New Broken Locks, Broken Promises report and survey of London cyclists reveal shocking Metropolitan Police attitudes and inaction
Cycle theft in London is an epidemic of crime that almost always goes unpunished, with only two percent of stolen cycles in London recovered, one of the lowest proportions for a UK police force, according to a new report by the London Cycling Campaign.
LCC’s “Broken Locks, Broken Promises” report, which launched this week, is accompanied by survey results showing not just the shocking scale of cycle theft in the capital, but also the outcomes of inaction. Cycle theft is a crime that often goes unreported in London because the response from the Met is so poor most cyclists know it’s not even worth reporting to them.
One response to the LCC survey said:
“Reported, have the person on CCTV, yet the police did nothing. Not important to them, but it meant the world to me.”
Reduced reporting of theft allows the Met to trumpet falling cycle thefts, but it’s far more likely that Londoners have given up on even bothering telling them when their cycle is stolen. Meanwhile, after returning to nothing but a broken lock, many riders reduce their cycling or stop cycling altogether, with negative impacts on London’s public health, climate emissions and road danger.
“I received a letter from the police that was dated the same day as the theft saying they were closing the investigation due to a lack of evidence. They hadn’t even requested CCTV.”
London Cycling Campaign’s Broken Locks, Broken Promises report
LCC has analysed UK and international approaches to tackling cycle theft, comparing London to other forces, cities and countries. It makes key recommendations to not just the Met, but to London’s Mayor and the UK government too.
Top 3 recommendations:
- The Mayor to commit to “a 10% cut in cycle theft each year”, reinstating a cycle theft task force.
- The Met Police to “track cycle theft properly” and enforce effectively “both on-street and online”.
- Government to follow France and make bike “marking and registration mandatory”.
Other recommendations:
- London councils, TfL and Network Rail to install secure cycle parking at stations and elsewhere.
- Bike retailers and second-hand sellers including online marketplaces to “implement a code of practice” and “teach people about bike security” with public campaigns, information online and in shops.
For a copy of the full report, visit our new cycle theft page: lcc.org.uk/theft
LCC’s new cycle theft survey
For the launch of the campaign, LCC surveyed 1,924 London cyclists on their experience of and attitudes towards cycle theft.
A shocking three-quarters of riders reported that they, or members of their household, had had a bike stolen, despite the fact that most reported using high-grade security locks.
More than two thirds (69%) of those who reported cycle thefts considered the police response inadequate.
Nearly 90% of respondents to the survey considered it to be very or extremely important that London authorities take action to address cycle theft, with a quarter reporting that after a theft they either stopped cycling altogether for a period or cycled less.
“London’s bike thieves know they face virtually no likely repercussions – yet behind every one of the tens of thousands of cycles stolen in London each year there’s a story of someone losing a precious bike, losing their chance to get around London healthily, and for many that means an end to them cycling. The Met are letting Londoners who cycle down badly – we’ve got a plan for how they can do better,” Tom Fyans, Chief Executive, London Cycling Campaign
Petition
In addition to publishing the report, the campaign for action on cycle theft includes a petition calling on the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to commit firstly to implementing the recommendations from LCC’s cycle theft report secondly to commit to cutting cycle theft by 10% every year. Supporters can also sign the petition at lcc.org.uk/theft.
