Incidents of bicycle theft rise in May

The incidents of bicycle theft increased significantly in May this year, according to police.

Bicycles and their accessories have been subject to crime 4,259 times, so far, this year. Over the year, the total number is around 20,000, said a press release.

Chief Superintendent Jyrki Aho of the National Police Board calculated that the number of crime reports filed in May this year has increased by more than 700 in comparison with the same time in the previous year.

“In crime reports, the police departments of East Uusimaa and Eastern Finland stand out in particular. The differences year-on-year are striking. In East Uusimaa, the increase is 171 and in Eastern Finland, 158. Only the police departments of Southwest Finland and Lapland have lower figures than a year earlier,” said Aho.

In good weather, a lot of bikes and their parts are stolen. Good cycling weather also makes people want to buy a bike, which creates an active market for stolen bicycles, the press release said, adding that particularly the owners of Jopo bikes have a high risk of becoming a victim of crime.

The crime reports filed show that Jopo bicycles are still favoured by criminals.

“This year, in May alone, the word ‘Jopo’ is included in a total of 261 crime reports. These bikes have traditionally been stolen from the outside of houses, bicycle storage rooms in blocks of flats and from public places. Some of the bikes have been left unlocked in locked premises. In some cases, only a broken lock remains at the crime scene,” said the police official.

Aho urged everyone to take a picture of their bike and save all possible identifying information as a move to prevent theft.

The law enforcing authority also urged the people refrain from buying the stolen bicycles.

Most stolen bicycles are bought by ordinary citizens. When the market is good, professional bike thieves thrive.

According to Jyrki Aho, most of the stolen bicycles are sold online and in flea markets. Some of the bicycles are dismantled and sold as spare parts.

“If you buy stolen goods, you may commit a receiving offence, either intentionally or negligently, that is, because you were not careful enough. If you are buying a bicycle as good as new, worth EUR 400 in the shop, for EUR 100, alarm bells should be set ringing,” Aho said, adding that when purchasing a used bicycle, everyone should ask the seller to show an ID and the receipt of purchase, particularly if the bicycle in question is fairly new.

The payment should be made into a bank account in addition to check the number on the bicycle frame, because on stolen bikes, the number has often been somehow faded or scratched.