Lawless London’s ‘bike-jacking epidemic’: Nearly 770 bicycles were stolen by robbers across the capital last year – or TWO every day

Last year, almost 770 bicycles were stolen by robbers in London, an average of two per day.

Cyclists have demanded police do more to tackle the bike theft epidemic, with some bikes costing as much as £15,000 new being taken from their owners.

Thugs on mopeds have targeted commuters, knocking them over and threatening them with knives to take their bikes into the capital.

Victims of bike theft reported that thieves carried “shopping lists” with which they checked the make and model of the bikes to see how valuable they were, The Telegraph reported.

Particularly popular types to steal include Brompton folding bicycles and electrically assisted machines.

It is believed that the majority of stolen models have been shipped abroad by organized crime gangs so that they can be resold without being traced back to their owners.

In the 12 months to November, there were 768 robberies involving the theft of bicycles in London, a Freedom of Information request revealed. Other cities experiencing similar thefts include Manchester and Bristol.

Chairman of the Regent's Park Cyclists group Sean Epstein said: 'These attacks are now happening every few days. They have a huge impact on the cycling community: people are afraid to cycle and feel anxious every time they hear someone behind them.'

He added: 'Victims report a disinterested, non-urgent response from police.'

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: 'There are more than 1.2 million cycle journeys in London each year, the majority without incident. But we are doing everything we can to prevent robberies and thefts targeting cyclists, as we understand this is a growing concern for some Londoners.

'Through our new Cycle Crime Reduction partnership, we are working to make it harder to sell stolen bikes through the second-hand market. We also have more officers in hotspot locations, where our intelligence tells us victims may be at greater risk.

The moment a man was robbed of his motorbike in Hatfield, Doncaster was caught on camera

'We also host daily pop-up events in London that inform and advise cyclists on how to store their bikes safely, and encourage them to register their bikes for free with the Met so that we can track them if they are stolen. .'

It comes as an explorer cycled 22,000 miles around the world in 430 days only to have his bike stolen outside a pub in Hammersmith, London, in October.

Geordie Stewart, 34, had his bike stolen outside the Anglesea Arms pub in west London.

The theft of Stewart's bicycle, which he named Dorothy, was captured on a security camera from an area home.

Stewart's journey began in London in 2018 and saw him cycle through France, Central Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Data from last year showed that cyclists living in London, Thames Valley and Greater Manchester are more likely to have their bike stolen than in any other region in England.

London had the highest predicted number of bicycle thefts in 2022, with an estimated 22,818 bicycles stolen by the end of the year.