3400 bicycle thefts reported in 4 months

About 3,400 incidents of bicycle theft were reported to the police from January to April this year, said a police press release.

More than 19,600 bicycle thefts were reported to the police in 2018.

According to Chief Superintendent Jyrki Aho of the National Police Board, bicycle thefts have been as common as last year during the first four months of the year.

The police again reminded the cyclists to document their bicycles with cell phone camera, if the owners do not know their bicycle’s identification number or other individual identification details.

Aho said that bicycle thefts are often connected to young people who are addicted to drugs or other substances, but repeat offenders and professional criminals also steal bicycles.

Jopo remains one of the favourites among criminals, and during this year, 325 Jopos have been reported stolen.

Thieves are also drawn to electric bicycles, and thefts have almost doubled since last year, which means that almost 100 reports have been filed this year.

Bicycles are usually stolen where they are stored at railway stations, yards and bike sheds.

Jyrki Aho advised bicycle owners to store their bicycles carefully. The bicycle should have a good lock, and a good strategy is to lock the bicycle’s frame into a stand or equivalent.

Aho emphasized that people should not buy any bicycle, if they are at all suspicious about the origins of a bicycle that is being sold. If the stolen bicycles are not sold, there will be less thefts.

“If you buy for example a bicycle online that is later discovered to be stolen, you will lose the bicycle, and you might also be punished in the form of a fine. The stolen bicycle is returned to its owner. Therefore, it is important that the police receives with the crime report necessary identification information to be used in the search warrant,” Aho said.