I reported my bike stolen to the police, but just 48 hours later they closed the case. Meanwhile I'd asked around, and eventually found the people who took it, and the person they sold the bike to. Thankfully, they were happy to return it.
Campaign partner:
Cycle theft in London is so persistent, widespread and unpunished that it undermines targets to increase active travel and encourage cycle use. And a significant proportion of people who have their bikes stolen simply stop cycling.
Indeed, we surveyed over 2,000 of our members and supporters to find out their experiences of theft, with 25% of those who’ve been victims, cycling less, or not at all, as a result.
But it doesn’t have to be this way – other countries are doing far better at beating the thieves, as are other police forces.
Please sign the petition and join us in calling on London’s Mayor and the Metropolitan Police to take action on cycle theft now.
We're calling on the Deputy Mayor for policing and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to implement the recommendations from LCC's cycle theft report and cut cycle theft by 10% every year.
Broken Locks, Broken Promises
Our latest report sets out a plan for London to tackle cycle theft, with key recommendations for the Met, London's Mayor and UK government.
Our latest report makes key recommendations for the Metropolitan Police, London’s Mayor, and the UK government too.
For The Metropolitan Police
The Met should be systematically recording violent ‘bikejackings’, burglary involving cycles, geographical distribution of all cycle theft, stolen sales hot spots, and online marketplaces. They must also use bait bikes; conduct patrols; and follow up on cycle thefts.
For The Mayor
When Boris Johnson was Mayor, he set the Met a target of reducing cycle theft by 10% in a year. And that’s what happened with reported thefts. We need the same from the Mayor of London now. A high-level task-force should also be assembled, taking in his Walking & Cycling Commissioner, TfL, the police, Network Rail and representatives of the cycle industry.
For The UK Government
The government should follow France and introduce a mandatory national marking and registration scheme, so that every sale of a cycle, new or used, is tied to an individual.
David Kingsley
I reported my bike stolen to the police, but just 48 hours later they closed the case. Meanwhile I'd asked around, and eventually found the people who took it, and the person they sold the bike to. Thankfully, they were happy to return it.
Jo Roach
A man came over while I was waiting at the lights, and said “give me your bike". I started shouting, and then another man came over and said “I think you should give your bike to him”. The lights changed and I was able to get away, but because of the shock, I came off my bike just minutes later.
Jonathan Inman
We went down to Brick Lane market and found a stall selling parts from my daughters stolen bike. I also found eBay accounts selling other the parts. But the police weren't interested when I passed the information on.
Marcus Schodorf
A thief listed our bike on Facebook before he stole it, then having taken it, sold it just hours later. We took this evidence to The Met, but they didn't want anything to do with it.
Estimated number of bikes stolen in London every year
Percentage of stolen bikes recovered
Proportion of theft victims surveyed who felt the police response was inadequate
This campaign is only possible with the generous support of LCC's security partner, Kryptonite Bicycle Security
JOIN AS A MEMBER
LCC is highly effective because it's supported by more than 12,000 members. If you cycle in London please consider joining today. You'll be supporting our work and you'll get a huge range of benefits.
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