Less than 11% of bikes stolen in Ireland retrieved over three years

Less than 11% of bikes stolen across Ireland from 2016 to 2018 were retrieved, reports The Journal.

The statistics also show that despite there being almost 5,500 incidents of the unauthorised taking of a bike in 2018, only 272 resulted in court proceedings, down on the previous two years.

The figures were released in an answer to a parliamentary question from co-leader of the Social Democrats Róisín Shortall, who said the low retrieval rate shows “a serious disconnect between what is happening on our streets and how bike theft is being monitored and dealt with”.

According to The Journal, Shortall is calling on minister for justice Charlie Flanagan and the garda commissioner Drew Harris to publish a new strategy for tackling bike theft.

Dublin City Council is currently rolling out an initiative BikeBunkers, which are secure hangers for city residents to securely stow their bicycles close to their home and undercover for €100 per year.

Last year, a study by Cycleplan revealed that over two-thirds (67%) of stolen bikes are sold on within a few hours of them being taken. More than three quarters (78%) of those surveyed admitted to stealing a bike to order and CCTV was the biggest deterrent against theft, with 44% of respondents saying it put them off stealing a bike. This was followed by the use of multiple locks.