The Ministers of State at the Department of Justice, Hildegarde Naughton TD and James Browne TD, have welcomed a number of initiatives being taken by An Garda Síochána to tackle bike theft, including the ‘Lock it or Lose it’ initiative announced this morning.
Members of the public are also being encouraged to mark the frame of their bike with their Eircode. From January 2020 to 23 April 2021 a total of 6,845 bicycles have been stolen across the country, with An Garda Síochána recovering 2,139 bicycles. Many cannot be returned to their owners as their serial numbers are not recorded. A Garda member who comes into possession of a bike that has been marked with an Eircode can call to that address, even if the number has not been registered, thus increasing the chances of returning the property to the owner.
The Minister of State with special responsibility for Civil and Criminal Justice, Hildegarde Naughton, said:“The Programme for Government commits to significant investment in cycling infrastructure over the lifetime of the Government. This improved infrastructure, in addition to the continued success of the Cycle to Work scheme and other initiatives have led to a significant increase in the number of cyclists and bikes on our roads in recent years. Inevitably this has also attracted thieves and unfortunately many cyclists have experienced the theft of very valuable bicycles.“
The Blue Bike scheme has been designed to highlight bike theft hotspots by placing an end of life bike, painted blue, in such areas with a large sign warning members of the public to lock their bikes and be aware of bike theft.This scheme is intended to achieve three goals:
- To warn the public that bike thieves are operating in the area;
- To deter crime by informing offenders that An Garda Síochána are monitoring the area; and
- To thereby create a safer place for members of the public to lock and secure their bikes.