Bicycles, from expensive sports models like road bikes and cross bikes to relatively inexpensive city cycles (mamachari), seem to be stolen quite frequently.

Actually, I haven't been able to find much new official data, but looking at Metropolitan Police Department information from around 2014 to 2018, the number of bicycle thefts has been decreasing every year.

The number of thefts nationwide, which was around 300,000 in 2014, fell below 200,000 by 2018.

Looking at crime statistics for 2021, the number is 106,588, meaning it has roughly halved in three years.

While there were likely some unique factors in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic, I'd like you to consider whether thefts have truly decreased.

Since these are police investigation results, only reported cases are counted.

In other words, there are cases where no theft report is filed at all.

Please don't think of this as someone else's problem; it would be helpful if you could continue reading while considering what to do if your bicycle goes missing.

We will inform you what to do if your bicycle is stolen.

■Without crime prevention registration, stolen bicycles cannot be found.

You know the characteristics of your own bicycle and can identify it as yours immediately upon seeing it.

However, police officers don't have the same attachment to your bicycle, so they can't identify it just by looking.

Therefore, a frame number and crime prevention registration number are necessary.

These days, it's common to buy bicycles online, so it has become more frequent to buy bicycles that are not registered for crime prevention.

In such cases, a bike shop can often do it for you, but some may not be enthusiastic about it, so I think taking it to a home center is also an option.

Please check with your local home center to see if they offer this service.

・Bicycle body

・Sales certificate (or transfer certificate)

・Identification such as health insurance card or driver's license

・Registration fee (seems to vary by region, but around 600 yen)

Keep these crime prevention registration documents on hand and store them as filing documents if your bicycle is stolen. (Only the number is needed.)

However, this bicycle will not be found unless it is used in a crime or a criminal is questioned by police, so it is best not to have excessive expectations.

The police do not search for bicycles.

■Look for it at stations and parks.

People who steal bicycles have a reason to steal them.

For example, their destination is far, or they are in a hurry.

Since their destination might be a station or a park, it might be a good idea to go and look for your bicycle near the station or park in the area where it was stolen.

If there's a large shopping mall, that's also a possibility.

Thieves rarely lock stolen bicycles and often abandon them on the spot, so there's a higher chance of finding it if it's been abandoned.

If you find it, contact the police immediately.

If you ride a bicycle for which you've filed a theft report, you might be mistaken for the thief yourself.

By the way, the search area is generally within 15 to 20 km from where it was stolen.

This means it's a relatively wide area to search.

■Search apartments and condominiums around schools.

If the destination is a school, it is unlikely that a stolen vehicle will be brought into the school or workplace.

Therefore, it may be left in the bicycle parking lots of nearby apartments or condominiums.

If you find it, do not retrieve it immediately; report it to the police.

■Gather information on social media.

Twitter is the most popular platform.

It seems that an overwhelming number of users makes it easier to gather information.

In cases where the purpose of theft is resale, there have been numerous instances of stolen items being sold on flea market sites or auction sites.

Since the platform operators cannot determine if an item is stolen, it could circulate normally if no action is taken.

In such cases, if you search various sites within about two weeks of the theft, using the bicycle's characteristics as a guide, you might find it.

In that situation, first contact the site operator and discuss the matter.

Since their responses vary by site, you'll need to communicate frequently to understand whether they will simply remove the listing or cooperate with retrieval, among other things.

The one thing you want to avoid most is contacting the seller directly.

Once the seller removes the listing and deletes their account, you lose all means of tracking the item.

If you suspect something, it's a good idea to consult the police or other authorities.

■Summary

As explained, there are broadly two patterns when a bicycle is stolen.

The first type is when it's used by the thief for transportation.

In this case, it's often abandoned once its purpose is served, so you might be able to find it afterward (though the probability is quite low).

The second type, common with high-end bicycles like road bikes, is for resale.

In this situation, you might find it by searching flea market sites or auction sites.

However, in either case, the chances of getting it back in good condition are low, so it's probably reassuring to have theft insurance in advance.

While the bicycle itself won't come back, the cost to buy an equivalent bike can be compensated.