FRIDAY’S headline regarding bike thefts doubling in York made me see red (The Press, July 29).

It’s a cop-out by the police to say these are “opportunist” crimes and to make sure your bike is left secure when in fact it appears by these crime figures that it is the work of organised crime gangs operating in York.

I have been frustrated by the lack of police enthusiasm when reporting dumped bikes around York. There is too much crime being committed was a reply offered. This also was the experience of Michael Thompson in your article.

Is there a ‘proper’ number to ring other than 999, which is for emergency cases only? I ask because in my experience, bike thefts or vandalism of bikes warrant only a vague police number to ring which sends you around the various departments. It then is your responsibility to take the stolen article to the police station at Fulford. Meanwhile, the culprits have scarpered.

It is about time police and public joined forces to tackle this worrying statistic. And let’s not forget the council. York should create secure bike parks – or tourists might boycott the city altogether.

Phil Shepherdson, Chantry Close, Woodthorpe, York.

• CYCLE theft is not only a crime against individuals, it also affects the whole community, in that many victims decide not to cycle, or to ride such a cheap, unattractive bike that cycling stops being a pleasure. High cycling levels are a sign of a healthy, happy community.

Police resources should be allocated to cycle theft to the same level as car theft. It’s not about the value of the item stolen, but about quality of life in our city.

City of York Council needs to provide enough high-quality bike stands – good cycle locks are only fully effective if the bike can be locked to something else: ideally a well-designed bike stand.

At Get Cycling we try to advise all customers on how to keep a bike safe from theft. The options range from knowing which part of the bike to put the lock through, to ground anchors in domestic garages. All the basic advice on cycle security is in a guide to cycling which can be downloaded from getcycling.org.uk, or is available free of charge at our base.

Jim McGurn, Chief Executive, Get Cycling CiC, Hospital Fields Road, York.