New stats have revealed the growing scale of bike theft in Dublin city and county.
Almost 4,000 bikes were stolen in Dublin alone in 2020, with a further 867 stolen in the first four months of 2021.
The figures were released to Neale Richmond, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Deputy Richmond says Dubliners are now having more of their bikes stolen than before.
He said: “[The figures are] particularly high compared to previous years in Dublin.
“Bikes are increasingly becoming attractive to criminals. They’re in short supply: anyone who has tried to buy a bike over the last 12 months will realise how long you have to wait for a shop to get them in.
“They’re increasingly extremely valuable too, [with] the amount of money people will put into a bike.”
Gardaí have run a ‘lock it or lose it’ awareness campaign in recent times, aimed at encouraging cyclists to lock their bike “in the most secure way possible”.
However, Deputy Richmond says more measures are needed from local authorities as well, including more facilities to ensure owners can keep their bikes secure.
He also said he’d like to see an increased focus on bike security during planning permission, as well as increased use of CCTV and bike lockers.
