The Liberal Democrats have called for a specialist ‘bike bait’ unit to be set up in the National Crime Unit in order to “tackle the bike theft epidemic once and for all”, after new Home Office data showed that 86 per cent of stolen bike cases went unsolved in England and Wales between March 2024 and March 2025.

According to the figures citied by the Liberal Democrats this week, in almost two-thirds of police forces, over 80 per cent of bike thefts were not solved, a number that rises to over 90 per cent for the Metropolitan Police, Sussex Police, and the British Transport Police.

Earlier this month, the British Transport Police came in for strong criticism after announcing that it will not investigate bikes stolen from train stations if they were left for longer than two hours, due to the excessive time apparently spent by officers reviewing footage of potential bike thefts, with cycling campaigners arguing that the move appears to indicate to would-be criminals that bike theft at stations is now fair game.

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Meanwhile, the Home Office figures also show that no police force across England and Wales was able to solve more than 55 per cent of bike thefts carried out in their area.

According to Liberal Democrat spokesperson Max Wilkinson, these figures prove that bike theft in the UK is “effectively decriminalised”.

In response, Wilkinson’s party has urged the Labour government to establish a dedicated ‘bike bait’ unit in the National Crime Agency, which would work with local police forces to place bikes fitted with trackers in theft hotspots, in a bid to gather evidence on thieves and wider criminal networks.

The Liberal Democrats say the specialist unit’s bait operations would reduce the number of bike thefts while gleaning information that would help “build a national picture of bike theft”.

The bike bait tactic proffered by the Lib Dems has proved successful in the past. Last year, we reported that four more men were jailed for their role in the organised crime operation which saw the prolific theft of bicycles in the City of London during 2020.

Bike theft gang caught by bait bicycle
Bike theft gang caught by bait bicycle (Image Credit: City of London Police)

Police were ultimately able to bring the gang responsible down in November of that year by tracking a bait bicycle, left in the area with the intention of getting it stolen so officers could track the thieves back to their base.

Following the success of the City of London Police’s bait operation, Cycling UK urged more police forces to consider the “substantial results” that can be yielded from “sensible, clever policing” to tackle bike theft, without needing “massive intelligence or money”.

And now, the Lib Dems are calling for that strategy to be implemented nationwide.

“We need an ‘Operation Bike Bait’,” Wilkinson told LBC this week. “You’d put a bike with a tracker on it outside a place where you knew that bikes were being nicked from, and then the police could use that to track down the bike after it was stolen and then find out who was doing it, whether it’s a gang or whether it’s an individual.

“This is a crime that is very serious and it’s going largely unsolved in this country. We need to take it much more seriously, because if you’re a victim of bike theft, you are a victim of crime.

“Every single day, thousands of victims are denied the justice they deserve… the government cannot afford to dither and delay, they must crack down on unsolved crimes.”

In a statement, the party said: “Our communities deserve to feel safe – and that includes being confident that if you’re the victim of a crime, justice will be served.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for ‘Operation Bike Bait’ – to tackle the bike theft epidemic once and for all.”

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The Lib Dems’ suggested policy has won support from Cycling UK, the charity’s head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore telling road.cc: “The idea to target bike theft and the wider criminal networks that treat it like a business is a strong one.

“With so many stolen bikes being re-sold through online platforms, we know full well that targeting these groups can significantly reduce theft.”

Chichester train station bike theft parody sign
Chichester train station bike theft parody sign (Image Credit: Chichester Anti-Recreation Partnership)

Referring to the British Transport Police’s much-maligned policy change concerning bike thefts, Dollimore continued: “People rely on their bikes as one of the most affordable ways to get around. It is simply not acceptable that the British Transport Police will not review the evidence of these crimes, when they relate to larger issues around organised crime. It’s time we treat this issue seriously.”

In response to the Liberal Democrats’ calls, a Home Office spokesperson also said: “For far too long bike thieves have brazenly got away with their crimes.

“We are committed to ensuring victims feel safe in the knowledge their bikes are safe, but also that perpetrators of these crimes will be found and brought to justice.

“We are putting 3,000 new neighbourhood officers on the beat to fight crime, catch criminals and protect communities as part of our Plan for Change.”