Scotland sees sharp increase in bicycle thefts

In tandem with the rise in the number of people cycling over the past 18 months there has been a 20 per cent increase in reports of thefts.

There is evidence that organised crime gangs are targeting pedal and e-bikes worth thousands of pounds.

Figures obtained by the BBC under freedom of information laws indicate that, on average, only one in 10 such crimes are solved every year. There are also concerns that marketplace websites are doing a busy trade in stolen bicycles, with some sellers using multiple accounts.

There were 4,600 such crimes reported in 2019/20, down from 6,056 in 2017/18. This figure rose to 5,470 in 2020/21 - an 18.9 per cent increase.

Det Sup Joyce Greenhorn told BBC Scotland that bicycle theft was treated with “as much importance as any other crime”.

She said: “Over lockdown, the use of bikes was obviously increasing and access to them on the open market was limited too, so being able to get hold of bikes wasn’t as easy.

“We did see an increase in the level of bike thefts that did raise some concern, and as a result of that we put in place the Pedal Protect scheme. That was a focus on enforcement, but more so about prevention and security advice.”

A spokesman for Gumtree said: “We do not tolerate the listing of stolen items on our site and share the public’s concerns about the scourge of bike theft in the UK.

“We encourage users to report anything suspicious to us through the ‘Report’ button that sits on every ad on our platform, and our dedicated safety team will then investigate it and take the necessary action, including blocking offending users and removing suspicious ads.

“If you are concerned that an item you’re viewing is stolen, don’t buy it - report it to the police or call 101.”