Limerick gardai seek to reunite stolen bikes with their owners

AS part of the Lock it or Lose it campaign, gardai have released images of some of the bicycles which they have recently recovered in Limerick.

The pedal-bikes, some of which were stolen, are being stored at the divisional property store in the city with gardai saying they have been unable to identify or locate the owners.

"We find it very hard to return bicycles that come into our possession," said a spokesperson.

Gardai are advising cyclists they should spend between 10% and 20% of the value of their bikes on two locks to reduce the chances of it being stolen.

"Take a photo of your bike, note the serial number and email it back to yourself or store it in the cloud so you have a record of it forever," added the spokesperson.

Figures released by gardai show that between January 1 2020 and April 23, 2021 a total of 6,845 bicycles were stolen across the country - of which 2,139 were recovered.

Many cannot be returned to their owners as their serial numbers are not recorded. 

"Of the bicycles stolen since January 2020 only 1 in every 5 bike owners were able to provide their bicycle frame / serial number when reporting the theft to gardaí. This causes problems reuniting bicycles with their owners," said the spokesperson.

Appointments to view any of the bikes photographed can be made by emailing [email protected].