Annual damage from bicycle theft rises to 600 million euros
Bureau Beke study shows integral cooperation is necessary in fight against bicycle theft
A failing preventive and repressive approach to bicycle theft leads to a decline in enforcement and an already sky-high financial loss to society. The annual financial damage of bicycle theft in the Netherlands has reached 600 million Euro. The cause of this is, on the one hand, an increasing popularity of expensive models such as e-bikes, sports bikes and delivery bicycles. On the other hand, the rising value of sold bicycles also increases the attraction for an organized thieves guild that does not shy away from ‘business-like’ and ‘violent’ methods.
This is evident from new research conducted by Bureau Beke on behalf of the Stichting Aanpak Fiets- en E-bikedief (S.A.F.E.). Bureau Beke studied the extent, characteristics, developments and manifestations of bicycle theft, and the opportunities for tackling it. Today, during a webinar, S.A.F.E. and Bureau Beke presented the research report ‘Bike Theft in the Netherlands. From phenomenon to approach’ to Henk Brink, chairman of Tour de Force and deputy in the Provincial Council of Drenthe. The aim of the study is to provide building blocks for a broadly supported and integrated fight against (organized) bicycle theft in the Netherlands.
Most common form of property crime
Government agencies, market parties, social organizations and knowledge institutions, most of which already work together within S.A.F.E., encourage bicycle use because of the positive contribution to the climate and environment, traffic congestion, accessibility and people’s health. But at the same time, bicycle theft is the most common form of property crime in the Netherlands and there is a lack of central direction from politicians in the fight against it.
Jeroen Snijders Blok, chairman of S.A.F.E.: “The Bureau Beke report demonstrates that consumers still often do not lock their bicycles properly, that victims only report bicycle theft because the insurance company asks them to, that rental organisations such as Swapfiets have thousands of ‘missing’ bicycles, that the revenue model of insurers is under pressure and that Eastern European gangs steal large numbers of expensive bicycles to transport them across the border in vans full of bicycles. On top of this, the National Police announced at the time of the study that bicycle theft was no longer a priority. The current approach falls short, both preventively and repressively. To turn the tide, it is necessary that all parties in the chain, with the same goal in mind, work together on the approach proposed by Bureau Beke.”
Modus operandi and impact
The study reveals disturbing theft phenomena. Consulted experts indicate that organized groups are becoming increasingly active. They work professionally and steal several expensive bicycles – including many e-bikes – at the same time in order to transport them abroad. The Eastern Bloc is often mentioned as a destination. Theft hotspots are the larger (student) cities and border areas.
While the occasional perpetrator often forces the lock in the classic way, the more professional perpetrators use tokens that fit all locks. In addition, there is an increasing tendency for bicycles to be loaded into vans on the street and for bicycle stores and storage facilities to be broken into. Also, in some cases thieves use violence against the victim to steal the bicycle. With bicycles becoming increasingly expensive, this could be a first indication of bike jacking, according to the researchers.
In addition to the damage to society as a whole, the consequence of theft is that victims can experience emotional and financial impact. In an emotional sense, they lose an everyday product to which they are attached. Bike owners also indicate that they are more likely to leave their expensive bikes behind because they fear they will be stolen. The financial impact is especially relevant for victims who do not have insurance for their bicycle. They have to pay for a new bicycle with their own money and a large proportion will refrain from buying an expensive bicycle in the future because of the risk of theft. Bicycle dealers experience both emotional and financial damage from theft and it is expected that insurers and rental organizations will increase their insurance premiums if bicycle theft is not curbed.
New approach
To achieve that containment, Bureau Beke is proposing a package of measures that will be embraced by all parties involved, with the government also taking responsibility. Henk Ferwerda, director of Bureau Beke: “A lot has been achieved in recent years with improving locks, installing bicycle parking facilities, registering stolen bicycles by reporting them to the police, passing them on to the RDW bicycle register and using Stopheling. The tracking of offenders and stolen bicycles through the use of decoy bicycles is also well organized. Yet the time is now ripe for new steps. Technical tools and developments, such as track and trace and closed registration systems, can accelerate the approach. Other market and government parties besides the police can also play an even greater role in theft prevention and in tracing and returning stolen bicycles. To take the approach to bicycle theft further, the following ingredients are important: technical tools, public-private cooperation and the integral pursuit of the same goals by all chain partners.” The research report ‘Bicycle theft in the Netherlands. From phenomenon to approach’ can be downloaded from the website of Centrum Fietsdiefstal.
