Why Bike Theft Is Not Taken Seriously?

    For many people a bicycle is the only transport they can afford and it is very convenient for them to use. Therefore, the impact of the loss of their bike can be {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But why is cycle theft so often seen as a minor crime?

    According to the police, 96,210 bikes were stolen in 2018, and about one in 50 bicycle-owning households fall {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to cycle theft each year. Those who can afford a second bike might have a "beater", a cheap bike they leave in {#blank#}3{#/blank#} areas, and can afford to lose — but those who cannot make both ends meet, and live below the poverty line will find themselves cornered by bike theft.

    According to a survey for Bike Register, 50% of victims felt police didn't investigate the crime, while those {#blank#}4{#/blank#} in cycle theft see it as low risk in terms of being caught. Police recover just 3% of stolen bikes. In fact, the problem is almost certainly much greater: People often don't report it thinking there's nothing the police can do, so the full {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of the problem remains hidden.

    Cycle crime hotspots were identified as Cambridge, Oxford, Southampton, Bristol, etc. Most cycle thefts occur near or in people's homes, but thieves also {#blank#}6{#/blank#} transport hubs (中心，枢纽) and university campuses. In the meantime, the police have come up with a way to {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the issue. Training 23 officers in regional cycle crime taskforces is part of a national cycle crime strategy, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} with measures like education on safe locking techniques, working with websites where more than half of stolen bikes are sold, and identifying cycle theft {#blank#}9{#/blank#} and priorities.

    If a bike is stolen, there is about a 20% chance the victim will not replace it, losing their transport, exercise, and potential access to local communities and service. It is widely accepted that police's {#blank#}10{#/blank#} effort is fundamental to a drop in cycle theft.