POLICE in Worthing say bike theft is being treated as a priority.

A total of 36 bicycle thefts were reported in June – up from three reports during June 2021 – with the neighbourhood policing team carrying out dedicated patrols in ‘hotspot’ areas.

The real number of stolen bicycles could be higher as some victims do not report incidents to the police.

Local Facebook page ‘Sussex Crimewatch’ featured more than 50 social media appeals for stolen bikes in June.

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One member who helps run the group, said: “[Sussex Police] have been addressing the problem with security advice and actively offering a bike-marking service when they can but unfortunately it does little to stop the thefts [and] the criminal use of cutting devices.

“Should we really need online crime sites dedicated just to the theft of bicycles? Perhaps their necessary existence says it all.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service joined PCSO Ann-Marie Rushworth and Sgt Isobel Wimbleton on a patrol of bike theft ‘hotspots’ on Monday (August 22).

Sgt Wimbleton said victims of bike theft should always report incidents to the police.

She acknowledged reporting ‘takes time’ but says it is valuable for the police in terms of building cases against criminals and identifying hotspots.

“We might not be able to do anything about it because there might not be any CCTV or lines of enquiry,” said Sgt Wimbleton. “But for us it’s another reference number we can add to the list to highlight hotspots.

“It’s quite rare that we get the bike back but the more evidence we have, we know who all these people are, so we can identify them and start prosecuting them.”

Sgt Wimbleton’s main advice for preventing bicycle theft included buying a tracker.

She also advised cyclists to take note of their frame number – a unique reference number which helps to identify bicycles and reunite them with owners if they are lost or stolen.

Secure locking is also key and both Sgt Wimbleton and PCSO Rushworth said they had witnessed children leaving bicycles unlocked and unattended.

Sgt Wimbleton said police ‘can’t be everywhere all the time’ but added officers would confront known offenders if they were seen with new bikes.

PCSO Rushworth said CCTV would not always pick up bike thefts so owners should lock up in secure, indoor facilities if possible, always using strong locks.

“The experts have hoods or hats on so unless we recognise them because we know them, it is extremely hard to identify them,” she said.

Cyclists are better off taking protective measures, according to PCSO Rushworth, as it was not always possible to return bikes to their owners.

“We’ll do everything in our power to reunite the bike with its owner,” she said. “If they’re good bikes we try to match them but if we can’t, they get sold and the money goes into a charity fund.”

Read more about how to protect your bike from theft here: https://www.sussex.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/how-safe-is-your-bike/