BBCCyclists say they have resorted to “dangerous” methods to find and take back their own stolen bikes, claiming it is the best hope of retrieving them.
Fiona Ryalls, 33, from Bristol tracked down her stolen bike for sale on social media while Josh Steven, 29, used a tracking device and was threatened when he tried to reclaim his.
Fewer than 3% of reported bike thefts since 2019 have resulted in a charge or summons, according to BBC analysis of police figures, and Cycling UK said there was a “growing trend” of people attempting to trace their own bikes.
Avon and Somerset Police advised against people taking action themselves, saying it could put them at risk and harm a police investigation.
Ms Ryalls said she was “heartbroken” when she got a call to say her bike had been stolen in August.
“It was completely custom and it’s my baby,” she said.
“I use it every day when I go to work. I don’t really drive, I either walk or cycle so I was heartbroken.”
After scouring social media, she found it for sale for £55 and arranged to meet the seller, taking her fiance and a male friend for backup.
Fiona Ryalls She told police about her plan and said she was not “dissuaded” from going.
“I asked to test drive the bike and I cycled off with it,” she said. “I would have felt a lot more secure if I’d had police back-up [or] even if they had offered to come with me.
“You don’t know what kind of person you are going to meet.”
The crime survey in England and Wales (CSEW) consistently reports higher numbers of bike thefts than police record crime data.
Avon and Somerset police said it prioritised attendance in line with operational demand and when risk to the public was high.
“Unfortunately, there are often very few proportionate lines of inquiry to follow [with bike thefts] and, as a result, the chances of solving the theft are low,” it said.
Social media is not the only route people are using to track down stolen bikes.
Josh Steven, whose bike was stolen in December, used a GPS tracker hidden in the frame to find it and was able to see it inside a property.
He said when he called the police he was told an officer would be sent if he “could go to the property and get eyes on the bike”.
‘I’ll stab you’
However, when he arrived, he was told an officer could not attend, so took matters into his own hands.
“I knocked on the door and a gentleman answered and I showed him the tracker on the phone,” he said.
“He went back into the house to get the bike and all of a sudden there was a younger guy climbing out of the window and I thought, ‘Oh no, he’s running off with my bike’.
“He then threatens me and says ‘If you come any closer I’ll stab you’ and he gets quite aggressive.”
Mr Steven said that despite this “heated” moment, he had been given his bike back by another member of the household.
The case did not result in a prosecution.
“Inevitably it resulted in nothing,” he said. “I never heard anything again.”
James Dunn James Dunn launched his business Back Pedal after his partner’s bike was stolen.
“We install GPS trackers to people’s bikes and when they get stolen we send out specialist recovery agents to hunt down the bike,” he said.
“We have the bike’s frame number and it has a tracker on so we know it belongs to our customers.
“We’re not the police. Our job is not to arrest people – our job is to get the bike back quickly and safely.”
Though primarily based in London, the business is able to recover bikes from all over the country.
Mr Dunn said fleet e-bikes used for delivery were often targeted by “opportunistic” thieves.
“The other group thieves are targeting are high value e-bike and road or mountain bikes,” he added. “That set of thieves are much more professionally set up and those recoveries take more time.”
‘Dangerous action’
Cycling UK wants to change the perception bike theft was a “petty crime” and for police forces to take it more seriously.
Duncan Dollimore said: “We’ve been pushing the police to look at the targeted focus on the sale of second-hand bikes for some time.
“If those that are stealing bikes realise that it’s quite hard for them to sell them online that will impact the choices they make.”
He said he hoped that would stop people taking “dangerous” action themselves.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “We understand the disappointment felt by victims, when they do not get the outcome they would want through the criminal justice system, or from their local force.
“Police and prosecutors are working hard to make sure we improve the experience of those affected by this type of criminality.”
Avon and Somerset police has a whole page on its website dedicated to keeping your bike safe from theft.
Additional reporting by Lauren Woodhead, England Data Unit
