CYCLISTS must do more to protect their bikes from thieves, a York crime-fighting group has said.

Despite major campaigns and awareness drives, too many people are failing to secure their property, Safer York Partnership (SYP) warned.

The group spoke out at the weekend, after The Press revealed on Friday that bike crime had nearly doubled in the past year, to more than 2,000 thefts a year, or almost six a day.

An SYP spokeswoman said: “Despite major publicity campaigns delivered by Safer York Partnership and a page on the partnership’s website, dedicated to providing cycle security advice, it is still very difficult to get cycle owners to take responsibility for security of their cycles. About a third of non-dwelling burglaries in the city involve cycles being stolen from sheds.”

She said the “continued lack” of secure storage and parking was a “significant factor” in thefts, but said York remained safer than other bike-friendly cities.

The group said York had 1.3 bike thefts per 1,000 residents, whereas Cambridge and Oxford had 5.04 and 5.32 respectively. The Press revealed last week that 2,173 were stolen between May 2010 and 2011. In 2009/10, the figure was 1,120 and police had expected it to hit 1,600.

SYP, which brings together representatives from the police, City of York Council and cycle retailers, is promoting the use of shed bars and high-quality bike locks as part of an ongoing campaign to thwart thieves, as well as planning training and advice sessions in schools and buying children’s cycle locks. A city-centre event will be staged on August 12 to offer advice and the chance to register bikes through a police database.

Sandy Fraser, the council’s cabinet member for crime and community safety, said: “Although there have not been as many cycle thefts in York as in other cities across the country, we cannot be complacent and I urge residents to take responsibility for the security of their cycles.”

For more details about safety measures, visit cyclingcityyork.org.uk