Cambridge bicycle thefts down by almost 40%, say police

Bicycle thefts might be dropping in Cambridge but good locks and registration are the best deterrents, say police

The number of reported bike thefts in the UK's cycling hotspot has dropped by almost 40% in the past three years.

Cambridgeshire Police said between August 2020 and July 2021, there were just over 2,000 thefts in Cambridge but between August 2022 and July this year, the figure had dropped to about 1,300.

They said the reduction was partly down to specialist units targeting theft.

Registering bicycles and a good lock were the best deterrents, they said.

The force said bicycle crime was a recognised issue in Cambridge and "by far the most prevalent single offence category in the city with cycle thefts being reported daily".

Officers said they were "working closely with partners across the city to combat theft through cycle awareness days, bike marking, catching offenders and recovering stolen bikes with proactive patrols".

Cambridge schoolboy Oliver, 13, and his father Patrick, know how difficult it can be to retrieve a stolen, and cherished, bicycle.

The child had locked his cycle outside a shop on King Street, Cambridge, but within 15 minutes it was gone.

Oliver said the police were helpful and made him feel he wasn't the target after his bike was stolen in Cambridge

The bicycle had been a Christmas present and cost in the region of £1,000, his family said.

The theft had been witnessed and Oliver said two police officers tried to catch the teenagers responsible in their police car but were unable to - although one officer was able to retrieve Oliver's cycling helmet.

He said: "They explained to me that it wasn't my bike that was stolen - it was just a bike that was stolen."

His father Patrick worked with the Official Stolen Bikes in Cambridge Facebook group to see if he could retrieve the cycle.

"The bike went up on Facebook marketplace within about two hours of it being stolen," he said.

Patrick tried to buy the bike back off of Facebook Marketplace but was unsuccessful

However, despite efforts to buy the bicycle back, they were unsuccessful and believe it is now probably at the bottom of the River Cam.

Inspector Ed McNeill, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: "We do an awful lot around cycle crime - we have a lot of successes."

Collaboration was "fundamental" to this crime, he said.

"Policing on its own can't solve an issue like cycle crime. We have to get the help of the public, we have to get the help of partners and we have to come together," he added.

He said there were "two really, really important things" to help safeguard your bicycle - buy the best lock and register a cycle.

"We have marked over 1,300 bikes in the last year. If a bike is found and registered, it can quickly be reunited with its rightful owner," he said.