Thieves are stealing bikes and shipping them out of Jersey or stripping them down and selling them locally

Thieves are stealing bikes and shipping them out of Jersey or stripping them down and selling them locally

Officers say they believe that most thefts reported in Jersey are ‘opportunistic’ but some criminals are targeting more expensive bikes, which are being sold elsewhere or broken up into parts and moved on locally.

In 2017, 141 bikes were reported stolen. Last year that figure was 132. So far this year the force have received 35 reports.

PC Chris Ingham, the States police crime reduction officer, said there had been a spike in the number of reports.

‘It does go up and down and at the moment we are having slightly more bikes being stolen than normal,’ PC Ingham said.

‘Bike owners will spend £1,000 on a bike and then £2 on a lock. It doesn’t make sense – buy a good, secure lock.

‘Some of the high-value bikes, I can’t tell you where they go, they’re not found again and they’re not seen in Jersey.

‘I think it makes sense to say that somebody has got them off the Island, but I think a lot of them are taken apart for bits and pieces.’

The police have a selection of bikes that have been recovered, including an electric bike, stored beneath their headquarters on Route du Fort and are trying to reunite them with their owners.

Some still had locks on them when they were recovered, but the police say these were not used.

Two recent thefts publicised by the police on their Facebook page have prompted comments from members of the public
suggesting ‘gangs’ are targeting certain bikes and quickly moving them out of the Island.

But PC Ingham said if that was happening, it was rare.

‘All the evidence suggests it is opportunists. They are seeing a particular expensive bike and they’re targeting that one,’ he said.

‘We are aware that there have been a few incidents, and it is a few, where they have had some type of cutting mechanism, probably bolt cutters, and they have taken the chain. But they are quite rare. If you do use a good chain or lock, the chances are your bike won’t go missing.’

The police also run a bike-marking and registration scheme and at the last event held at Les Quennevais, 98 bikes were marked and added to their database.

Each bike is given a serial number and special labels are available for carbon frames.

The next bike-marking session is due to be held on Friday 24 May at West Park. And, PC Ingham said, owners could take further steps to protect their bikes by taking photos and writing down the frame’s serial number.

Anyone who sees anything suspicious is urged to contact the police on 612612 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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