Winnipeg bike thefts up almost 14% in past 2 years

Bike thefts have shot up nearly 14 per cent in Winnipeg in the past two years, according to statistics from the Winnipeg police.

In 2012, about 711 bikes were reported stolen to police. In 2014, that number was 808.

"We hate seeing this happening to anyone with respect to the cost associated with it and the frustration level it's huge. We get it," said Const. Jason Michalyshen.

Compared to other major Canadian cities, Winnipeg is near the top of the pack for bike thefts.

According to 2013 figures from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (the most recent available),Victoria, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Regina all beat out Winnipeg for per-capita bike thefts.

But Winnipeg did have more thefts on average than Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, Montreal and even Toronto.

Michalyshen said the number of bike thefts are relatively consistent over the past several years.

"We are obviously not going to eliminate the problem in its entirety," he said. "Unfortunately, there are people who are doing everything they possibly can to secure their bike, and it's continuously happening."

Robin Bryan co-ordinates the UWSA Bike Lab in downtown Winnipeg a bike repair shop that lends people the tools they need to repair their bikes and the lessons they need to do it themselves.

"It's actually again a weekly occurrence that somebody comes in that either a wheel's been stolen or a component, so they need to replace that or their whole bike in lots of cases too," he said. "It's definitely a pretty big problem."

The program's bikes have also been targeted. At least once a week components are ripped off the bikes locked up outside the repair shop. Bryan himself had a $600 custom-built bike stolen from outside his apartment. It was locked up at the time.

"Six months later, I found the bike locked up to somebody's porch a couple blocks away," said Bryan.

The guy had bought the bike from someone else for cheapapparently not knowing it had been stolen.

Bryan offered him $40 to help the guy get a different bike and took his home.

Even Michalyshen has had multiple bikes stolen.

"I think in my day I've had a few bikes stolen. I was a BMX bike rider in my day. I loved it. I lived on my bike," he said. "I remember that moment when I think I lost my first bike,and I was a teenager, again, your bike was probably like a car to that 16 or 17 year old and you relied on it. When it wasn't there or where you thought you left it last, it's not a good feeling. I certainly empathize, I sympathize in every way."

Keeping your bike secure

Michalyshen said it comes down to common sense to keep bikes safe.

The most important thing? Never leaving it unlocked and unattended,even in common spaces indoors.

And just locking it up in one spot isn't enough.All of your bike's components need to be locked up if someone can make off with them.

"When I'm walking down the street, I'll see bikes that are locked up just to the wheel and not the frame so people can just take that and walk off with it," Bryan said.

Stringing a secondary lock through quick release wheels will slow down a thief trying to make off with them, and at cost of $70 to $80 to replace a wheel, it's worth your while to keep them protected, he said.

Make sure you're getting a heavy duty lock that can't be snipped off with a pair of clippers from a local hardware store, Michalyshen said.

"If we're buying a $5,000-$6,000 bike, we shouldn't be going to Wal-Mart and buying a $15 lock," he said. "There are a lot of people spending a lot of money on bikes, and if we want to protect those items, we have to spend money as well."

Want your bike back?

Both Bryan and Michalyshen admit that if someone is determined to get your bike,sometimes there's no easy way to stop them. But you can make it easier for cops to reunite you with your bike once it's gone.

Write down serial numbers and take a ton of photos when you get it. Keep your receipts for the bike and its parts and, if you can, do something to make it unique like adding a paint mark or etching that will separate it from other bikes.

The most important thing to do if your bike's been stolen is make a police report, Michalyshen said.

"Some people kind of go, 'Well, police have better things to do with their time. It's not important. It's just my bike.' Well, you spent a lot of money on that bike,and whether or not you've spent $100 on that bike or $1,500 on that bike,it's important."

Reporting your bike stolen is as easy as filling out an online form on the Winnipeg Police Service website or even phoning it in, and according to Michalyshen, it doesn't take too long.

Then, if something is recovered, police should be able to get it back to you fairly quickly.

Cheap bike could land you a criminal record

As long as there's a demand for bikes, thieves will try to supply them, Michalyshen said.

Often they show up on online sites like Kijiji soon after being swiped, but just because you can figure out where it is, doesn't mean you should head out and try to recover it yourself.

"We don't want anyone to put themselves at risk. We're talking about property here," he said. "We want to do everything we can to recover that bike."

Michalyshen said they'll take that information from the public and try to get it back, but obviously, he said, they can't go out lights flashing for every stolen bike.

He said anyone buying a second-hand bike online needs to be aware of where it came from or risk a charge of possession of stolen goods.

Basically, if someone spots the bike with you, in your home or you driving it down the street and can show that it used to be theirs,you can be charged with possession of stolen goods, even if you had no idea.

You can avoid the charge by asking to see receipts or documentation the person bought the bike in the first place, Michalyshen said. Otherwise, you're opening yourself up to a possible charge.