Bike thefts fall by 77 per cent in Nottingham city centre following police initiative

Bike thefts have fallen by 77 per cent in Nottingham’s City Central district following a new police initiative.

To tackle the crime, officers have increased patrols, made multiple arrests and held bike-marking events across areas Radford, Dunkirk, Hyson Green, Arboretum, Dunkirk, Lenton and Wollaton East.

In December 2024, there were only six bicycles stolen, compared to 26 from the previous month. Sergeant Matt Leask, of the neighbourhood team suggested a combination of factors have helped the decline, saying: “The fall in reports has been really pleasing and shows the work we’ve been doing has been effective.

“Such a dramatic fall is rarely down to one factor and in this instance it will be down to a number of proactive measures that we’ve been undertaking to tackle this issue.”

He added: “Firstly, some good work by the University Policing Team led to the arrest of three individuals following a series of thefts on university campuses. Secondly, we increased visibility patrols in hotspot areas such as Queen’s Medical Centre, and that will have deterred thieves. And thirdly, we’ve continued to carry out free bike-marking events, which is another really effective way of preventing bike thefts, as it makes your bike harder to sell on and therefore much less attractive to thieves.”

Nottinghamshire Police also suggested a D-lock as the method to keep your bike safe from thieves.

The arrests made include Dean Hudson, who pleaded guilty to two bike thefts on University Park Campus and has been given a community order. He was identified by CCTV footage and tracked down by officers.

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A second man was arrested and charged with four bike thefts, including two from University of Nottingham campuses. He is due to face trial in March at the Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.

An 18-year-old was also recently arrested on suspicion of the theft of three bikes and one e-scooter. They have bailed with conditions pending further investigation work.

Bike-marking events have been held at both the Queen’s Medical Centre and University Park campus. Here, students and staff can have their bikes marked with two tamper-proof stickers. The make, model and a photograph are registered with the national BikeRegister database. This can be used by all UK police forces nationally to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

Sergeant Leask encouraged cyclists to get their bikes marked and registered, saying: “Research indicates that cyclists are up to 83 per cent less likely to have their bike targeted and stolen if visibly BikeRegister marked”.

He added: “Thieves will not hesitate to specifically target bikes with poor security, and therefore it is also important that cyclists use a high-quality and suitable bicycle lock when leaving their bike unattended.”

Featured image via Nottinghamshire Police