Hidden camera film reveals people turn a blind eye to bicycle theft

Feb. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- A recent social experiment by Bike Dock Solutions, the specialist provider of secure cycle parking equipment and accessories, has revealed that members of the public who witness a cycle theft will not intervene – and very rarely will they even report what they have seen.



Bike Dock Solutions sent a hidden camera crew to a London market location, where a stooge was filmed ‘stealing’ a bicycle at pre-arranged times during the day, in front of numbers of witnesses - the results of which can be viewed on YouTube: Bike Theft: The Movie



Despite over ten ‘thefts’ taking place throughout a 60-minute period, nobody intervened or interacted with the ‘thief’. The exercise showed that on average it takes nearly three minutes for people to recognise that a theft has taken place and that, at the busiest times, up to 15 people could walk past the theft without either recognising or intervening.



After the event, some of the market stewards did report that a couple of people had informed them about witnessing a bicycle being stolen, but this took place so long after the ‘thefts’ that had it been a real scenario, the thief would be long gone.



Based on police crime statistics from 2010, a report released in June suggests that bicycle theft costs British cyclists around £80m a year. The same report put the total number of reported stolen bikes in the UK at 115,147.



The study also suggested that only 20% of cycle thefts are reported to the police – meaning the true number of bicycles stolen in the UK each year is actually closer to 533,000. Compared to 2009, the statistics indicate that reported cycle theft has increased by 4%, whilst there has been a 12% increase in unreported cycle theft.



With bicycles being easily cut free from locks when fastened to unsecure parking areas, such as fences and railings, the only real deterrent is to ensure that secure cycle parking facilities are being used.