Operation for Success

A police operation to tackle bike thefts in Brighton and Hove is proving to be a success. The city has hit the lowest amount of reported stolen bicycles in 6 months.

Operation Ensnare was launched by Brighton and Hove police at the end of September in response to the growing number of bike thefts across the city.

Sergeant James Ward said: “The overall decrease across the Brighton & Hove division in November for reported pedal cycle thefts was 48%, which is positive. In the East Brighton area we saw a drop of 71%.

“We have recovered dozens of stolen bikes and have been able to reunite some owners with their bikes. Recently we were able to give back a bike which had been bought by the owner’s late grandfather and had great sentimental value.”

Police have made several arrests during the operation including detaining five teenage boys on suspicion of stealing bikes. They have been released under investigation.

The recovered bikes are stored at Brighton Police Station. Police are making enquiries to try and trace the bike owners but if anyone has had a bike stolen and wants to know if it has been recovered they should get in touch with police.

You can contact police online or phone 101 and quote Operation Ensnare.

By Clare Calder