“Edmonton has a growing cycling community with disposable income, that continues to invest in expensive bikes often worth thousands of dollars,” said Const. Terence Mak, of the EPS Southwest Division. “Unfortunately, many fail to protect their asset with a quality lock and/or proper storage and consequently become easy targets for thieves.”
In 2013, thieves made off with close to 800 bikes from across the city, the majority being stolen from various locations in southwest and downtown Edmonton. A total of 162 were reported stolen to police between Jan. 1, 2014 and June 2, 2014, so far this year, a slight increase over last year.
“For the cost of a solid U-shaped lock, cyclists can lower the odds of losing their expensive asset to an opportunistic criminal,” stated Const. Mak. “It can only take a matter of seconds for a seasoned thief to steal a bike.”
The surveillance video included here (view or download bike theft video surveillance), illustrates how quickly a thief can make off with an expensive bike. In this incident, the thief quickly stole a bike on May 21, 2014, from a bicycle stand located outside of a Southwest Edmonton school.
There are numerous things cyclists can do to protect themselves from becoming a victim of crime, such as recording the serial number of the bike upon purchase, a proactive step that could help police reunite a rightful owner with their bike if it is located.
Click here for additional bike protection tips.
Note: EPS in partnership with United Cycle will be holding a Media Availability today at 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot on the north side of the building, 7620 Gateway Blvd.
Anyone who can help identify the suspect seen in the bike theft surveillance video is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at http://ift.tt/1az8Eve.
from Media Releases http://ift.tt/1pHh6xQ
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