Expensive 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.