Call for ‘Operation Bike Bait’ as just 10% of all Bristol bicycle thefts solved last year

Shocking data from the Home Office has revealed a bike theft epidemic in Bristol and the wider region, with just 34 criminals charged or summonsed in 2,254 bike theft cases. Local Liberal Democrats have said that bicycle theft is effectively ‘decriminalised’, and backed calls for ‘Operation Bike Bait’ to tackle the offence.

Bristol Liberal Democrats have castigated recent figures by the Home Office showing the “disastrous” local police record on solving bike theft. Avon and Somerset Police solved just 10% of local cycle thefts last year.

Nationally, almost two thirds of police forces in England & Wales had at least four in five (80%+) of cases going unsolved. Of 44 police forces, none had solved more than 55% of bike theft cases.

With an unsolved bike theft rate of 90%, Avon and Somerset Police are the third worst Police Force in England and Wales for solving cases. To make matters worse, the Avon and Somerset area also has the fifth highest reports of bike theft by population of the major Police Force Areas.

Bristol Liberal Democrat Councillor Nicholas Coombes has echoed party calls for a dedicated national unit – ‘Operation Bike Bait’ – in the National Crime Agency that carries out "bike bait" operations to tackle the ongoing theft epidemic.

The unit would work with local police forces, including in Bristol, to carry out targeted operations, planting bikes fitted with trackers in theft hotspots so officers can catch offenders and uncover wider criminal networks.

It would also coordinate the collection and sharing of intelligence and best practice across forces, helping to build a national picture of bike theft and improve the policing response. 

Cllr Nicholas Coombes (Liberal Democrat, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze) said: 

“Here in Bristol, we are a proud cycling city. Like thousands of other cyclists, I am always worried to leave my bike around the city because of the danger posed by bike thieves. It shouldn’t have to be like this.

“I know local people are furious about the effective decriminalisation of bike theft in our city. Hundreds are denied the justice they deserve after their property is stolen, letting criminals get away scot-free. Our police do fantastic work in our community, but they need support and resource.

“Whether it’s exercise, family plans at the weekend or swapping from increasingly costly buses for commuting, I know people in Bristol have had their lives upended by bike theft. Given the ongoing cost of living crisis, many simply can’t afford to replace property that should rightfully be returned to them. 

“It is shocking that the Avon and Somerset area has the fifth highest rate of bike thefts per person and yet the third most unsolved cases. That’s why I’m calling for ‘Operation Bike Bait’ - to tackle the bike theft epidemic once and for all.” 

Notes to Editors:

• Data from the Home Office on bike theft can be found here.
• Population figures for each police force area can be found from the ONS here.
• To calculate Avon and Somerset being the third highest rate of unsolved cases, British Transport Police were excluded.
• To calculate Avon and Somerset being the fifth highest rate of bike theft by population, City of London Police were excluded.