Theft of personal property is one of the most common crimes. In popular crowded places such as shopping centers, we are constantly bombarded with announcements over loudspeakers asking us to be careful with our belongings. And yet, no matter how efficient people are, thefts continue to occur with enviable regularity.
When parking our bicycles in specialized places, we rely on the reliability of the cable and the integrity of the residents, but we cannot be sure that our two-wheeled friend chained to the rack will not be stolen from the bicycle parking lot. Sometimes neither a crowded place nor a strong chain can save you. What to do if a two-wheeled vehicle has been stolen, and how to return it?
Choose the right parking space
The ideal option is to store the bike in the hallway, on the loggia or next to the workplace.
Only in these cases you don’t have to worry about its safety. If for some reason you need to leave your bike in other places, you should choose them with special care. Here is a list of places where you do not need to park:
- crowded sidewalks in the city center;
- lively embankments;
- areas near metro stations;
- deserted courtyards;
- deserted lanes.
Most often, bicycles are stolen in crowded places, but leaving personal vehicles on a deserted street is also risky. Here you need to follow the golden mean: park your bike where there are always people, but not very many of them.
When leaving a bicycle in a special parking lot at a shopping center, cinema, restaurant or other public place, take a closer look at how often other cyclists use it. Cases of theft from bike racks are not uncommon.
Contacting the police
Many people neglect to contact the police, not having much confidence in the work of law enforcement agencies. However, it is important to have a legally recorded fact of bike theft. Therefore, we definitely contact you. If you record the theft, you can legally take the bike if it is found, even from an innocent person who bought your bike unknowingly.
In your statement to the police, indicate the same things as in the announcement for forums or printouts at the crime scene.
Specify
- bike make and model
- year of manufacture and number on the frame
- size
- color and design
- distinctive features, defects, tuning
Describe everything related to the theft of a bicycle:
- Place and time of theft
- Possible suspects
- Contact details of witnesses (if any) and their statements
- Information about video cameras or recorders (data from owners of cars with recorders)
You can write your application at home in a calm environment. Then take the report to the police station in your area if the theft occurred from the entrance or to the department closest to the crime scene if the theft occurred in another area.
Be prepared to be treated with some disdain. Bicycle thefts are detected extremely rarely, spoil the statistics of the site, and seem insignificant compared to other problems. All this can be understood. Be patient and self-controlled. It is necessary to record the fact of theft. You must be given an entry number confirming the registration of the application with the KUSP.
If the duty officer refuses to accept the application, according to the law he is wrong. You can refer to order No. 140 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated March 1, 2012. Write down the name of the person on duty, and if they refuse, say that you will contact the prosecutor’s office.
If the application is accepted successfully, after a few days you can call the department and ask how the search for the bike is going. The police must open a criminal case and register you as a victim. Then, if the bicycle is discovered, you will have legal grounds to seize it from the new owner.
Use a secure bike lock
Today there are many types of bicycle locks, but not all of them are equally reliable. Most cycling enthusiasts use inexpensive and fairly thin cables with a key or combination lock, but such a cable is easy to bite - this lock does not provide the proper level of security. It is advisable to use the cable as additional protection, but not as the main one.
A more suitable option is a chain lock. And although a chain weighs more than a cable (on average, a chain up to 1 m long weighs more than 1 kg), sawing or cutting it without attracting attention is quite difficult.
What to buy
- Lock with code and textile shell from ABUS Web, 1,199 rubles →
- Lock with a 5-digit code from AliExpress, 779 rubles →
- Bluetooth lock with alarm from AliExpress, 2,108 rubles →
A chain lock in a soft fabric braid does not scratch the bicycle frame.
An alternative to a chain is a U-shaped lock. It’s not entirely convenient to carry it with you, but you can always find a way out of the situation. For example, there are also folding locks that are made of steel plates and, when unfolded, have the same dimensions as a U-lock. These plates fold easily and this lock does not take up much space.
What to buy
- Stainless steel U-lock from AliExpress, 1,524 rubles →
- U-lock with three keys from AliExpress, 1,400 rubles →
- Folding stainless steel lock from AliExpress, 2,255 rubles →
Another type of reliable bicycle locks are wheel and saddle stoppers. It is better to choose them with non-standard bolts and nuts, which are unscrewed using a special wrench. The likelihood that a thief will have just such a key is low.
What to buy
- Stainless steel wheel stopper from AliExpress, 213 rubles →
- Chrome wheel stopper from AliExpress, 358 rubles →
- Ultra-light wheel stopper from AliExpress, 648 rubles →
And lastly: use several locks at the same time - this will reduce the likelihood of theft.
Independent searches
Unfortunately, you don’t always have to rely on the police, so search activities can be carried out independently.
Here databases of stolen bicycles , which indicate their serial numbers. Responsible buyers of used bicycles try to check these databases. Sites with databases of stolen goods can be easily found through search engines.
Additionally, it makes sense to subscribe to the newsletter of sites like AVITO about the appearance of bicycles with similar parameters for sale and periodically review the offers of private sellers. Perhaps a stolen bicycle will flash there.
Information about the theft should be disseminated on the maximum number of thematic Internet portals . Local flea markets, including virtual ones, should not be neglected, as well as the pages of settlements on social networks .
The more users see this information, the higher the chances of finding the bike. At the end of your request, you must leave your contact information.
Attention! By publishing information about the theft in the public domain, you can attract the attention of scammers who will call and offer to return the stolen property for ransom by transferring funds.
To make sure that these are really scammers, you can ask them questions regarding the appearance or parameters of the bike that are not indicated in the ad. Without answers (and your bike!), the scammers will likely disappear.
If a bicycle was found - in a junkyard or on the street - you need to use its distinctive features or number to make sure that it is indeed so and call the police. It is highly discouraged to independently take away your property using force. This will be considered robbery or even assault.
When detaining a criminal with your iron horse, documents for it will help to initiate you as the owner, and a criminal case of theft will confirm that the bicycle was stolen, and not given by you to the attacker, and will allow the latter to be brought to criminal liability.
Install a bike alarm
A sound alarm with a control panel works on the same principle as a car alarm: the sensor reacts to vibration or touch, an audible signal is triggered, and you can prevent theft.
A more advanced version is a bicycle alarm with feedback. The notification comes to your smartphone, which is especially convenient.
What to buy
- Alarm in the form of a rear light from AliExpress, 1,130 rubles →
- Alarm with remote control from AliExpress, 495 rubles →
- Alarm with waterproof remote control from AliExpress, from 759 rubles →
When the victim is a child
According to a local police officer at one of the Moscow regional departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, sometimes searching for even a trivial scooter turns into a matter of honor for the police. “We are talking about situations where they steal from children. In our area a year ago this problem became rampant. They stole from kindergarten parking lots, school yards, and even sandboxes. Several pieces at a time. The children are crying, I want to help at all costs,” says the policeman.
We took advantage of modern information technologies. “We created a channel in one of the instant messengers, where parents sent cards from suspicious types hanging around playgrounds. My colleagues and I compared these images with what we were able to get from the cameras when we were working on thefts. And within a week we managed to catch the criminal - he appeared in one of the parks, one mother wrote to me - we jumped up and processed him,” says the policeman.
Decorate your bike
“The more visible the bike, the easier it is to find it, it’s better not to mess with it,” says someone who steals bicycles for a living. Therefore, take the time to personalize your favorite vehicle. You can paint the frame, attach LEDs to the wheels, or decorate the steering wheel. The main thing is that the bike is different from all the others and attracts attention.
What to buy
- LED wheel caps from AliExpress, 42 rubles →
- Lighting for wheels made of 16 LEDs from AliExpress, 325 rubles →
- Reflective colored adhesive tape from AliExpress, 88 rubles →
Myths
I secure my bike with an expensive bike lock.
This myth is the most persistent. Cyclists believe that there is a certain ideal lock that can definitely protect their toy. Like, even if it costs a lot of money, it is an iron-clad guarantee. Unfortunately, such locks do not exist.
There is a saying: “locks are built by honest people,” and this applies perfectly to this area. Ordinary cable locks are cut and broken so easily that even drug addicts with trembling hands can get rid of them in a matter of seconds. More expensive ones are disabled with master keys or broken with crowbars.
There is a direct correlation here: an expensive lock protects an expensive bicycle, so thieves will use more sophisticated and brazen methods in this case. I watched a video on the Internet where a former professional bicycle thief opened bicycle locks for a while.
Nothing could stop him, and within a minute he was already stealing the bike. Finally, the authors of this video decided to puzzle the hero with a chain made of a particularly strong alloy, two fingers thick. Then the thief simply brought a meter-long bolt cutter, bit the chain, placed one handle on the asphalt, pressed the other with all his weight, and that’s it - the bike was free.
If you hope that passers-by will immediately call the police at the sight of a thief at work, become loudly indignant and in any way interfere with his activities, then you are deeply mistaken. Firstly, no one cares, and secondly, the thieves act very quickly and brazenly, so that passersby are not really aware of what is happening. If you still don’t believe me, watch the video at the end of the article. Even though this is happening in New York, I seriously doubt that things will be any different here.
My bike is old and cheap, no one needs it
Alas, it is old and inexpensive bikes that are the main target of bicycle thieves. The reason is that it is the cheap bikes that make up the bulk of those parked near supermarkets. The cost of such devices is low, so thieves feel at ease - they understand that there will be no criminal prosecution, and the former owner most likely will not persist in catching the dashing person.
However, even old bicycles can easily sell for $30-$50, which is a reliable and safe source of income for a thief. Again, a cheap bike is unlikely to have a good lock, and taking it away is not difficult or risky.
Think about what this means to you. You think that if a bicycle is stolen for $100, then it’s not a big deal. But if you lose this bike, you will most likely buy the same rubbish for trips to the store.
This means that the expenses will already amount to two hundred dollars, and this is only until next time. What's the point of feeding thieves? How many times do you need to repeat this procedure to understand that it is better to immediately buy a good bicycle and never leave it fastened.
I park my bike next to the security guard, within the coverage area of the security cameras.
It is a very dangerous mistake to rely on the supervision of a stranger. Even if the guard agrees to your request, this does not guarantee anything at all. Firstly, he doesn’t owe you anything, he can go to the toilet, or simply not pay attention to your bike.
Secondly, it happened more than once that the security guards themselves led thieves to abandoned expensive bicycles, receiving their percentage. It also happens when a bike is parked in a guarded building and disappears without a trace, despite all precautions.
Such an unpleasant story happened to a girl from our cycling club: a good bike was stolen from the office building where she worked. The security guard did not see anything, and there were no eyewitnesses. It was clearly stolen by one of his own, since there is no free entrance to this building.
Video cameras are also not a problem for thieves. They wear a baseball cap and a hood, which, combined with the low resolution of the device, makes them completely unrecognizable. You can only watch helplessly on the recording as, due to your own stupidity, you lose an expensive toy. Therefore, if you park your bike near the entrance of the supermarket, closer to the cameras, then rest assured that this will not confuse the criminals at all.
My bike is stored in a secure basement or shared vestibule
Also a popular way to get your bike into more suitable hands. I don’t understand how much you have to dislike a bike in order to send it to sleep in the basement. There are no safe basements, as proven by the statistics of bicycles stolen from there.
Such thefts are often carried out on a tip, and if the thieves find out that there is something valuable in the basement, then breaking into it will no longer be a problem. The common vestibule is foreign territory, and I highly recommend not leaving your bike there.
Good neighbors may forget to lock their doors, bad neighbors may invite thieves. Drug addicts sometimes conduct raids on vestibules, since it is very easy to get there, and even easier to escape in case of danger. Again, from the experience of real friends, I can say that this is not some theoretical possibility of parting with the bike, but a very real one. At the very least, those people will definitely not put their bikes in either the vestibule or the basement.
If you still stubbornly do not believe that a fastened bicycle can one day change its owner, then so be it, you will have to give advice on how to minimize the danger.
Check list
So, have you read everything and want to take real action to protect your bike from theft? Great. Well, in order not to forget anything, we offer the most important things described above in the form of a short list.
- Leave your bike where there are always people, but not too many of them.
- Take the time to fasten your bike, even if you only need to step away for half a minute.
- Use a reliable bicycle lock, or preferably two or more.
- Remember: the more unusual the bike, the harder it is to sell. Therefore, you can paint the frame, decorate the wheels, design the steering wheel and other details.
- Remove the chain when leaving the bike parked for a long time.
- Don’t give your bike to strangers: thieves often ingratiate themselves, steal the bike, and ride off with it.
If you know alternative ways to protect your bike from theft, share them in the comments.
Sad statistics
According to statistics, for 150 cases of recorded thefts
- The first place (73 cases) is occupied by thefts from entrances. However, only 19 bikes were secured with cable locks. It is fashionable to say with confidence that the cause of the theft is the negligence of the owners.
- The second place (33 cases) was theft from the entrances to large stores.
- Third place (16 cases) - without a category, but due to the fault of the owner. I just left the bike unattended and didn’t fasten it.
- The fourth place is theft from a garage.
- Fifth place (8 cases) – the bicycle was stolen from the owner’s hands. “Give me a ride.”
- Sixth place (8 cases) - thefts from guarded specialized parking lots with surveillance cameras.
The other four thefts cannot be specialized in any way.
From all the information above, we can conclude that the owners themselves are often negligent.
What are the methods of protection?
As in the automotive industry, there are certain methods and schemes for protecting their units among bicycle owners.
Often these are mechanical devices with the help of which the bicycle is attached to special mechanisms or the components of the unit stick together, which makes it impossible to move.
Bicycle lock
The most common device for securing a bicycle is a lock. Conventional cables with winding have already gone out of fashion. Attackers easily bite them with special tongs.
There are two types of locks for the unit: simple padlocks and combination locks. With such anti-theft devices, leaving a vehicle on the street unattended will no longer be so dangerous.
The cost of these devices varies greatly. You can buy a regular and simple lock for 300 rubles.
However, the most expensive and cool locks, which are considered reliable, cost about 1,000 rubles, some reach up to 2,000 rubles. Therefore, which lock to buy is up to you to choose.
Shortage
A very interesting method of protection, which is a fairly effective barrier to theft, is to disable the unit.
When the owner of a two-wheeled vehicle wants to be away from it for a long time, a useful solution would be to remove an important part from the bicycle, without which it will not ride. Such components can be both the steering wheel and wheels.
In this situation, the thief will no longer have the desire to steal a semi-disassembled bicycle, and he will go looking for another one. However, there is a minus - where to put those parts that you unscrewed, do not carry them with you.
This method does not require any monetary costs, but only devices with which you can unscrew the parts.
Not marketable
The second free way to protect your bike from theft is to make it look bad for sale. The main goal of criminals who steal units is their further sale in order to receive a monetary reward.
Accordingly, the appearance of the bicycle is of great importance when choosing a victim. That is, by making your vehicle unattractive and ugly to others, you will protect it from theft.
Drop the chain
The absence of a chain will make it highly doubtful that your bike will be stolen. After all, the attacker will think more than once whether he should carry the stolen goods in his hands or drag them on himself?
This method is suitable only for skilled owners of units, who can both remove and hopefully remove the chain without any problems. The cost of this method is your skill.
Alarms
Like motor vehicles, bicycles have their own electronic anti-theft devices. These types of devices include alarms.
This is the most expensive way to protect your bike from theft. The average price for electronic protection fluctuates around 1000 rubles.
Protect your bike from theft yourself
Effective ways to protect bicycles are homemade devices. All mechanisms that are invented by hand are mechanical devices. Their goal is to block the movement of bicycles.
These include various cables with locks, homemade locks for turning the steering wheel and wheels, that is, everything that the owner has enough imagination for.
Camouflage and defensive tactics
There is a common practice to disguise a new vehicle as an old and dilapidated one, causing various “damages”: chips, rust, windshield cracks and similar “designer” features. We in no way encourage you to damage your bike. There are more gentle options:
- Choose an outwardly unattractive bicycle and “stuff” it to your taste. This will not protect you from a professional thief, but you will most likely avoid many accidental thefts. It is unlikely that a spontaneous thief will carefully study how cool your fork and switches are.
- Immediately repaint the bike in a catchy, atypical color scheme by painting over or changing the branding. It's too risky to steal such a noticeable thing. Although those who sell stolen spare parts won’t be too bothered by this.
- Don't leave your two-wheeled friend without company. When given a choice, the thief will probably prefer the least secure equipment. Therefore, combining a hardened chain or U-lock on your model with nearby bicycles equipped with weak cables is an excellent tactic to protect your bike from theft.
Liability of minors
Both administrative and criminal liability occurs when a person reaches the age of sixteen (Article 2.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and Article 20 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); within the framework of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the age can be reduced to 14 years for a number of crimes, including theft (Article 158). At the beginning of the article it was already mentioned that minors are involved in a significant number of thefts. But even if the person who committed the crime is under 14 years of age, it is also impossible to avoid responsibility. In such cases, the fine will be paid by the legal representatives of the offender, and educational and explanatory measures may be applied to the culprit. Therefore, you should not think that if you have not reached this age, then nothing threatens you.
How to collect evidence for theft
Hot on the heels, interview the people around you, perhaps they were unwitting witnesses to the theft and remembered the signs of the thief. Go to the nearest shops whose windows overlook the place where you left your bike, interview the sellers and buyers there. Record the information and their coordinates. But make no mistake: this method is not particularly effective. Thieves are excellent at camouflaging themselves and becoming inconspicuous to others. It’s better to focus on the model of the bike and ask around in which direction they might have gone on it.
Take a closer look at the cars parked nearby to see if they have DVRs that could record the moment of theft. If you find someone in possession of this device, write down or take a photo of the car’s registration number on your smartphone and wait for its owner. If the car owner is away for a long time, write a note explaining the reason for your request, ask to contact you and attach it to the windshield. If he appears, try to watch the video together or, as a last resort, write down his coordinates.
You may have even better luck: CCTV cameras may be placed on poles, above gates and other structures. All you need to do is find the owner of the equipment and agree to extract information from it. True, if it is a municipal or city camera, this will be more difficult, because an official request will be required as part of a criminal case. All the delays, as usual, will take a lot of time, and the information on these cameras is stored for 30 days and then erased. Therefore, try to agree on providing you with the recording without an official request, or hire a lawyer - it is in his competence to speed up the process.
Is it possible to recover damages for theft from the management company?
If there is no security agreement with the management company, the matter is practically hopeless.
If so, it’s worth studying the security agreement. Often management companies do not write in contracts that they provide security services, since licensed specialists are very expensive. It’s easier to collect money for security and put a person on duty who, according to documents, is listed as a plumber or janitor. Or works without a contract at all.
In this case, trying to compensate for damages with the Criminal Code is a waste of time; the court will not side with the victim.
Corpus delicti
The object of this crime is property relations . They are the ones that are violated in the event of theft.
The objective side is understood as a certain kind of action, in our case – the unlawful taking of a two-wheeled vehicle .
The subjective side is expressed in motive and purpose . This is exactly what the criminal wanted when he committed the crime. That is, the crime can be considered targeted.
The subject of this crime is a person who has reached the age of sixteen and is fully sane and capable.
List of types of bike locks
According to the type of fastening, anti-theft locks are divided into the following groups:
- wheel blockers;
- cable;
- chain;
- u-shaped;
- lamellar;
- homemade.
Wheel locks are small rings that firmly attach the rim to the frame of the bicycle. To provide anti-theft protection, it is enough to lock only the rear wheel, but two locks are sold in the kit. The meaning of protection is not to give the thief the opportunity to ride off on a bike, but to force him to carry it on your shoulders. And there the owner will catch up.
Every cyclist is familiar with cables.
The chain bike lock is a heavy and angry protector. It is represented by a thick metal chain, covered with thick fabric or polymer coating. Frequent parking wears out the outer layer, so you can often find a bare chain. The length is quite long, which allows you to attach the frame to objects of impressive size.
But U-shaped bicycle locks are not long: short, elongated arches with a locking device. They are shaped like old door locks, only elongated. The bicycle can only be secured to a narrow pipe, such as a road sign.
U-lock theft protection from the manufacturer Onguard
Plate bicycle locks are a kind of chain made not of links, but of plates. The material used in them is durable hardened steel, and the link fastenings are made from it. As a rule, bicycle locks of this type are equipped with an outer shell - thick fabric or polypropylene.
Plate lock
And finally, let’s touch on homemade anti-theft devices. This is usually done by older cyclists riding Soviet Kama and Salyut cars. Making the fastening yourself is very simple: just connect a regular door lock with a steel chain.
