Huge rise in reported bike theft

“Just out report: ‘United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror.’ not good, we must keep America safe!” tweeted Donald Trump earlier today. Here at road.cc we’ve consulted the figures and, assuming the link the US president draws is entirely justifiable and appropriate, it seems that radical Islamic terrorists are after your bike.

Crime in England and Wales has risen by 13 per cent according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

‘Crime’ is of course a somewhat broad term, covering everything from gun crime to bike theft.

The latter saw a 19 per cent rise in the year to June.

July 2016 to July 2017 saw 100,788 incidents of cycle theft reported to police compared to 84,685 in the previous 12 months.

It is worth pointing out that the 2015-16 figure was the lowest in over a decade according to the ONS. A more pertinent question, perhaps, is just what proportion of thefts are being reported.

Recent police data indicated that in three-quarters of cases, no suspect is identified, and just 1.5 per cent of reported thefts result in a conviction.

Beginner's guide to bike security—how to stop bike thieves and protect your bike