Good news for Welsh cyclists

Wales continues to have some of the lowest number of bicycle thefts in 2021, according to new figures from more than 40 police forces across the country.

Dyfed-Powys Police recorded the lowest number of bicycle thefts, with 132 crime reports to police. North Wales – 262 reports – and Gwent – 315 – also featured in the five lowest areas for bicycle theft along with Cumbria and the City of London.  

South Wales, with 1449 reported crimes, ranked 12^th for the highest number of bicycles thefts across the country.

Dyfed-Powys and North Wales Police also featured in the top five for lowest crime rate for residential areas during the day. Gwent was 7^th and South Wales comes in 34^th place.

Across the country- including Wales – bicycle thefts fell by 11.5% last year from 64,500 in 2021, compared to 72,920 the year before.

This translates to 64,500 reported bicycle thefts in 2021, compared to 72,920 the year before.

Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk,  advises cyclists to check their home insurance policy to ensure their bicycles are properly covered, and if they are worth over £1,000, owners should itemise them as a named item on their home insurance or take out separate bicycle insurance.

Greg comments: “While these figures for Welsh cyclists are encouraging and crime rates are generally low across the country, they’re reported thefts only – many stolen bicycles aren’t reported to the police. 

“We’d expect the new changes to the Highway Code in favour of cyclist safety to encourage more people into the saddle and onto the roads.  With what we hope will be our first normal summer in almost three years, with limited covid restrictions, we should see a flurry of cycling activity as those who invested in a bicycle over lockdown take to the streets.

“Just a word of caution, this will create more opportunities for thieves to target bicycles. So as well as an appropriate insurance policy, it is worth investing in the best locks possible and chaining the bike in well-lit or secure areas to help reduce the risk of theft.” 

Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including bicycle insurance, electric bicycle insurance and road bike insurance – recommended by 97% of reviewers on Reviews.co.uk.  -ENDS-

Statistics

The bicycle crime data is compiled by the Economic Policy Centre and compares reported thefts from 40 police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.