Surge in bike thefts reported by police

LACONIA — Most motorists know better than to leave their parked car unlocked. But bicycle owners need to take the same kind of precaution, Police Chief Matt Canfield is warning.

The city has been experiencing a spike in bicycle thefts — more than 50 in the last several months, Canfield reported Monday. And the thefts have become more frequent since the arrival of warmer weather.

“It’s a pretty big concern,” Canfield said of the thefts, which he characterized as crimes of opportunity, calling them “grab-and-go.”

Pointing out that bikes are easily stolen, Canfield said in all likelihood they are being cut up and their parts sold on the black market.

While Canfield said the average value of the bikes being stolen in the city is around $500, “some can be lucrative,” he said. Some thieves may be homeless people looking for transportation. Others may be drug users looking for money for their next fix, he explained.

Canfield urged owners to register their bike with the Police Department. “That way when we recover a bike we can trace it back to the owner and notify them that we have it,” he said.

Also, owners should lock their bikes if they are going to leave them unattended, he added.

Unlike motor vehicles, many bike thefts go unreported.

“We come across bikes which we suspect are stolen, but we can’t prove it because no one has reported (the theft) to us,” Canfield said.

About 215,000 bicycles are stolen every year in the U.S., according to FBI statistics.

Canfield said police in recent weeks have found between eight and 10 bikes stripped of their handlebars, stems, cranks, pedals, and other parts, and ditched in the bushes along a stretch of the WOW Trail.