Bikes targeted by thieves in Bournemouth town centre (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Bikes targeted by thieves in Bournemouth town centre
12:00pm Friday 15th June 2012 in News By Stephen Bailey
Lee Oldroyd who had his bike stolen from a secure Bournemouth town centre car park
A CYCLIST had his £600 bike stolen from a secure store and discovered five more people had been victims of bike theft that week.
Lee Oldroyd is one of 227 victims of bike theft in Bournemouth during April and May – a rise of 31 per cent on last year.
Lee, who works in sales, said he was now worried “bikes are not safe anywhere” and was debating whether to buy a replacement.
The 27-year-old from Poole said his bike was locked up with a chain in a secure room at his workplace on Holden-hurst Road in Bourne-mouth but a thief still managed to take it.
Lee said: “It was worth about £600 and I used it to get to and from work – it was lovely on the beach on a sunny day.”
He spoke to colleagues and friends and heard of five more cases of bike theft that week, including two from Charminster.
Lee said: “Everyone I spoke to said ‘I’ve had a bike nicked from Bournemouth’ or they knew someone that had.
“The police said there’s not much they can do. I just feel like if it wasn’t safe there, is it safe anywhere?”
Police statistics also show there were 125 bike thefts in Bourne-mouth during May, compared to 99 last May.
Acting Inspector Christopher Amey from Boscombe station said in a statement: “We continue to offer crime prevention advice and bicycle security information.
“While we have achieved some success in individual cases, we recognise how impactive bicycle theft and other accumulative crimes are on victims. “It is fair to say that such incidents may be influenced by the current economic climate.” He said people should get their bikes security stamped and photographed and crimes should be reported as soon as possible.
He also urged people not to buy undervalued bikes online.
And he urged people with information to call police on 101.
Comments(26)
pete woodley
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12:28pm Fri 15 Jun 12
woby_tide
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12:55pm Fri 15 Jun 12
pheobe1
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1:02pm Fri 15 Jun 12
uvox44
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1:05pm Fri 15 Jun 12
MandinVerwood
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1:23pm Fri 15 Jun 12
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The thief was even captured on CCTV - the bloke turned up with a backpack, but on his front. He then worked on the locks for around 4 minutes and cut through it with a cordless anglegrinder to get to the bike. Mine was one of the hardest to get to but also a big brand name and worth more than the other bikes in the sheds - so was the target. The thief then cycled off down Richmond hill.
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What was even more annoying was whilst he was cutting through the lock, another female employee cycled up and locked her bike further down the sheds to him. He was bent over at the time so she did not realise what he was doing. This was all happening 25 meters from the security guards office.
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When the Police came (2 days later!!) and saw the CCTV, they immediately recognized the thief's clothes and style (face was obscured to a hoodie) and went of to have a word. They never found the bike again though and nothing further was able to be done with the suspect.
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Quite a few more bikes went from the Portman overs the years after that too :(
pete woodley
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1:29pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Pierre France
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4:22pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Redgolfer00
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4:40pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Old Colonial
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5:17pm Fri 15 Jun 12
No, no, no!
It's caused by the sort of trash who are around who know they can get away with it. Aided and abetted by the people who are only too happy to buy something 'cheap' in the pub or car boot sale. The offences for theft and receiving should be much more draconian.
Bmthdad
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6:36pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Stupid anti police agendas. The fault lies with owners who don't do all they should to protect their expensive bikes.
Perhaps if owners valued their bikes they would ensure that they are properly insured, or chipped or treated with anti-theft paint or any other anti-theft measure.
Bikes are extremely hard to trace otherwise by a Police force with other priorities. Bikes are easier to hide and dispose of than cars.
Lord Spring
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6:46pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Redgolfer00 wrote:They just love the hyphen, it appears often in reports by professionals of this newspaper.
Mr. S. Bailey, Please when you write a piece about anything in BOURNEMOUTH not Bourne-mouth or HOLDENHURST ROAD not Holden-hurst because it has never been the way you spell it, how long have you lived here.
lisa401
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7:42pm Fri 15 Jun 12
pheobe1
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8:06pm Fri 15 Jun 12
MandinVerwood
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8:39pm Fri 15 Jun 12
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Did yo also know that the cycle insurance also covers me for third party liability on my bike - yes the whole argument that drivers have against cyclists is actually false and I am covered. If I wanted higher then I could go to places like the CTC again.
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As for the Bike locks - even Solid Secure Gold which is the highest level and the ones I had can still be cut through. If a thief turns up with tools like angle grinders then you can bet it's not an opportunist moment!
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As for bikes being chipped - well mine was too. However a lot of high end bikes go and some are sold complete through gumtree (more often) or even eBay, but the majority are actually broken up and the components sold separately.
pheobe1
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8:46pm Fri 15 Jun 12
lisa401
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8:53pm Fri 15 Jun 12
pheobe1 wrote:I just insured mine after reading this. It's going to cost £2.29 a month. Yes it would cause inconvenience having it stolen but at least the insurance will bring peace of mind knowing that I wouldn't have to fork out for a new bike. There does seem to be a lot of exclusions on the policy though and one is that you must have a receipt for an approved lock.
yes bike insurance is possible but it costs an arm and a leg these days with so many crimes and the excess is not cheap not forgetting all the paperwork etc and they dont like it when you have to claim more than once! its easy just to say "get insurance" but what about all the inconvenience and how much they give you back. get real.
Bmthdad
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9:37pm Fri 15 Jun 12
pheobe1 wrote:No different to car insurance. I don't "not bother" with car insurance or contents insurance because it's too expensive or too much hassle.
yes bike insurance is possible but it costs an arm and a leg these days with so many crimes and the excess is not cheap not forgetting all the paperwork etc and they dont like it when you have to claim more than once! its easy just to say "get insurance" but what about all the inconvenience and how much they give you back. get real.
glendower2909
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9:57pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Pierre France wrote:pierre..your missing the point...police should start taking these crimes seriously...if i went to a bank and nicked 600 quid i would probably be looking at a long stretch inside...however if i go out with bolt cutters and steal a few bikes no one really cares,, theft is theft... your lax attitude indicates to me that you have never had anything stolen. While i hope it doesnt happen to you believe me it is not nice
Just get the **** things insured.... It costs next to nothing on your household insurance..... x
MandinVerwood
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10:33pm Fri 15 Jun 12
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Add in more for lights and then invest in proper cycling gear & helmets too. It just makes so much sense.
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If you look at some of the £30+ locks in Halfords or online like www.wiggle.com or www.chainreactioncyc
les.co.uk then the bigger brands also come with insurance if the bikes are stolen when the locks are in use. Some of the locks cover bikes up to £1000.
Bmthdad
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10:40pm Fri 15 Jun 12
glendower2909 wrote:Another who thinks the Police have a "stolen bike magnet".
Pierre France wrote:pierre..your missing the point...police should start taking these crimes seriously...if i went to a bank and nicked 600 quid i would probably be looking at a long stretch inside...however if i go out with bolt cutters and steal a few bikes no one really cares,, theft is theft... your lax attitude indicates to me that you have never had anything stolen. While i hope it doesnt happen to you believe me it is not nice
Just get the **** things insured.... It costs next to nothing on your household insurance..... x
How would you suggest the Police go about tracking down a stolen bike that can be resprayed in an afternoon after being easily stolen because its owner didn't buy a decent lock or take other anti theft precautions?
What evidence would there be to go on Sherlock?
Don't be daft of course Police take it seriously but it's nigh on impossible to track down a nicked bike
aaron989
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10:49pm Fri 15 Jun 12
glendower2909
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11:12pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Bmthdad wrote:My daughters boyfriend has his bike nicked outside bmouth central liberary last week....D lock cut through in broad daylight..it was suggested that the police look at the CCTV that is in the area but this was deemed irelelavant..as soon as it was realised bike was insured a police report was issued and chap sent on way...All very well saying take other "anti theft precautions" other than hooking bike up to the national grid and frying the low life who touched it what else can a person do.. It was middle of the day but the police were not interetsed.....
glendower2909 wrote:Another who thinks the Police have a "stolen bike magnet". How would you suggest the Police go about tracking down a stolen bike that can be resprayed in an afternoon after being easily stolen because its owner didn't buy a decent lock or take other anti theft precautions? What evidence would there be to go on Sherlock? Don't be daft of course Police take it seriously but it's nigh on impossible to track down a nicked bikePierre France wrote: Just get the **** things insured.... It costs next to nothing on your household insurance..... xpierre..your missing the point...police should start taking these crimes seriously...if i went to a bank and nicked 600 quid i would probably be looking at a long stretch inside...however if i go out with bolt cutters and steal a few bikes no one really cares,, theft is theft... your lax attitude indicates to me that you have never had anything stolen. While i hope it doesnt happen to you believe me it is not nice
jeebuscripes
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1:57pm Sun 17 Jun 12
An investment such as this in Bournemouth would encourage more cycling, particularly during the summer months with the fireworks, air show and other events.
In turn, there'd be less traffic on the roads and healthier people in the borough.
retry69
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4:38pm Sun 17 Jun 12
jeebuscripes wrote:Great idea and as always we are going to have to copy our foreign friends who are far ahead of us on the cycling front
Where I live in Italy there are secure, covered bike parks that are supervised. The bike park holds hundreds of bikes and you pay 1 euro for 24 hours.
An investment such as this in Bournemouth would encourage more cycling, particularly during the summer months with the fireworks, air show and other events.
In turn, there'd be less traffic on the roads and healthier people in the borough.
pheobe1
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7:43pm Mon 18 Jun 12
bmthlad69 says...
12:19pm Fri 15 Jun 12