Under the radar: Thousands of bicycles stolen every year, very few offenders caught

Thousands of bicycles are stolen every year in New Zealand and very few offenders are caught - so what are we doing about it?

In the first four months of this year, 832 bicycles were reported stolen and only 30 people were charged for this crime during that time, data released under the Official Information Act shows.

And figures reveal it's a crime New Zealand just can't seem to get a handle on.

For the past four years - January 2015 to December 2018 - 12,654 bicycles have been stolen and less than 500 offenders have been tracked down.

Police are warning bicycles are an easy target for opportunistic thieves as they are often left unsecured, and they can be an easy item to on-sell.

"Police urge bicycle owners to lock their bikes with a strong bike lock - only about half of bikes reported stolen have been locked.

"Ensuring your bike is locked can remove the opportunity for thieves, making it more difficult to remove and steal your bike," a police spokeswoman said.

Despite various attempts to curve the worrying trend, such as a campaign launched by Wellington's council and police last year to encourage bikers to "lock it securely", thousands of thefts are still being reported.

We are working with @WgtnPolice to reduce bike theft. Follow these tips to secure your bike properly. More info - https://t.co/CGaXCB4fbJ pic.twitter.com/I7YxOzGWpN

— Wellington City Council (@WgtnCC) May 7, 2017

The police spokesperson said a lack of unique identifying features and often little evidence surrounding the theft can make it difficult to identify an offender or track down the stolen item.

Figures show Canterbury has the worst rates in the country for bike theft with nearly 3000 reports being made to police in the last four years - between January 2015 and December 2018. Of this, only 65 offenders were caught.

Compare this to Auckland, where the population is nearly triple, 2106 reports were made and 105 people were charged.

Last year, Bike Auckland's Barb Cuthbert told the Herald the cyclist community was "a victim of our own success", as popularity increased and thieves cottoned on to the value of their bikes.

Cuthbert heard of one man who had his $15,000 bike stolen from a garage and of an offender who had stolen $45,000 worth of bikes. She said the biking community is much more aware of security.

"We didn't used to lock our bikes. We do now.

"[Theft] is far more adverse on society as a whole than people not wearing a helmet."

Cuthbert was urging people to buy solid bike locks that can't be cut quickly with bolt cutters.

She also urged people to record their bike's serial number, which is under the axle of the pedal shaft. If a bike is stolen and found, knowing the serial number can make it easier to get it back.

"[Locks] are just clipped like a knife going through butter."

People can upload their bike's brand, photograph and serial number to the SNAP website – www.snap.org.nz – which can offer peace of mind, as well as assistance if your bike is stolen.

Providing the full details to police and the SNAP website provides the best chance of recovery in the event of theft, the police spokeswoman said.