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The 60% increase in bike thefts in the RCMP's annual crime report puts a number on it, but people who cycle regularly have already been reacting to the problem.
Many people simply refuse to take a valuable bike downtown.
"I think there are people that cruise around looking for expensive bikes," said one Kelowna cyclist who prefers to ride an older bike. "I just don't take my good bike downtown," said another.
Experts say the light cable bike locks are only good for a quick stop. If you're staying anywhere for a longer period of time, you need something better.
Bike shop operator Darrin Caruso said the first thing people need to get is the right kind of lock.
"The u-locks," said Caruso at Chainline Cycle, "...they're almost impenetrable. They would need a long time to be able to get through them."
Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Greg Woodcox said it's all driven by addiction problems. "They use that bike as currency to get drugs," said Woodcox.
"You get a point of heroin, you're good for a few hours, a couple of hours later, you steal another bike."
The bikes that are stolen are typically sold for between $10 and $50, according to the police. But not all of them are sold quickly, many of them vanish completely. It's assumed, they're being taken to other communities where they can be sold without raising suspicion.
The crime report presented to council on Monday showed 9,285 property crimes in 2018. Bike thefts increased by 60%, but thefts from vehicles is another red flag with an increase of 25% over 2017.
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