Bike Theft in Bermuda: Statistics & Prevention
Bike theft is a widespread and frustrating crime. If you own a motorcycle, you might be concerned about how common the problem is. In this post, we’ll provide some details about bike theft in Bermuda and how you can prevent it.
Bermuda bike theft: the facts
In 2019, between 584 and 618 bikes were stolen, which is around 50 per month. This dropped slightly in 2020, when 42 motorcycles per month were stolen. The majority of bikes stolen have locks on them.
Like many crimes, bike theft has an impact on the whole community. Not only does it affect the individuals who are stolen from, but regular claims drive up insurance prices for everyone. Therefore, it’s in the interest of the whole community to remain vigilant about bike theft.
Police recover many more stolen bikes than they can actually return to owners, as it’s often hard to find an owner. The rate of return for stolen motor vehicles, including bikes, is roughly half.
How to prevent bike theft
The best thing that you can do to prevent your bike from being stolen is to purchase a lock. However, a lock cannot always prevent theft, as criminals have ways of breaking them. Therefore, it’s also a good idea to do the following:
- Make sure no keys are left in the ignition. Some insurance companies won’t pay out if you have left your keys in your bike.
- Park in well-lit or high-traffic areas, as the majority of bikes are stolen overnight.
- Install an alarm that will go off if someone tries to steal your bike
- Install a tracker onto your bike so that you can find it if it goes missing
What to do if your bike is stolen
Report it
The first thing that you should do is report your stolen bike to the police:
- You should tell them where it was and when you think it may have been stolen.
- They will also need to know the make, model and any customisations.
- The frame number and engine number will also help them recover your bike even if it is taken apart and sold separately.
- Any photos of the bike that you have are also useful to identify your bike.
Contact your insurance
As soon as possible, you should report the bike theft to your insurance. If you’re covered for theft and don’t manage to recover your bike within a certain window, they will repay you.
Monitor online
Often, people steal bikes just to sell them. Keep an eye on local groups and pages for selling, as your bike may show up. Never approach the seller, but instead report them to the police.
Keep the streets safe by reporting crime
If you have any information about a bike theft, you should report it. Crime Stoppers allows you to report crimes anonymously, without any personal information being passed to the police. We don’t collect your phone number or IP address, protecting your identity.
Use our online form or call 800-8477 to report a crime.
