Bikes go missing all the time and police often don’t have the resources to track the thieves down.
The evidence room at the North Vancouver RCMP detachment is full of recovered bikes without owners. Now, Mounties are encouraging people to register their rides in the hopes of getting some of them back to their rightful owners.
“Last year, we recognized that we were having a problem with bike thefts,” North Vancouver RCMP Supt. Chris Kennedy said. “A bike is more than just a recreational device. It’s sometimes a way of life for many people.”
Registration only goes so far. An online app — 529 Garage — takes a more crowdsourced approach, sending registered users a text message when a bike goes missing. People can then send out blasts if they see the stolen bike.
“It’s not just police,” HUB Cycling’s Erin O’Melinn said. “It’s folks that are out on bikes, lot of eyes on the streets.”
Bikes are stolen so often because they are worth so much. At high-end bike stores like La Bicicletta Pro Shop on West Broadway, there can be hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise on the floor which, according to one staffer, is “expensive and very easy to resell.”
That’s why the store has installed several security measures to secure their investment.
Knowing that bike theft can be big business, police agencies are also starting to invest the necessary resources.
– With files from Aaron McArthur
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