A Winnipeg woman got an early Christmas present recently after her stolen bike, missing for 16 years, was found by police.
For the past 18 months, the Winnipeg Police Service said it received multiple reports about stolen bikes along the southern section of Pembina Highway.
“Rough data — approximately 3,000 bikes are stolen each year and sadly the vast majority are not recovered,” Const. Dani McKinnon told Global News morning Friday.
On Nov. 23, police raided a storage facility in the 500 block of Hervo Street, and found 17 stolen bikes inside.
Many of the bikes were high-end, said police, and five were returned to the original owners.
One of those bikes was nabbed in 2005 when a woman in her 70s had her vintage bike stolen during a garage break-in.
She had registered her bike and got it back 16 years later.
Another was swiped from a 13-year-old boy while it was locked up outside of his school
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“He had worked very hard to save up and pay half of the value, which was $1,000, while his parents matched the other half. His disappointment was great when it was stolen,” said police.
He was thrilled to get it back, and police credited it being registered as the reason why.
Mckinnon said it is beneficial to register your bike as soon as you can rather than waiting until the summer when you will actually be riding it.
“People will get bikes for gifts for Christmas but also remember, unfortunately, property crime does exist throughout the year, not just the summer,” she said
“It only takes a few seconds and is a valuable tool for property recovery.”
On Nov. 23, officers say they arrested a 51-year-old man in the 1000 block of Manahan Avenue.
The man is facing multiple charges and has been released on conditions.
All of the unclaimed bicycles go to the bicycle auction every April. If you believe that your bicycle may have been recovered during this investigation and it was not registered but may have unique branding or markings, call the investigators at 204-986-2878.
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