More than 90% of bike thefts in the UK remain unsolved.
Around 77,313 bicycles are reported as stolen in the UK every year; roughly one every seven minutes. And that’s just an official number- the real total is likely much higher.
Earlier this year, Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP quipped that ‘bike theft has been decriminalised’ after it was revealed that 90% of cases go unsolved, and only 2% resulted in someone being charged.
Yet despite the alarming figures, it does appear that bike thefts appear to be declining- slowly.
Data gathered by bike insurance firm Bikmo indicates a decline in bicycle thefts throughout England and Wales, with 64,507 incidents recorded in 2023 compared to 73,218 in 2022 – showing a 12% decrease.
Yet there are still a number of hotspots throughout the UK where bike theft is rife. Here are the spots in the UK with the highest rate of stolen bikes per 100,000 people.
1. In 2023 Cambridge experienced a bicycle theft rate of 812 thefts for every 100,000 people (compared to 726 in 2022), marking a 12% increase year on year. This positions Cambridge as the number one city in the UK for bicycle theft rate. In 2023, a total of 1,286 bikes were stolen in Cambridge alone.
2. Right behind it is Oxford, which ranks as the second highest city in the UK for bicycle theft rate. In 2023, there were 1,179 reported bike thefts in the city, and a theft rate of 688 per 100,000 people.
3. Ranking third is York which saw a 9% increase in theft rate in 2023 – 556 thefts per 100,000 compared to 511 in 2022. The city experienced 855 bike theft incidents in 2023.
4. Although ranked among the top cities for bicycle theft rate in the UK, Newcastle upon Tyne experienced a decrease of 25% in both the number of bicycle theft incidents and bicycle theft rate. In 2022 the rate was 433 thefts for every 100,000 people, decreasing to 325 in 2023. A total of 626 bicycle thefts were reported in the city in 2023.
5. Cardiff takes the fifth position and experienced a rise in thefts during 2023 compared to the previous year. Bicycle theft rate increased from 284 thefts per 100,000 in 2022 to 312 in 2023. The total number of thefts amounted to 1,398 in 2023.
While it is not yet known what Labour plans to do to tackle bike theft, it is likely their plans will follow in the footsteps of the previous government, who aimed to make pedestrian and cycling journeys represent half of all trips made in towns and cities by 2030.
But although several initiatives have been pledged to bolster this objective—like allocating £35 million for the National Cycle Network, launching a new £8 million e-cycle program and distributing bike repair vouchers— apprehensions about bike theft remain a significant hurdle.
Titus Halliwell the National Police Lead for Cycle Crime said: ‘It is promising to see the continued reductions in cycle crime recorded across the UK which has helped support the continuing growth in cycle journey numbers. The mapping of this data helps cyclists make choices about the security of their bicycles both at home and in the public space.
‘I encourage all cyclists to use at least one quality Sold Secure when leaving their bike unattended and registering their bike on a Secure By Designed accredited database such as BikeRegister which will act as a strong deterrent to thieves and maximise the chances of their bike being returned if stolen.
‘Sadly, local hotspots continue to occur and here we are focusing our work with the creation of localised Cycle Crime Reduction Partnerships to address this crime type in Towns and Cities across the UK supporting and working with our cycling communities.’
James Brown, Managing Director of BikeRegister said: ‘Bike theft poses a considerable obstacle to promoting active travel, and the observed reduction in cycle crime is reassuring. With marked bikes being 83% less likely to be stolen than an unmarked one, the importance of marking your bike shouldn’t be understated.
‘By registering your bike and ensuring it is marked, cyclists significantly enhance their chances of being reunited with stolen property, as thieves understand that marked bicycles are ‘too hot to handle’.
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