Bike thefts at stations 'decriminalised'

[SaturdayGiraffe]

The British Transport Police (BTP) says it will not investigate bike thefts outside stations where the bicycle has been left for more than two hours.
It means most bike thefts will not be investigated and CCTV footage will not be looked at outside a two-hour timeframe.
Commuters leave thousands of cycles on racks outside stations every day, including in specially built bike parks with CCTV. Critics say the BTP policy means those facilities are not secure and theft has effectively been decriminalised.
The BTP said: "The more time our officers spend reviewing CCTV... the less time they have available for patrolling railway stations and trains, investigating crimes which cause the most harm."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jm3wxvlkjo

Thought it worth highlighting for any commuters.

The BTP may as well say free bikes come and help yourself.

This is extremely annoying. I di this all the time, and have lost a fair few tbh

This is such small picture thinking.

Stolen bicycles will lead to people not as easily able to access train stations. Commuting patterns will shift. Likely more people will choose personal vehicles. This is exactly the opposite result of the stated goals of the larger government.

Providing more opportunities for small theft also gives crime rings more incentive to recruit. They grow their operations. They train young staff and fill the coffers. They are better prepared to commit more serious crimes.

What?! Can't believe what I've just read. What's 2 hours got to do with anything? Most people don't use the train to get anywhere for less than 2 hours.

In a list of crimes the BTP will not investigate, it also said thefts on trains should only be reported if the passenger knows the exact carriage.
Any bikes stolen worth less than £200 will not be investigated, neither will car thefts if the vehicle has been left for more than two hours

Also includes car thefts.

This is really worrying for commuters who rely on secure bike parking. Two hours is such a short window, and it effectively leaves most bikes at risk. I understand that police resources are limited, but surely there must be a better way to protect property without compromising safety on trains and stations.

This is my personal response.

I think you have misinterpreted what you have been told, as that is absolutely not the policy and not the case. All cycle theft are recorded and assessed for viable lines of enquiry. But investigations are limited if:

The bicycle was left at a station for more than two hours.
There is no clear time or location of the offence.
There is a lack of CCTV, witnesses, or other evidence.

The limited aspect really links to trying to narrow down when the theft actually took place. We often find that bikes are left over night, or all day. That makes it difficult to determine when a bike was taken, even more so if we don't have a specific description of the bike.

CCTV Review:

• BTP will typically review up to two hours of footage.
• Longer reviews are considered disproportionate due to resource constraints.
• This policy aims to prioritise crimes that cause the most harm, such as violent or sexual offences.

Please be assured that every crime is recorded and investigated but some are harder than others. Whilst there is no place for any crime, resources do have to be prioritised, and this came sometimes leave remote stations vulnerable for bike thefts.

Whilst there is absolutely no place for crime, some of the responsibility falls with the bike owner, all too often we see very expensive electric bikes padlocked using a £2 lock from Poundland.

My advice initially is to fit an air tag or similar tracking, have an expensive lock, and to look on Facebook market place.