What do bike thieves do with stolen bikes?

What do bike thieves do with stolen bikes?

They’ll sell it on the street, or exchange it directly for what they need, or fence it at a pawn shop or maybe a flea market or whatever. More professional thieves want to get better prices, and they have more bikes to sell, so they can’t use the same strategy.

Is it worth reporting stolen bike?

Whilst it’s possible to report your stolen bike by phone and in some cases online, it can be more beneficial to go into your local police station. Provide as much detail as possible, the more the better, including: Frame number, bike make/type, parts and unique features.

Is there a way to tell if a bike is stolen?

How to know if a bike is stolen? A definitive way to find out if its stolen is by asking for the bike’s serial number and putting it into a bike registry database to check. Also Look for red flags such as too good of a price, spray painted bike, or a seller who gives little information.

Do police do anything about stolen bikes?

You might think the police will do nothing. You might think it’s a waste of time. But the fact is that almost half of stolen bikes are eventually recovered by the police. And the only reason that just 5% of stolen bikes are returned to their owners is that the police can’t link the bikes to the owners.

Do bike thieves get caught?

Police data has revealed which areas in London saw a surge in lockdown bike thefts last year, with just 1.1% of bike thefts resulting in the thief being caught.

How often are bicycles stolen?

Regularly, more than 2 million bikes are stolen each year in North America—meaning every 30 seconds, someone’s ride was going missing. And the problem has only been growing during the coronavirus pandemic, when more people have turned to bicycles as their main mode of transportation.

What are the chances of recovering a stolen motorcycle?

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), back in 2019 you stood a 46% chance to have your motorcycle recovered.

Do bike shops run serial numbers?

Possibly it is done automatically, for example, if the original invoice included the serial number, it might be kept, or not. They must but in general they don’t. Especially your neighborhood bike shops ? This sometimes create problem for the end user when there is an issue for an expensive warranty.

What do I do if I find a stolen bike for sale?

Report the bike to the police You can find your local station by visiting http://www.police.uk/. Ideally, you will need a frame number and a tag, if you’ve got one. If you’ve got bike insurance, then you’ll need to report the theft within 24 hours of discovery.

What happens if you get caught stealing a bike?

Normally you assume it to be a misdemeanor with punishment from no jail time to up to a year. If the bike is valuable enough the theft would become a felony, punishable by more than one year in prison.

Why are bikes stolen so often?

Another reason theft is so prevalent is that locks haven’t kept pace with the times. The ones that do work can be so expensive or so heavy that they actually deter people from riding in the first place. GPS trackers can locate a stolen bike, but do nothing to stop thieves who only want to strip its parts.

Which bikes get stolen the most?

As far as brands taken, there’s little surprise to see two of the so-called ‘big three’ in Bikmo’s most stolen – Giant and Specialized. A second bicycle insurer corroborates the finding; PedalSure also name the two brands as their most wanted by thieves.

What do I do if my motorbike is stolen?

What to do if your bike is stolen

1. Report it to the police. Call 101 and ask to speak to a local police officer.
2. Inform your Insurance Company.
3. Search the surrounding area.
4. Monitor online websites to track your bike down.
5. Your stolen bike checklist.

What motorcycle gets stolen the most?

Most stolen motorcycle makes in the United States in 2019

How can I find my stolen bike?

In the event that your bike is stolen, contact your local police (either 101 or go to your local station) as soon as possible with as much information as possible. If you have the frame number, BikeRegister number, a photo and any other details the easier it is for police to find your bike and return it to you.