Bicycle crime fell by 11.5% in 2021, according to new figures from more than 40 police forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This translates to 64,500 reported bicycle thefts in 2021, compared to 72,920 the year before.

Bicycle theft hotspots remained consistent over 2020 and 2021, with the London Metropolitan Police area registering the most reported bicycle thefts, topping 21,000 reported crimes in the last year alone. Thames Valley followed with 4,170 stolen bicycles and Cambridgeshire registering 2,590 thefts.

Wales continued to have some of the lowest number of thefts, with Dyfed-Powys cyclists being the least likely to be a victim of theft, with 130 reports to police. North Wales and Gwent also featured in the five lowest areas for bicycle theft along with Cumbria and the City of London.

The residential crime rate also highlighted Cambridgeshire, London Metropolitan and Thames Valley as the most likely places for thefts according to population number.

Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, advises cyclists to check their home insurance policy to ensure their bicycles are properly covered, and if they are worth over £1,000, owners should itemise them as a named item on their home insurance or take out separate bicycle insurance.

Greg comments: "While these figures are encouraging and crime rates are generally low across the country, they're reported thefts only - many stolen bicycles aren't reported to the police.

"We'd expect the new changes to the Highway Code in favour of cyclist safety to encourage more people into the saddle and onto the roads. With what we hope will be our first normal summer in almost three years, with limited Covid restrictions, we should see a flurry of cycling activity as those who invested in a bicycle over lockdown take to the streets.

"Just a word of caution, this will create more opportunities for thieves to target bicycles. So as well as an appropriate insurance policy, it is worth investing in the best locks possible and chaining the bike in well-lit or secure areas to help reduce the risk of theft."

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The bicycle crime data is compiled by the Economic Policy Centre and compares reported thefts from 40 police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.