It’s no secret that bike theft has been an issue in Kelowna.
The ongoing concerns over bike theft in the city have led to measures being put in place like a downtown bike valet, the installation of special bike racks and the RCMP’s bait bike program.
Early data indicates those solutions may be partially addressing the issue, as the Kelowna RCMP says reports of bike thefts under $5,000 through the first seven months of the year have decreased from 264 in 2023 to 216 in 2024.
“We are certainly happy to see a decrease in the number of bikes being reported stolen from last year,” explains Cpl. Michael Gauthier.
“We believe there is a correlation between the decrease in numbers and the success of the bait bike program over the last couple years along with our Repeat Offender Management Program.”
Recently, Kelowna RCMP crime analysts finished up a bike theft analysis that examined several factors to find the following data:
- Approximately 84% of the thefts occurred between 7 am and 7 pm.
- Mondays and Thursdays had the highest number of thefts.
- 58% of thefts included some forced entry, for instance a cut lock or break-in to secure storage.
- 64% of complainants did not provide a serial number.
To the final point, Gauthier said bike owners are taking steps to buy the right locks and secure their bikes, but police would still like to see more people document serial numbers and take photos of their bikes.
“It’s not impossible to return a bike without the serial number, but it certainly makes it more difficult to locate the correct owner,” he notes.
“As a result, we are often left with seized bikes in our detachment storage that eventually get donated as we are unable to identify owners.”
He adds: “We can’t eliminate bike theft, but we can deter it and everyone has a role to play in this.”
