12 UK Theft Statistics and Facts 2023

 

Every minute, a bicycle is stolen in the United Kingdom. And fewer than 5% of those stolen are returned to their owners.

According to the most recent International Crime Victim Survey, bikers are more likely to have their bikes stolen than motorcycle riders or automobile owners.

It is hardly surprising. However, that bike theft has been identified as the single largest disincentive to cycling usage, after concerns about traffic safety. Cycling Participant statistics UK.

What bikes are most commonly stolen?

 

So, where in the UK is the most vulnerable to bike theft?

 Yellow Jersey, a partner cycle insurance, collated the latest statistics on the issue. They working with the British Transport Police.

A year’s worth of police data to determine the hotspots of bike theft in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The City of London is the top place for bike theft in the UK, according to the statistics.

Although this is an outlier owing to the low number of inhabitants. But compared to the 300,000+ people that commute into the city.

It’s no surprise that London districts make up half of the top 10 worst regions, particularly when you see Stolen Ride’s London stolen bike map.

 

The remaining five locations are all university towns, with Cambridge and Oxford completing the top three.

The following are the top locations for bike thefts per person:

• The City of London
• The University of Cambridge
• Oxford University Press
• Newport, Rhode Island
• Chichester is number
• Warwick University
• Hackney is a district of London.
• Hammersmith and Fulham
• Camden
• Westminster

 

How often do bicycles get stolen?

 

• Every year, more than 2 million bikes are stolen in North America. which means that someone’s ride goes missing every 30 seconds.

 

During the coronavirus epidemic, when more individuals have resorted to bicycles as their primary source of transportation. The situation has only become worse.

 

• According to CBS News, more than 4,000 stolen bike reports. And have been lodged with the New York City Police Department in the last year.

 

According to the New York City Police Department, this is up roughly 28% from 3,507 complaints in the same time a year ago.

 

Bike theft increased by 23% year over year in other big cities, such as Denver, from January to September.

 

• Bike theft is a billion-dollar issue in North America. According to information collated by Project 529 Garage, the world’s largest bike register.

 

Police often only retrieve a few hundred thousand of the millions of bicycles stolen each year.

 

• Overall, utilizing the bike’s serial number is the greatest. Hope for recovering a stolen bike. Police can show ownership. If the owner knows the serial number and can share it with them, along with the make, model, and photographs.

 

• As a result, it’s not always the responsibility of police agencies. As many people believe, according to Allard.

 

Instead, it’s difficult to reconnect motorcycles with their rightful owners. Owing to the fact that many individuals don’t remember their bike’s serial number, don’t register it, and don’t report the theft to the authorities.

 

How often are Bike Thefts in the UK

 

• In England and Wales, 74,573 motorcycles were reported stolen in 2020, According to the aggregated statistics.

 

• Greater London has the highest incidence of bike theft when aggregated and divided into the UK’s 12 regions.

 

• The rate of 492 thefts per 100,000 persons was more than double that of the next worst area. The East of England, which had 159.

 

• Hackney, with 2,324 recorded thefts in 2020. That was the worst place for bike theft in terms of an overall number of thefts, up 46 percent from 2019.

 

Hackney was such a hotbed for bike theft that incidences. In that borough alone accounted for nearly 3% of all recorded bike thefts in England and Wales.

 

• Stolen Ride conducted 24-hour research of active users of bike parking facilities in London, based on the input of over 250 people.

 

The results show how cyclists struggle to find the adequate and secure bike parking.

 

 91 percent said their experience was lacking in substantial protection, such as CCTV monitoring. Similarly, 91 percent believed London’s cycling parking was “inadequate.”

 

• According to crime statistics, the number of cases examined and dismissed by the Metropolitan Police Department. Within 24 hours of a complaint has more than quadrupled year over year. Mountain biking statistics.

 

London Bike Theft

 

 

Only 5% of Londoners questioned thought the city’s cycle parking was “excellent,” with 95% saying their bike was largely shielded from harm while parked.

 

• Despite the fact that bike parking is steadily improving, cyclists have been kept in the dark about planned upgrades and have been led to believe that there is no safe parking on some legs of their route.

 

• The North West had minimal bike theft statistics, according to Bikmo’s analysis of the data, albeit the cycle insurance did note out that Greater Manchester Police had not submitted certain crime data, possibly skewing the numbers.

 

As a result, it considers Wales to be one of the safest places in the UK for cyclists, with a crime rate a tenth of that of London.

 

• The modal share is rather high. With 1,531 bike theft incidences per 100,000 people, Cambridge did poorly as expected.

 

• Similarly, with 725 thefts per 100,000, Oxford, another academic town, was in the top five.

 

• While still the second-worst city for bike theft, Cambridge showed the most potential in the future. A 554 percent decrease in thefts from 2019 to 2020.

 

• “As more and more people come to realize the numerous advantages of riding during the Pandemic. The new tool will be updated on a regular basis to ensure that it remains a useful resource for the general public.

 

We think that this will be helpful to the rapidly increasing number of riders and will assist raise awareness in high-risk locations.”

 

 Invest in the finest authorized lock available

 

When it comes to locks, keep in mind that you get what you pay for. A cheap-looking lock will provide minimal protection and make a bike thief an easy target.

Every lock manufacturer has its own security rating. Which is a good measure of strength. The better the lock, the more costly it will be in most circumstances.

The majority of bike locks are graded on a ‘Sold Secure’ scale. Bronze, Silver, and Gold are the most common ratings. Bronze is, unsurprisingly, the weakest, while Gold is the most powerful.

You must understand that if you use anything other than an authorized locking system on your stolen bike, your bike insurance policy will not payout.

 It is a condition of the cycling insurance coverage. your bicycle is secured with the proper “Sold Secure” lock in the sad event that it is stolen.

 

 Consider where you’ll secure your bike

 

Don’t leave your bike in a remote location. Place it in a well-lit spot where people will see it often. Keep an eye out for CCTV and keep it nearby whenever possible.

 

Secure your bike with a lock

 

Many riders are caught off guard by this. Always secure your bike to anything that cannot be readily moved, lifted, or damaged.

A heavy chain saw may be required to cut through a scaffolding pole. Just a few tools are required to loosen the joint and hoist the pole up completely.

The Mesh fence seems to be large and intimidating.  A pair of wire cutters could easily cut through it. Remember that your bike is only as safe as the anchors you use to secure it.

 

 Locking that is effective

 

Secure the frame, front, and back wheels to the thing you’ve chosen.

Remove the front wheel if you just have one lock, and then lock both wheels together with the frame.

Make sure the D-lock is properly secured. If you leave it hanging free between the bike and the item you’ve tied it to, the burglar will have greater manoeuvrability around and around your bike, giving them more leverage to force open the lock. Electric bike statistics