Bicycles are a hot commodity among Victoria thieves, and a spike in bike thefts has Victoria police warning people to take extra precautions to keep theirs safe.
About 90 bicycles have been reported stolen in the city over the past eight weeks — about 20 per cent of the 2012 total of 433.
The number of bikes reported stolen so far this year in Victoria was not available on Tuesday.
Most of the bicycles have been snatched from locked storage lockers in underground parking areas, said Const. Mike Russell, Victoria police spokesman.
“Bikes and electric scooters have been the target property and officers are hoping community members will keep a keen eye out for any suspicous activity,” Russell said. Thieves “are making efforts to get into these locked compounds.”
There’s no indication so far that there is an organized bike-theft ring operating in Victoria, he said.
“We’re kind of at a loss as to why there’s an increase,” Russell said. “We have our crime reduction people looking at it.”
More common bicycles, such as older mountain bikes, are easier to sell than elite road bikes that are worth more, he said.
Occasionally, stolen bicycles are offered for sale online.
Bike thefts in Victoria jumped in 2012 by 20 per cent from the year earlier, when 325 bicycles were reported stolen.
Saanich has not seen a similar jump in bike thefts, said Sgt. Steve Eassie, Saanich police spokesman.
“I think we’ve been fairly consistent with our bike thefts — we haven’t seen a dramatic rise in any case,” Eassie said.
There have been rashes of break-ins to underground storage areas in the past but there have not been an unusual number of incidents recently, he said.
He suggested that the density of multi-family buildings in Victoria might be attracting more criminal activity.
Victoria police urge bike owners to lock their bikes in well-lit areas preferably within range of security cameras, to urge strata councils or landlords to improve bike lockups, to lock bicycles to a fixed object inside locked compounds and record bikes’ serial numbers and take a photo on a mobile phone in case your bike is stolen.
