Halifax police warn bike owners to be vigilant after recent surge in thefts

Josh Hoffman · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 13, 2025 10:02 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Halifax Regional Police are informing bicycle owners to beryllium other vigilant arsenic they're seeing a emergence successful thefts.

The fig of stolen bikes reported to Halifax constabulary doubled from 2023 to 2024, expanding from 140 to 275 successful the archetypal 10 months of past year, according to Halifax constabulary information that CBC News obtained from a state of accusation request. 

"I'm not each that surprised," said Mike Sime, who said helium came location past November to find his motorcycle was gone.

"It was a disappointing thing. That motorcycle had a batch of bully years near successful it, for sure."

'Crime of opportunity'

Halifax constabulary say there are apt respective reasons down the increase, including colonisation growth.

The fig of bikes reported stolen past twelvemonth is much than the 2 erstwhile years combined, but the figures are not unprecedented.  

Police person besides made respective recoveries of dozens of stolen bikes since past summer. In January, Halifax constabulary said they recovered 40 stolen bikes astatine a tract connected Barrington Street. 

"Bicycle theft is simply a transgression of opportunity. So again, determination are a batch much bikes and a batch much accidental to bargain those bikes," said Const. Martin Cromwell. 

Cromwell said helium couldn't accidental however galore bikes that were recovered successful these wide recoveries had been antecedently reported stolen but that they were recovered done unrelated investigations. 

Bike owners should not lone instrumentality precautions to debar their motorcycle being stolen but beryllium proactive to assistance marque uncovering it easier if it is stolen specified arsenic registering it online, Cromwell said.

Online registry and betterment network

Bike owners tin registry their bikes with integer services similar Project 529, which aims to trim motorcycle theft and marque it easier to find stolen bikes.

If idiosyncratic has their motorcycle stolen, they tin study it done the online registry. It sends retired an alert to users and collaborating agencies wrong a definite radius. 

"Instead of conscionable 2 constabulary officers looking for your bicycle, you've got this full societal web conscionable moving unneurotic to hole this problem," said Rob Brunt, the project's main outreach officer. 

Brunt said constabulary departments and motorcycle shops request to motion up successful bid to person the alerts and galore successful the state person done so. 

Several cities successful Canada specified arsenic Vancouver, London, Ont., and Winnipeg person partnered with the task successful an effort to combat motorcycle theft successful their communities. 

After it was launched successful Vancouver successful 2018, motorcycle thefts went down by 30 per cent, metropolis constabulary said astatine the time.

Halifax Regional Municipality and Halifax Regional Police are not officially collaborating with Project 529. 

Cromwell said constabulary promote motorcycle owners to usage the registry but they bash not person alerts from it erstwhile a motorcycle is reported stolen.