Bike theft spike predicted for York

Bike thefts in York, one of the UK’s most cycle-friendly cities, are set to soar according to a report by the Safer York Partnership.

The organisation is predicting a 41% increase in the cycle theft for 2010/11 reporting period based on a spike in such crimes over recent months.

The York Press says the report paints a picture of rising crime in the city, with cycle theft a significant component of that unwelcome trend.

The report says that from April to July 526 bikes were stolen in York, far in excess of the target of 96 while local police estimate there could be 1,578 bike thefts by the end of the year, compared with their target of 1,152.

The Safer York Partnership report shows that:
• 92% of the detected cycle thieves live in York.
• 23% of the cycle thieves also live within 500m of the location they stole the bike from.
• 99% of bike thieves are male and 75% are under 25 years old.

The Safer York Partnership is currently running Operation Spoke, a multi-partnership operation aimed at security-marking all bikes within the City of York. For more information click here.