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There has been a significant increase in bikes being stolen during burglaries in Ireland and bikes are now one of the main targets for criminals breaking into houses, a Garda crime prevention officer has said.
Sgt Graham Kavanagh issued his warning to cyclists as the force has launched the annual winter phase of Operation Thor to tackle burglaries and associated criminal activity.
Because the bike to work scheme has been so successful for many years now, the number of higher value bikes in circulation in Ireland is currently at an all time high.
That trend has become even more pronounced since the Covid-19 pandemic began, with many households investing in adults and kids bikes during the period.
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And now the Garda has warned bikes are being targeted
during break-ins and have urged cyclists to be careful and take extra
precautions to secure what are valuable assets that thieves can easily take and
then re-sell.
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“There has been a
significant rise in thefts of bicycles from homes, garages and sheds,” Sgt
Kavanagh said when launching the Operation Thor, a special anti-burglary
investigation by the Garda in winter time, when the crime tends to increase.
“An Garda Síochána encourage home owners to securely lock items within the shed or garage and use a robust lock on the shed or garage itself to slow down the burglar,” he said, adding a house alarm should be extended to any outhouse where bikes are kept.
During winter
months most burglaries occur between 4pm and 9pm. The Garda said a common
explanation for this is the shortening of daylight hours, which exposes vacant
houses that are not sufficiently lit up.
Garda
Headquarters has urged people to take simple precautions to prevent burglaries
in winter, including: Turn on some lights; use timer switches; lock all doors
and windows; use an alarm; store keys away from windows; don’t keep large
amounts of cash or jewellery in the house.
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