Heatmap reveals bike theft 'hotspots'

The tool shows reported cycle theft rates across England and Wales – based on police data and population figures.

The City of London came out on top as the worst area for bike theft, according to specialist cycling insurer Bikmo.

Figures showed an overall decline in the number of thefts compared to previous years.

According to the aggregated data, 74,573 bikes were reported stolen in England and Wales in 2020 – down 11% from 83,536 in 2019.

The East of England ranked as the second worst region, with a rate of 159 reported thefts per 100,000 residents – nearly three times that of the North West (55).

The East of England ranked as the second worst region, with a rate of 159 reported thefts per 100,000 residents (Image: Bikmo)

Cambridge was shown to be the worst area for bike theft within the East of England, with a rate of 1,531 thefts per 100,000 residents, followed by Norwich (359) and Peterborough (333).

According to the map, Ipswich recorded 277 reported bike thefts (138 per 100,000 people) – down 52% on the previous year.

Bikmo chief executive David George said: “As more and more people begin to realise the many benefits of cycling during the pandemic, it is only natural that fears around bike theft will rise.

"The new tool will be regularly updated to provide an ongoing resource to members of the public. We hope this will be useful to the fast growing number of riders, and help increase awareness in high-risk areas.”

Visit bike-theft-map.bikmo.com to view your area.

For cycle security advice, visit suffolk.police.uk/sites/suffolk/files/cyclesecurity1.pdf

Security measures include using a good quality lock, ensuring the lock is away from the ground and as tight as possible, locking the bike to a secure purpose-made cycle stand or another immovable object, leaving the bike where it can be seen by passers-by and CCTV, and registering the bike at immobilise.com.