Increase in bike thefts around campus | Stephen Barry
There have been a number of warnings in the past fortnight to students who use bicycles to commute to and from campus.Barrack Street based retailer, the Bike Shed reported that 5 or 6 bikes were stolen in one go on the weekend of the 19th and 20th of October around campus.The Bike Shed estimated that at least 20 bikes around the city are stolen every week. The average value of these stolen bikes is €350.Official Garda figures say that 76 bikes were stolen in the period July to September in the city; however they also acknowledged that many thefts go unreported. Most of these robberies happen in the UCC area.Sergeant Tony Davis, the crime prevention officer in the city, spoke about the measures owners should take with their bicycles. “They should always take a picture of them and log their security numbers.”Speaking to the ‘Irish Examiner’ he went on to say,
“They should also report to us when they are stolen and provide us with the details, so if we recover the bicycle we can return it to the owner.”
The Bike Shed recommends using two locks on a bike, including a U-lock for the frame and a cable lock to secure wheels to the rail. They advise locking bikes in busy walkways, especially where CCTV is available.They also warned against leaving bikes out overnight and reminded cyclists that bikes can also be taken from back-gardens and garden sheds.Gardaí in Cork currently have 80 recovered bicycles on their website, where they hope owners can identify and reclaim them.