By Neil Dorgan
August 13 2020, 16.30
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More than 100 bikes, believed to be stolen, were discovered by police in Hackney after multiple people reported stolen bikes being advertised for sale online.
Following an investigation, officers from the Central East BCU discovered 118 bikes on August 2, estimated to be worth more than £30k, at a property in Hackney.
Two men, aged 21 and 60, were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, and possession of criminal property.
Sergeant Jo Stephens said: “This was a significant seizure of bicycles we strongly believe have been stolen – either in burglaries, robberies, or from the street – for the purpose of selling on for a profit to unsuspecting buyers.
“While the internet is a good place to easily advertise and sell property, the informal nature of the transaction means that people also use certain websites to sell stolen goods quickly and anonymously, with little trace.”
Bike Theft Statistics
According to a 2017 National Crime Survey, by BikeRegister, 50% of people in the UK have had a bike stolen but, although 87% reported their bike stolen to the police, only 50% believed the police investigated the theft.
With more people cycling since London went into lockdown in March, it may come as no surprise that reported bicycle thefts in London increased significantly in June this year against the previous three-year average.
Sanctioned detections have also risen in June against the previous three-year average.
Hackney, where the 118 bikes were found, held the unwanted title of the borough with the most amount of reported bike thefts in London between 2011 and 2017.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), who published a bicycle theft dataset in 2019, bikes are most at risk of being stolen during the week; in the afternoon, from outside someone’s home and cost between £200 to £499.
People suffer a range of emotions following the theft of a bike with 68% of people experiencing annoyance and 62% experiencing anger.
To find out how best to protect your bike for being stolen, visit: https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/theft-of-a-bicycle/how-safe-is-your-bike/
If your bicycle has been stolen in Hackney or Tower Hamlets in the past six months, email [email protected] with as much information as possible about the bike – make, model, colour and/or serial number.
