for spares, the parts are worth more than the complete bikes... and the frames are the hardest to dispose of so they get dumped.