BIKE THEFT IS on the rise across the country and gardaí are trying to raise awareness of the issue among cyclists.
National Bike Week kicked off on June 13 and gardai in Bray, Wicklow are placing bikes in areas where there is a high rate of bike theft.
The bikes are painted in the garda colours of blue and yellow and have an information panel with contact details for the nearest Garda station and tips on how best to secure your bike.
Garda Sergeant John Fitzpatrick said the aim is to inform people about the preventative measures that can be taken to keep your bike safe.
“Bike theft is on the rise in Wicklow and nationally and we want to address this issue.
Something we would really like to emphasise to cyclists is the importance of reporting a stolen bike. We have countless stolen bikes that have been recovered but if they are not reported to us then we have no way to reunite them with their owners.
“Another point is that when we catch a person with a stolen bike, it is extremely difficult for us to prosecute if we have no complainant.”
If you have had a bike stolen then you are advised to check www.garda.ie or the Garda Flickr account to see if your bike is among those that have been recovered.
Cyclists are also being encouraged to register their bikes to make tracking down the rightful owners of stolen bikes quicker and easier.
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