Oxford and Cambridge ‘worst cities for bicycle thefts outside London’

Official data shows over 100,000 bikes stolen in past 12 months

The university cities of Cambridge and Oxford are the worst for for bicycle thefts outside of London in the UK, excluding Scotland, according to new research.

A wealth of students cycling in the prestigious cities are likely to contribute to the figures, with campus buildings always surrounded with locked up bikes.

The crime figures, which are based on official statistics from 351 local authorities and calculated per capita over the last 12 months, showed 104,768 thefts were reported in total. Data was not collected from north of the border.

While very few people live within the City of London, the high number of thefts is due to the thousands of workers who earn their money in the city.

The Metropolitan Police alone received 21,945 accounts of bikes being stolen during the last year and the British Transport Police reported 6,395, highlighting how transport hubs are a popular spot for thieves.

The worst location in the country to leave a bike is Cambridge railway station car park – which saw 113 bikes stolen.

The areas where the lowest number were stolen, according to the data, are West Devon, Torridge and the Forest of Dean.

“It’s a sad reality that people are put off cycling due to the levels of theft, in particular at a time where society is trying to encourage greener methods of transport – both for the environment and public health," said Emily Conrad-Pickles, head of marketing at Yellow Jersey, which released the statistics in conjunction with British Transport Police.

“These theft maps will allow people to look at the crime hotspots near to where they live and work and perhaps help them to plan a safer place to leave their bike.”

The majority of people in the UK know someone who has been a victim of bicycle theft, while a quarter have themselves had a bicycle stolen, a UK poll of 2,000 people suggested.

According to the survey, the average cost of a stolen bike was £327.55 and two-thirds of respondents said the incident affected them both financially and emotionally.

Other consequences included many cyclists not being able to get to work, having to get a lift from a colleague and being forced to cancel social plans.

One quarter had their bike stolen from their own garden, while 10 per cent said their bike had been taken from outside their workplace.

The majority of respondents said the amount of theft in their area has put them off buying a bike.

As a result, 83 per cent of those surveyed want more to be done to tackle bike theft in their area.

Superintendent Mark Cleland, national lead for cycle crime said: “We are currently working with our partners on a number of initiatives that will contribute to reducing cycle crime across the UK.

“Prevention is always better than cure and so it’s really important that cyclists consider how they can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of cycle crime by considering using the best rated ‘secured by design’ locks, how those locks are used and where and what they are locked to.

“Understanding where cycle crime happens will also help inform cyclists as to where best to secure their property and of course making sure there is insurance in place helps if the worst happens.

“Don’t forget that by registering your bike, if it is lost or stolen, there is a greater chance of it being recovered.”

SWNS