McArthur: Criminals getting a free ride as bike thefts soar to almost 14,000

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today criticised the Scottish Government for “giving criminals a free ride” as he revealed that there have been nearly 14,000 reported bike thefts in just three years.    

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to Police Scotland has uncovered that there were 13,959 reports of bike thefts in the last three years, but only 1,513 of these crimes were detected, meaning there was enough evidence to justify criminal proceedings.

Mr McArthur said:   

“It looks like criminals are getting a free ride under the SNP and Greens.  

“Bike theft is disruptive and distressing for victims, and the vanishing chance of ever seeing the thief caught or punished simply makes that worse. It’s not surprising given how overstretched and underfunded the police are under the SNP.

“Figures like these will see some people pause for thought before making journeys by bike, and that’s bad news at a time when we should be doing all we can to support active travel.  

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to invest in secure cycle storage, to encourage people to register their bikes with the national cycle database, and to give the police the resources they need to do the job.”