York named worst location for bike theft in Yorkshire

New figures from police data, analysed by cycle insurance company Bikmo, show that Yorkshire and the Humber ranked 5th safest for bike thefts in England and Wales in 2021, with an average rate of 89 thefts per 100,000 people, which had risen from 83 in 2020.

However, York alone was the Yorkshire location with the highest rate of bike thefts, at a rate of 370 per 100,000 people.

In 2021, a total of 732 bicycles were stolen in York, and the city has consistently ranked in the top five worst York locations for bike theft every year since 2017.

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A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "The figures show Yorkshire and the Humber is among the five regions with the lowest levels of bike theft. In fact, many parts of North Yorkshire, including Craven and Richmond, have some of the lowest levels nationally.

"Like other cycling cities however, there is a proportionally larger number of bikes in York - and cycle theft is higher as a result.

"We conduct regular operations and patrols to prevent cycle theft in York. We’ve arrested a number of suspected bike thieves in recent weeks, including one just last week.

"We know how upsetting it is when your possessions are stolen and we work with cyclists to provide advice about bike security. We also offer regular property marking sessions around the York area.

"This is just one of several ways we can help you keep your bike safe and improve the chance of us recovering it if the worst does happen."

Safest regions for bike thefts in 2021 Picture: Bikmo

From 2017 to 2021, a total of 29,697 bikes were reported to be stolen in Yorkshire, with 5,231 stolen in last year alone, up from 4,790 in 2020.

The Yorkshire location with the highest number of total thefts was Leeds with 1,176 reported cases in 2021, which was at a rate of 156 per 100,000 people.

The safest location in North Yorkshire was Craven with bike thefts at a rate of 22 per 100,000 people, a total of 12 thefts, which has decreased by 63 per cent since 2020.

However, UK cycle insurance company Bikmo have said that missing values for certain areas from police data imply that in some areas, bike theft is not taken seriously enough.

To find out North Yorkshire Police's advice about how to keep your bike safe and secure, click here.