Police are urging cyclists to invest in good locks after an increase in thefts in the city.
Despite a number of recent arrests, there has been a spike in bicycle theft in Lincoln in the last couple of months.
The main issue is the theft of high value bikes that have been locked to bike racks, lampposts and railings. Thieves are using bolt croppers and hacksaws to cut through cheap chain and combination locks. This is easily done in a matter of minutes and officers are urging cyclists to invest in D-locks for around £20. Bikes with D-locks are rarely stolen because it is too difficult and it takes too long to cut through them.
Insp Mark Garthwaite said: “It is well worth the investment when you are talking about protecting a £500 bike. None of the bikes we have had stolen in recent months have had D-locks – we know they just don’t get stolen. So if you have a high value bike then please make that extra investment and get a decent lock.
“We have made a significant amount of arrests recently and we have recovered a large amount of stolen bikes, but there is obviously more work to be done. If we work together in the city we will be more effective, so if you see anyone acting suspiciously near a bicycle in the city then please call us immediately.”
Thieves tend to target bikes that have been left in streets, or sections of streets that have no, or limited CCTV coverage. Officers are advising cyclists to look up for the CCTV cameras in the city and to lock their bikes to railings they can see are covered.”
Anyone with any information can call Lincolnshire Police via the non emergency 101 number.
