London lockdown bike theft surges, according to new police data

Police data has revealed which areas in London saw a surge in lockdown bike thefts in London last year, with North East London being worst affected. Waltham Forest is the borough with the greatest increase at almost one third (30.88%), followed by Haringey (27.52%) and Southwark (23.92%).

In London, just 1.1% of bike thefts result in the thieves being caught according to the latest data on criminal sanctions, falling to just 0.96% in Waltham Forest. The borough where you’re least likely to identify a bike thief and recover your stolen bike is Bexley, with just over a 1 in 200 (0.65%) chance of the thief being identified. This is followed by Harrow at 0.68%, and Bromley with a 0.69% chance.

The data, collated by London criminal defence solicitors Lawtons, was released on 3rd February 2021 and reveals statistics up to September 2020. The data encompasses the first 6 months of Covid restrictions and the peak spring/summer cycling season.

The five boroughs that saw the greatest increase in bike thefts are:

• Waltham Forest – 30.88%

• Haringey – 27.52%

• Southwark – 23.92%

• Islington – 23.9%

• Wandsworth – 20.66%

While some boroughs saw a rise in bike thefts, other areas that typically have higher rates for the crime experienced a fall – the borough of Westminster has had the highest rate of bike theft in previous years, though there was a -7.77% decrease last year. Redbridge saw bike theft fall by -30%, and Hounslow by -27.21%. This is probably attributable to people not using their bikes to commute and then leaving them unattended for periods of time.

In an effort to avoid public transport, many Londoners living in zones 2 and 3 took up cycling throughout the UK’s lockdowns. This autumn, journeys by bike were up by 22% in Greater London and 7% in Inner London compared to the previous count by TFL in spring 2019. Criminals have seen this bicycle boom as a new opportunity, targeting the property of new cyclists who bought bikes during the lockdown. Experts warn that this is a trend we can expect to see continue as we head towards spring and improved weather, alongside the lifting of lockdown restrictions.