A sudden spike in the number of bicycles stolen in Victoria over a 24-hour period is prompting a warning from VicPD.
Ten bikes and a bicycle trailer were reported stolen from neighbourhoods across the city between August 19th and 21st.
VicPD say there is nothing to indicate the thefts are linked, but they do serve as reminder to owners to lock their bikes with heavy duty locks and, when possible, bring them indoors.
Victoria police say bike thefts are down this year. In 2019 there have been 455 reported bike thefts, compared to 431 in the same period last year.
Here’s what other years look like for the same time period:
2012 – 291 stolen bikes
2013 – 311 stolen bikes
2014 – 429 stolen bikes
2015 – 595 stolen bikes
2016 – 495 stolen bikes
2017 – 496 stolen bikes
They also say that if you keep your bicycle in a garage, shed or a storage locker to check on it and make sure it is secured.
They remind any cyclists who ride in Victoria or Esquimalt that they are welcome to register their bike through the free VicPD bike registry at https://vicpd.ca/bike-registry
Ben O'Hara
