Cycling UK has praised the British Transport Police’s announcement this week that the force is reversing its controversial policy not to investigate bikes stolen from train stations if they were left for longer than two hours, a U-turn the campaign group has hailed as a “real win for everyone who uses our transport network”.
In 2024, the British Transport Police (BTP) amended its Crime Screening Policy to clarify that the force would not investigate bike thefts at stations if the value of the stolen bike was below £200 or if it had been left in the same location for over two hours.
The amended policy first attracted widespread media attention in October, following a story about an attempted bicycle theft at Watford Junction railway station, swiftly becoming the subject of severe criticism from cycling campaigners, who claimed that it effectively “decriminalised” bike theft at stations.
Since then, Cycling UK has spent the last few months advocating against the policy, including penning an open letter to Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi, arguing that the controversial measure would increase crime and deter cyclists from using the train, impacting on rail passenger numbers.
Yesterday, the BTP announced that it has removed any mention of a two-hour and £200 limit from its Crime Screening Policy, as part of the force’s commitment to “bringing more bike thieves to justice in 2026 than ever before”.
In a statement issued on Thursday morning, Cycling UK praised what it described as the BTP’s “sensible” U-turn on bike theft investigations, which it says “not only sends a clear message to criminals but also reassures communities who rely on diverse and integrated transport networks to make their journeys”.
The national cycling charity also commended the force’s announcement that it would provide further training for investigators to ensure there is a consistent approach to the examination of CCTV footage.
“This outcome is a real win for everyone who uses our transport network,” Cycling UK’s head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore said today.
“Our approach to tackling this decision was always about fairness and common sense. From the moment we found out about the policy, our members and supporters were clear that it sent the wrong message about whose journeys matter.
“When more people feel confident cycling to stations, it reduces congestion on our roads, eases pressure on parking and public transport and supports a more efficient economy overall.
“It also gives people real choice in how they travel, particularly at a time when many people are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. We’re delighted that British Transport Police listened, engaged with us, recognised that supporting cycling supports the wider public good, and changed their policy.”
Announcing the policy reversal, which was first implemented on 5 January, BTP Assistant Chief Constable Ian Drummond-Smith said that “rail passengers whose bikes are stolen rightly expect a thorough police investigation to trace offenders and reunite them with their property, and we are committed to bringing more bike thieves to justice in 2026 than ever before.”
He continued: “Officers will investigate more reports and explore all viable lines of enquiry if a bike is identifiable on CCTV, or if there is a witness to the crime.
“We continue to work closely with the railway industry to pinpoint hotspot locations and improve CCTV footage to further our investigations and bring offenders before the courts.”
When approached for comment, the British Transport Police told road.cc that “there is now no reference to the cost of the bike or the amount of time a bike was left unattended in the policy,” adding that a crime will now be screened in if there is a witness to the offence, the bike is identifiable on CCTV, or the bike was stored in an on-train cycle rack.
> “Theft is now legal in Britain”: Only 0.5% of station bike thefts lead to charges
The policy change was enacted a day after a series of Freedom of Information requests by campaign group Crush Crime found that only 0.5 percent of the more than 4,000 bikes reported stolen from a railway station led to a suspect being charged, a significant percentage decrease compared to previous years.
In its statement issued yesterday, the BTP noted that it has since charged “a man” with cycle theft since reviewing the policy.
The U-turn, as noted above, also comes after a wave of criticism from cyclists concerning the move, and its potential impact on those who regularly commute by bike and train.
According to British Cycling, the policy was effectively “decriminalising” bike thefts at stations, the governing body accusing the force of “letting cyclists down” and “providing further barriers to people riding a bike”.
Likewise, Sophie Gordon from Cycling UK told us at the time that the decision essentially told commuters that they should expect to sort bike thefts themselves.
“The decision not to investigate bike theft when cycles have been left for longer than two hours will hit the lowest income groups the hardest,” she said.
“These are often working people who might not be able to afford a car and are relying on bikes and public transport to get to work. If you’re on shift or at work, you will inevitably be away longer than a couple of hours.
“Bike theft is not a petty crime but has serious social consequences and the police need to take it seriously – to have your means of getting around stolen can be devastating.
“By partnering with cycle trade, planners and other groups, the police could find ways to prevent cycle theft, seeing as that’s more effective than enforcement, but it’s not acceptable for the police to say they will be doing less to investigate theft, when they should be doing more. Otherwise, it starts to feel like people should ‘See it. Say it. Sort it yourself’.”
Following this criticism, the BTP issued a statement criticising media reporting of the screening policy, but subsequently confirmed that officers were advised to only examine around two hours of CCTV footage around each reported theft.
The BTP defended that particular policy by insisting that “it is not proportionate to review longer periods as it keeps officers from being available to respond to emergencies, visibly patrolling railway stations and trains, investigating crimes with identified lines of enquiry or which cause the most harm to victims – such as violent or sexual offences.”
Later in October, Cycling UK launched a campaign against the policy, which included sending an open letter to BTP’s chief constable Lucy D’Orsi urging her to review the force’s stance, which the group said risked “deterring people from cycling and undermining the government’s own goals to link cycling with rail travel”, while providing would-be bike thieves with a “low risk but high reward crime”.
Following the open letter, the charity spoke to MPs on how the approach “disproportionately harmed” those hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis, and who rely on bikes for affordable travel, gaining cross-party support in the process.
