Cycles snatched in under four hours in theft hotspots

London Bridge, Glasgow and Birmingham earned themselves the ‘bicycle theft hotspots’ tag after research found the areas to be where bicycles are stolen most quickly by thieves, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

The research was undertaken by insurance firm More Than to reveal how long it took for thieves to snatch bicycles. Naturally, More Than went on to encourage cyclists to take out cycle insurance:

"The experiment has shown us that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, if you don’t take the necessary precautions, it’s only a matter of time before your bike is stolen,” said marketing director Pete Markey.

"It really does make sense then to ensure your bike is secured properly to an immovable object before you leave it unattended, and to think about taking out insurance cover just in case the worst should happen."

The full list of results from More Than’s research is as follows:

Liverpool, Mathew Street – three hours 52 minutes
Bristol, East Street, Bedminster – three hours 15 minutes
Manchester, Arndale shopping centre, Market Street – two hours 57 minutes
Norwich, Exchange Street – two hours 34 minutes
Newcastle, Eldon Garden shopping centre, Percy Street – two hours 25 minutes
Portsmouth, Albert Road, Southsea – two hours 12 minutes
Cardiff, Capitol shopping mall, Queen Street – two hours 10 minutes
Birmingham, The Rag Market, Edgbaston Street – one hour 55 minutes
Glasgow, Buchanan Street, one hour 30 minutes
London, London Bridge Station, Duke Street Hill – 17 minutes

Government statistics reveal that one bicycle is stolen every two minutes – 300,000 every year, while various bicycle theft stories have been making recent headlines in the cycling press, including those taken from Olympic Development Rider Sam Harrison.

Various initiatives are attempting to take the theft problem on, including Selectamark’s scheme in Chichester, which has reported to cut thefts by 44 per cent.

If that has made you consider stocking up on security products, why not head over to the BikeBiz security Sector Guide, found here.