A new report by Victoria’s Sentencing Advisory Council has taken a brief look at the bike theft problem that has become the scourge in recent times.
It found that theft of a bicycle offenders were 93% male, with a median (midpoint average) age of all offenders being 33 years.
Information in the report suggests that police are having much more success in catching these crooks.
The annual number of bicycle theft charges sentenced increased by 83% – from 99 to 181 charges per year over the five years to June 2017.
Less comforting is the fact that thefts continue to rise.
According to Crime Statistics Victoria, in the same period a total of 25,295 bicycles were stolen, rising from 4,008 in 2012 to 6,754 in 2017.
This represents a 68.5% increase in the total number of bikes stolen over the five years.
The Sentencing Advisory Council report examines sentencing practices in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria over the five years to June 2017 for various types of theft, including theft from a shop, theft from a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a bicycle and general theft.
Theft of a bicycle was the least frequently sentenced type of theft, comprising 1% of theft charges sentenced.
Bicycle Network reminds riders that most important security measures are:
- Use a D-lock for maximum security.
- Lock up your bike at home, because this is how most bikes are stolen.
- If you share your rides online, don’t start the GPS log until at least 200 metres from your house.
If your bike is stolen the first step to take is to contact the police and report the bike stolen. Be sure to give them as much information about the bike as possible.
You can also register your bike on the Australian Bike Vault who work to disrupt bike theft and recover stolen bikes.