Bicycles are also increasingly of interest to thieves. Thefts are increasing in major cities. This is what Renaud confirmed to us once more, via the orange button Alert us who was a victim in Liège. A city that intends to react well. Several measures have already been (or will soon be) implemented to better combat this phenomenon.
Victim of the theft of his two bicycles in barely a year and a half, Renaud is angry. “This is an increasingly recurrent problem in the city of Liège. Many people have had their bikes stolen. Many people know them. The question in Liège is not ‘Has your bike been stolen? , but ‘How many bikes were stolen from you?'”he said.
Padlocks disced or severed, thieves act with impunity, most often at night or sometimes in the middle of the day.
Crime of opportunity and organized gangs according to the police
In Liège, the theft of two wheels is on the increase. Nearly 450 bicycles have already been stolen since the beginning of the year.
“I think there’s crime of opportunity. People who see a bike that’s not secured at all or very poorly secured, and see a bit of a dent to do. There’s also definitely tapes more organized, who have equipment and who better prepare their actions”explains Jean-Baptiste Steffen, police commissioner of Liège.
Closed and secure car parks exist as at Liège station, but only 140 spaces are available. Manon was very lucky. “I registered, and they called me two years later to tell me that a space was freeing up and that I was very lucky to be able to benefit from this secure car park”she says.
In the coming days, SNCB intends to triple its number of places with access control. “We are also going to install more cameras. Today we have three car parks out of the four that have cameras, and these cameras are connected to a control room which can send security teams on site”, says Marianne Hiernaux, SNCB spokesperson.
Insure your high-end bike
The security agents also caught several perpetrators in the act. In some cases, it is also possible to insure your two-wheeler for around a hundred euros per year on average. “We recommend it for a certain value. For a mechanical bicycle bought for 50 or 100 euros, there is not really any interest. Insurance will cost much more than the value of the bicycle. It is rather on bicycles high-value electric vehicles where there is an interest”, advises Alexandre Hagenmuller, coordinator of the research and action group of daily cyclists for the province of Liège.
Have your bike engraved, park it in a visible place, secure it with two padlocks and in the event of theft, always file a complaint with the authorities. So many tips that can help you.
