Police use decoy bicycles to snare thieves

Police in London are catching thieves by fitting decoy bicycles with hidden tracking devices.

The technique is similar to the ‘bait cars’ used to great success by police in America. When stolen, the vehicles capture the thief on film before being immobilised remotely by the police.

The twenty ‘medium-value’ bikes that make up the London ‘bait bike’ fleet are fitted with a device similar to the Tracker system that drivers can pay to have fitted to their cars.

As soon as the bike is stolen, police officers trace its whereabouts and apprehend the thief. Police in Hammersmith hope the scheme will dissuade petty criminals who believe there is little risk of them being caught stealing bicycles.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “It’s great news that the police are starting to treat bike theft seriously and there may come a time when we can all fit trackers to our bikes, but there remains no substitute for good cycle insurance.”

Cycle insurance

Cycle insurance from the ETA guards against theft, vandalism and accidental damage. It includes new-for-old, £1m third party insurance (on any bike you ride), personal accident cover and a breakdown recovery service especially for cyclists and their bikes. Get an instant online quote below.