A Somerset MP has slammed the recent statistics on bike thefts.
Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington, expressed his concerns about Home Office figures showing that Avon and Somerset Police solved just over 10 per cent of cycle thefts last year.
He described the statistics as "disastrous."
Mr Amos has thrown his support behind the Liberal Democrats' calls for a dedicated national unit, Operation Bike Bait, within the National Crime Agency to address the ongoing theft epidemic.
He said: "Most people in Taunton and Wellington hate the idea that any theft like this has effectively been decriminalised."
The Home Office figures reveal that, nationally, almost two-thirds of police forces in England and Wales had at least 80 per cent of cycle theft cases go unsolved.
Of the 44 police forces, none managed to solve more than 55 per cent of their bike theft cases.
Operation Bike Bait would work with local police forces to carry out targeted operations, planting bikes fitted with trackers in theft hotspots so offenders can be caught and wider criminal networks uncovered.
The unit would also coordinate the collection and sharing of intelligence and best practice across forces, helping to build a national picture of bike theft and improve the policing response.
Mr Amos said: "Lots of people, particularly young people in their first job, rely on their bike to get to work and to really important meet ups." "They are completely stuck when it's stolen and feel rightly angry that action frequently isn't taken and justice rarely gets done."
"Our police officers do a great job, but they need support and resources if they're going to start taking more action on bike theft.
"But with the increasing cost of living, people can't afford to replace stolen personal property, and so 'Bike Bait' is an operation whose time is now."
Share