Cycle crime on decrease in York (From York Press)

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Cycle crime on decrease in York

8:53am Thursday 8th May 2008

comment Comments (19) Have your say »

By Helen Gabriel »

YORK is no longer the bike theft capital of the north - after a 16 per cent reduction in the number of stolen cycles.

New research shows that a bike is stolen every 65 seconds in the UK, but the good news is that York is no longer in the top ten worst places for bike theft.

Last year, figures from Halifax Home Insurance showed York was the fifth worst for this type of crime and had the most stolen bikes in the north of England.

The number of cycle thefts fell by 16 per cent from 1,467 in 2006 to 1,236 in 2007 - taking the city out of the worst ten.

But according to the insurance provider, many people still fail to report the theft of their bike to the police - despite the average claim for a stolen bike in York reaching £366. Figures show bike thieves are exceptionally busy in most parts of London as well as Bristol, Gloucester and Oxford.

David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, commented: "We have been looking into the frequency of bike theft for some years now and still we see no sign of a decrease in this crime.

"We encourage all who experience bike theft to report it to the police, otherwise they could miss the opportunity to make a claim."

He said: "One bicycle theft occurring every 65 seconds in the UK is shocking.

"With the majority of thefts affecting bikes which have been placed under lock and key, it may be worth considering spending a little more money for a high security lock which may stand a better chance of deterring a thief."

Bicycle theft has been one of the biggest problems for police in York in recent years and schemes such as free electronic tagging have been introduced in a bid to curb this type of crime, but it still accounts for about 6.5 per cent of all crime across the city.

In 2007, 86 per cent of all bikes stolen had been locked up and five per cent were stolen from inside the victim's house or garage.

Halifax Home Insurance is urging cyclists to check that their home insurance policy will cover their bike if it stolen from a public place as well as if it is taken from their home.

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Your Say YourPress

petethefeet, York says...
9:39am Thu 8 May 08

Anybody knows where these bikes turn-up?

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what???, york says...
10:16am Thu 8 May 08

reason it has improved is because no one bothers to report it. has mine stolen 2 1/2 years ago and it was a case of, well thats nice but don't expect it back...

crime stats always go down if people cant be bothered to report the actual crime because it is a waste of their time.

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Voice of reason, York says...
10:50am Thu 8 May 08

what??? wrote:
reason it has improved is because no one bothers to report it. has mine stolen 2 1/2 years ago and it was a case of, well thats nice but don't expect it back... crime stats always go down if people cant be bothered to report the actual crime because it is a waste of their time.

Exactly. I wish the Press would stop pandering to these nonsense stats. It's a pain reporting stuff to plod, but it's the only way we'll ever see realistic crime figures. REPORT EVERYTHING PEOPLE - SHOW PLOD HOW BAD THINGS REALLY ARE!
I thank you.

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pay as you go, easingwold says...
11:11am Thu 8 May 08

I see the press have pulled the story above on Mr Galloway,it was only on a few minutes and over 20 negative comments,he must be a pal of the editor,freedom of speech my ar**

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Silver, York says...
11:19am Thu 8 May 08

I do have to say if you report it, it might not get anything done but at least you made the police do their job.

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Silver, York says...
11:19am Thu 8 May 08

I do have to say if you report it, it might not get anything done but at least you made the police do their job.

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notatourist, York says...
11:54am Thu 8 May 08

I need a new bike if anybody knows of one going?

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Brian, york says...
12:18pm Thu 8 May 08

Theres usually about 400 bikes in a shed at the cop shop I think they send them to auction,Its a pity they dont sell them cheap to the ones who have had theres nicked.

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andy2007, york says...
12:22pm Thu 8 May 08

what??? wrote:
reason it has improved is because no one bothers to report it. has mine stolen 2 1/2 years ago and it was a case of, well thats nice but don't expect it back... crime stats always go down if people cant be bothered to report the actual crime because it is a waste of their time.

agreed. crime is going down, cos people realise its the waste of a phone call, unless you need the crime reference number.

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Estoril, York says...
12:23pm Thu 8 May 08

Bike theft is one thing that makes me mad.. but what is worse is when the bikes are kicked in and left just for the hell of it. What on earth makes someone think that kicking cyclist's wheels until they buckle is a good thing to do??!!
I don't dare leave my bike in York City Centre in late evening anymore.

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Pedro, says...
2:03pm Thu 8 May 08

Lost mine. The police won't even take your details at the station - not even if you are passing! You are given a leaflet with a number on it. I now double lock my bike - which I hope works!

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larkin, leeds says...
2:03pm Thu 8 May 08

pay as you go wrote:
I see the press have pulled the story above on Mr Galloway,it was only on a few minutes and over 20 negative comments,he must be a pal of the editor,freedom of speech my ar**

How is it THE YORK PRESS EDITOR BOOTH took off your opions about GALLOWAY it seems BOOTH the editor decides who has freedom of speach and who has democracy! he is judge and jury, its one bad apple out GALLOWAY and another rotten apple in WALLER York is now in the preverbial!

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pinemarten, Strensall says...
3:01pm Thu 8 May 08

hey, this is great news, I can leave my bike lying around anywhere now - LOL !

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notatourist, York says...
3:24pm Thu 8 May 08

pinemarten wrote:
hey, this is great news, I can leave my bike lying around anywhere now - LOL !

What will she think of that?

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oaklander, York says...
4:05pm Thu 8 May 08

people only report the theft of there bikes if they:
A) for some stupid reason they epect the police to be able to get it back (idiots)
B)to just get a claim number for the insurance.

The thing with Bike theft is copppers dont want to deal with it as this would mean getting off the backsides and doing some work. I have had 3 bikes stolen, i reported the first one(I was only 15 and stupid to think something would get done - even though i gave them the name of the kid who stole it!!!), the other two times i just couldn't be bothered filling in a load of forms for nothing.

A coppers idea of police work is community safety intiatives (mainly going out with speed guns catching speeders and tax dodgers to collect extra revenue for their coffers)

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Peter, york says...
6:24pm Thu 8 May 08

NYP certainly know how reduce crime figures, frustrate people when they report crime and do nothing at all about it, that ensures they won't report a crime again, unless they are really desperate for a number for their insurers.

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Gromit, South Bank says...
6:38pm Thu 8 May 08

I had a pale blue Giant Halfway single speed, with a racing seat. stolen from outside the BTCV offices on Laurence two years ago. It was a very distinctive bike, Giant no longer make them anymore. I had a poster made up with a photograph of the bike, and gave it to the police, they did nothing.

I also had a folder nicked from the back of my flat, I got that back, only because I saw the kid who nicked it pushing it into the Banana Warehouse.

Most bikes get stolen to order, people carry some major equipment to nick them, its best to use a D lock making sure that its tight to the frame and wheel leaving no gaps.

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Bemused, York says...
8:02pm Thu 8 May 08

NYP certainly know how reduce crime figures, frustrate people when they report crime and do nothing at all about it, that ensures they won't report a crime again, unless they are really desperate for a number for their insurers.

This is very common today, and it's not just the North Yorkshire Police

Police deny 'massaging' figures
Scotland Yard has rejected claims it "massages" its crime figures for political reasons.
The Evening Standard claimed a report from the Metropolitan Police Authority showed things were made harder for victims to report crime.
The paper said the report, which was written in February, claimed local police stations had adopted practices to create obstacles stopping people from reporting some crimes.
For example, some police stations were said to only allow victims of mobile phone theft to report the crime if they can quote the phone's IMEI serial number, it said. Not many people will have this written down, and therefore cannot report the crime, it was claimed.
On Wednesday Scotland Yard released statistics showing a six per cent fall in crime in the past year.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.u
k/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/en
gland/london/7353698
.stm
Published: 2008/04/17 21:55:06 GMT

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Free Speech, York says...
8:28pm Thu 8 May 08

pay as you go wrote:
I see the press have pulled the story above on Mr Galloway,it was only on a few minutes and over 20 negative comments,he must be a pal of the editor,freedom of speech my ar**

Yes, where are the comments on Galloway?
To pull them is a disgrace and is simple censorship!

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