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Have you ever had your bicycle stolen? You're not alone....

Gardaí are working on a solution….

PastedImage-93921

AS MORE AND more people take to the roads on bicycles – for both commuting and fitness purposes – there has been a rise in the number of related robberies.

According to gardaí in Howth, bicycle thefts have increased over the past number of years.

In 2012 (the last year for which statistics are available), a total of 5,477 bicycles were reported stolen across the country. Of those, just 571 were recovered.

In 2003, the corresponding figure was fewer than 3,000 stolen bikes.

The local station in Howth has started an initiative to help tackle the growing problem.

They say that in the “vast amount” of cases of stolen bikes, the owners cannot provide them with serial numbers, the one unique identifying feature.

To combat that particular issue, gardaí have asked bicycle owners to fill out the snazzy card, pictured above, and keep it safe.

They were out and about during the week, handing out the cards and information leaflet.

PastedImage-84233 Garda Press Office Garda Press Office

The force has also produced videos in the past to help people learn how to lock their bikes up properly.

dublin cycling campaign / YouTube

A number of other stations are also currently involved in a scheme which allows members of the public to view photographs of recovered property on Flickr and other social media sites.

Read: Minister asks for garda report on Dublin bike thefts

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34 Comments
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    Mute Derek hAnlúain
    Favourite Derek hAnlúain
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:14 AM

    Well I never locked my front wheel yesterday & it’s costing me €100 to get a new one! Robbing Bast@#*s

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    Mute Luke
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:53 AM

    the people who are cycling around on €500 bikes with €5 locks are extremely naive in my opinion . what do they expect exactly? this is Dublin after all………..

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    Mute Richard Curtis
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    Sep 6th 2014, 12:39 PM

    That’s bollocx. My bike had two €90 top of the range locks on it and the bast?!,.rds cut through them no problem.

    41
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    Mute Luke
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    Sep 6th 2014, 1:44 PM

    I don’t think it’s boll*x Rich. the lock should be at least 10% of the cost of the bike. it’s foolish to be cycling a top notch bicycle then have some plastic combination lock for it..my lock cost 65 euro I lock my bike in town everyday it’s never been stolen.I really am sorry to hear about your bike though. again lets not forget, this is Dublin..

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    Mute Richard Curtis
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    Sep 6th 2014, 2:16 PM

    That was two years ago. Still rankles with me. Especially because I thought I had taken every precaution. The point is though these little shiits come prepared with small battery operated axle grinders that can cut through virtually any lock in seconds. How do you defend against that. Made me quit cycling entirely go jogging instead. Bast@)./rds!!

    17
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    Mute KeiKe
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:17 AM

    It’s a huge problem in my area..Two weeks ago at some one tried to break my u-lock for my bike at the racks at Cherrywood Luas stop..the bike had been turned upside down as I’d locked it down at the frame at the back wheel,the lock itself had some hammer or chisel damage it held up thankfully and I don’t leave my bike there any longer(the racks) as I’ve seen countless cheap smashed locks lying about at the same racks,also there are is no cctv at the racks so since then I lock my bike up by the platform in full view of the cctv.

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    Mute Ruth
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    Sep 7th 2014, 9:44 AM

    What is the point of having CCTV.

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    Mute Jason Ebbs
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:36 AM

    Who’s the sexy Garda !!!!

    42
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    Mute Tony Le Blanc
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:52 AM

    Eh? Didn’t see one there

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    Mute Trish O'Leary-Dunne
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    Sep 6th 2014, 12:21 PM

    I had my bike stolen from my first floor balcony,in broad daylight.thats a determined bike thief!

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    Mute David O Brien
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:31 AM

    Had loads of cycles stolen. The last time was the Garda’s fault. Big sign on railings of store street police station “locked bikes will be removed”. Locked cycle at busaras – one hour later €1000 bikes gone. Garda in store street weren’t interested – not a real crime attitude.

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    Mute Luke
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:35 AM

    that comment made hardly any sense David!

    122
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    Mute Dog Standard
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    Sep 6th 2014, 11:30 AM

    Made perfect sense. You are not allowed to lock your bike to the railings outside the Garda station at Busaras. The area is full of dodgy folk, and the safest place to lock a bike would seem to be directly in front of a building that holds members of law enforcement. You’d want to be pretty silly to steal a bike from there. When you report it the attitude is that you’ll never see it again and nothing can be done. Details are not even asked for. Around 5,000 bikes at €500 each is around 2.5 million in theft. It that was cars, handbags or walllets there would be uproar. Bike theft is ignored in the country, so thieves just keep on stealing in larger numbers, because there is zero fear of being caught.

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    Mute Dog Standard
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    Sep 6th 2014, 11:40 AM

    Although a lot of Journal readers are thickos, so I get why they didn’t understand you David. You really need to spell it out for them.

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    Mute David O Brien
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    Sep 6th 2014, 12:01 PM

    We should form a cycle club of two Dog Standard. LOL

    5
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    Mute Dog Standard
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    Sep 6th 2014, 12:29 PM

    If we had any bikes left….

    13
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    Mute Ruth
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    Sep 6th 2014, 3:10 PM

    Should be secure patrolled central lock up facilities. I would gladly pay. Bicycle theft seems to be a given. Simply not on inmybook. I paid hard earned money for mine. It is my only means of transport to and from work. This is a huge problem here and really needs to be taken SERIOUSLY.

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    Mute Ablitive
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:35 AM
    19
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    Mute captain morgan
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    Sep 6th 2014, 1:36 PM

    Lol a sexy garda very rare species Remain in the ve heicle please.

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    Mute Richard McCarthy
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    Sep 6th 2014, 12:22 PM

    I have a Boardman carbon hibrid that cost a pretty penny to buy and being my pride and joy it goes without saying i would hate to loose it, if it is simple to fit a tiny tracking device to a moving vehicle surely it’s not impossible to come up with one for bicycles that should be made visible on a smart phone app,keeping your bike detail serial numbers on a piece of paper is fine up to a point but these can be easly erased with a file,another worhwhile investment to prevent robberies is a small simple dash cam that is fitted to the vehicle windscreen and plugged into the cigg lighter,it records hours of video footage regardless if it is static or moving,it can be uploaded to a laptop to keep as evidence.

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    Mute Marko Burns
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    Sep 6th 2014, 12:43 PM

    Hilarious. Did the Gardai miss April Fools Day or something?

    This is pure lazy PR hot air by the Gardai – The first thing they do is remove the serial numbers.
    And the Gardai don’t do anything when they catch kids nicking them anyway- so what is the point.

    The only thing to do is like in Amsterdam and elsewhere- have cheap bikes that aren’t worth nicking. Typically Irish that they are forking out for expensive bikes-they’ll learn the hard way. Decent locks and parking in the right location are a given but let’s face it if the Gardai couldn’t be bothered stopping open drug dealing in broad daylight, nicked bikes woll continue to be low on their priorities.
    This is all spin and hot air.

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    Mute Brent Sallinger
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    Sep 6th 2014, 1:08 PM

    You should know Marko, you’re certainly full of enough hot air!!!

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    Mute Natalie O'Brien
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    Sep 6th 2014, 2:23 PM

    Marko, people get more expensive bikes if they are commuting decent distances. Try and cycle 10 or 12 miles, up and down hills, on a cheap, clunky bike, twice a day, 5 or 6 days a week. They are grand for a spin around a city, but they are no use for much else. You would need the legs of Sean Kelly and the medicine cabinet of Lance Armstrong to get anywhere.

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    Mute Ross Casey
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:52 AM

    Is there any truth in that after a period of time you can get a bike from the Gardai for free or a donation to the Benevolent Fund?

    9
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    Mute talkingsense
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    Sep 6th 2014, 12:38 PM

    I doubt it, garda auction all recovered bikes that aren’t claimed. Its out in sagart, I’ve picked up one or two out there

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    Mute KeiKe
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    Sep 6th 2014, 1:24 PM

    You can get GPS trackers for bicycles..go online and search “spikebike” and “intergrated trackers” I’m sure there are more also. I see the Garda failed to ad this to the article or they just ain’t aware.

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    Mute David Larkin
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    Sep 6th 2014, 11:34 AM

    Sure when the luas line was going in ..outside store street garda station was a crater 20 by 20 foot deep …
    ” a garda spokes person said…they were looking in to it”..

    8
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    Mute Ciaran JF Forde
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    Sep 6th 2014, 2:04 PM

    Kryptonite it

    6
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    Mute gerard o leary
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:40 PM

    God in the 80s I remember my bike been stolen but you always found it throw over a random garden wall or in a bike shop that sold second hand bikes

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    Mute Adrian Dervin
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    Sep 7th 2014, 5:56 PM

    Stealing a bike should have the same penalty or sentence as stealing a car. Zero tolerance by Garda and Courts, register your bike like your car. Gone beyond a joke now.

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    Mute pe me
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:18 AM

    Omg genius..

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    Mute Griska
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    Sep 6th 2014, 10:11 AM

    Nope

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    Mute Patrick
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    Sep 7th 2014, 6:48 AM

    In japan people don’t have to lock their bikes.

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    Mute Patrick
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    Sep 7th 2014, 6:51 AM

    I paid 100 euro for mine. On you tube I saw it broke in a few seconds. The trick is to lock it in a way that it has zero give so the the bike cannot be used to give momentum towards breaking the lock.

    1
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