Arizona Bicycle Thefts Increase 5.3% Each Year

Bicycle theft is increasing in Arizona, according to Markel Specialty. According to the latest FBI Uniform Crime Report, from 2007 to 2011, bicycle theft in Arizona rose 5.3 percent each year on average. Over 5,000 bicycles are reported stolen each year in Arizona, a statistic that in itself is staggering when one also considers the number of bicycle thefts that go unreported.

Some Arizona cities are starting to fight back against bicycle theft. In Phoenix, a local bike shop created a Facebook account (Phoenix Arizona Stolen Bike Registry) where they post all of the bicycles they recover in hopes of reuniting them with their original owners.

Law enforcement officials have also been known to go undercover to catch bike thieves in the act for larger, well-known bike theft rings around the city. In Tucson, a recent graduate of the University of Arizona worked with campus police department to create a map of campus of where students were most likely to have their bikes stolen, in hopes that they would be more cautious when parking their bikes in and around the theft-prone areas.

“It’s amazing how easily a bike can be stolen,” says Audrey Hanken, president of Markel Personal Lines Insurance. “We hear stories about bicycles being stolen from locked bike racks, cars, or even directly outside of their homes. We have also heard about thieves targeting hotels during bicycle road races, looking for opportunities to grab expensive bikes and run.”

Source: Markel Specialty