Press release
Ministers Naughton and Browne welcome Garda initiatives to tackle bike theft
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
The Ministers of State at the Department of Justice, Hildegarde Naughton TD and James Browne TD, have welcomed a number of initiatives being taken by An Garda Síochána to tackle bike theft, including the ‘Lock it or Lose it’ initiative announced this morning.
The Minister of State with special responsibility for Civil and Criminal Justice, Hildegarde Naughton, said:
"The Programme for Government commits to significant investment in cycling infrastructure over the lifetime of the government. This improved infrastructure, in addition to the continued success of the Cycle to Work scheme and other initiatives have led to a significant increase in the number of cyclists and bikes on our roads in recent years. Inevitably this has also attracted thieves and unfortunately many cyclists have experienced the theft of very valuable bicycles.
"It is vital that steps are taken to stop this kind of theft and that cyclists know they can trust that their bike is safe. I therefore very much welcome the initiatives being taken by An Garda Síochána to tackle this type of theft, including proactive policing of the issue. I would also encourage all cyclists to view and follow the Garda advice to ensure their bike is locked as securely as possible."
The Blue Bike scheme has been designed to highlight bike theft hotspots by placing an end of life bike, painted blue, in such areas with a large sign warning members of the public to lock their bikes and be aware of bike theft.
This scheme is intended to achieve three goals:
Members of the public are also being encouraged to mark the frame of their bike with their Eircode. From January 2020 to 23 April 2021 a total of 6,845 bicycles have been stolen across the country, with An Garda Síochána recovering 2,139 bicycles. Many cannot be returned to their owners as their serial numbers are not recorded. A Garda member who comes into possession of a bike that has been marked with an Eircode can call to that address, even if the number has not been registered, thus increasing the chances of returning the property to the owner.
The Minister of State with special responsibility for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, James Browne, said:
"There are a range of tools available to An Garda Síochána for tackling the issue of bike theft. In addition to the ‘Lock it or Lose it’ and ‘Blue bike’ initiatives, Gardaí will be resuming property marking schemes and the use of so-called ‘bait bicycles’ in areas which have been identified as bike theft hotspots as we emerge from COVID-19. Other responses that will be pursued by Gardaí include include surveillance of known offenders, the monitoring of any offenders’ current bail conditions and where necessary the appropriate action of any breach of their bail with the relevant courts, and proactive policing both overt and covert of hotspot areas.
"In instances where children may be involved in this type of theft, work will also continue under the recently published Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 to prevent offending behaviour from occurring and diverting children and young adults who commit a crime away from further offending and involvement with the criminal justice system. The immediate priority within the new Strategy will be to enhance engagement with children and young people who are most at risk of involvement in criminal activity, principally by strengthening the services available through the existing network of 105 Garda Youth Diversion Projects across the State."
Further information with regard to ‘Lock it or Lose it’, which was announced this morning by An Garda Síochána, is available from the Garda Press Office.