Did you know that in 2020, an average of 42 motorbikes were stolen each month, and that the majority of them were locked?
To combat instances of bike theft in the City, the City of Hamilton, in conjunction with the Bermuda Police Service (BPS) and several of the island’s insurance companies, is launching an awareness campaign aimed at informing motorists about what they can do to protect their property against bike theft.
“At the City of Hamilton, we want to do what we can to help you to safeguard your property,” said City CEO Dwayne Caines. “Over the coming weeks, the public will hear and see informative commercials across social media, radio, tv and printwith tips on how we can keep our City streets and car parks safe from theft. Vehicle theft affects us all, even if we are not the direct victims of a crime; it costs insurance companies thousandsof dollars in claims each year – which drives up insurance premiums for all of us.”
The City and the BPS recommend that cycle-owners take the following precautions:
Mr. Caines added: “The City has had numerous brainstorming meetings with relevant stakeholders regarding the issue of bike theft in the City and are looking at additional protection measures such as installing special bike-locking bars in some of the parking spots and increasing signage in City car parks.Additionally, we are looking to upgrade our CCTV operations in the City Hall car park with the installation of new cameras; a whole new system will be up and running in short order.”
“At CG Insurance, we encourage persons to take all necessary precautions when leaving their vehicles unattended,” said Claims Manager for CG Insurance Juanita Coley. “Examples of such would be to park in well-lit areas wherever possible and to make use of additional locking mechanisms. These steps can deter thieves which can help to avoid the inconvenience caused by burglaries.”
The below are the most frequently stolen bikes in Bermuda:
MODEL: SH 125, Vario, Vision, Click
➢ MAKE: Yamaha
MODEL: GT 125, FZN, Elegance, Nouvo, NVX
➢ MAKE: Sym
MODEL: HD 125, HD2 125, Symphony
A BPS Spokesperson said, “In 2020, a total of 503 cycles were reported stolen across the island and numbers are tracking that way for 2021. To give a ‘pre-COVID’ comparison, this number was 618 bikes in 2019. Bike crime primarily happens on Saturdays and overnight so we would recommend motorists park in well-lit and high traffic areas at night. Additionally, we strongly encourage the use of a secondary locking mechanism.”
To report a stolen bike or suspicious activity, call the Bermuda Police Service at 295-0011 or 211.
The public are reminded that, according to Section 342 of The Criminal Code Act 1907 (Taking Motor Vehicle or Other Conveyance without Authority), anyone found guilty of this offence shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $5,000 or imprisonment for two years or both.
What should you do if your bike has been stolen?
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