Lock it or lose it police say after spike in Okanagan bike thefts

38 BICYCLES RECOVERED

KELOWNA – More than 230 bicycles have already been reported stolen in Kelowna this year and yours could be next if you aren't careful.

Bike thefts are up 58 per cent over last year so far, and that’s just the thefts that have been reported, Kelowna RCMP Const. Steve Holmes says in a press release.

Even the recent bust of a bicycle chop shop in town won’t help for long, police say, and the public needs to take some responsibility for their own property by locking it up and writing down key information.

They urge bike owners to pick up a bike theft prevention kit at any local bike store or community policing office and fill out the accompanying checklist with your bike’s description and serial number.

Police also want people to report the theft of their bike, should it be stolen, as they routinely recover stolen bikes and return them to their owners, if they can be identified.

Holmes says 151 bike thefts were reported in the first six months of 2014 compared to 238 theft reports for the same time period this year.

RCMP recovered 38 bicycles in the recent chop shop bust.

The list of recovered bicycles is as follows:
-Cannondale F7
-Giant Sedona LX
-Specialized Tarmac
-Kona Project SL
-Subrosa SBTR1168
-Specialized Rockhopper
-Haro F4 Series
-KHS SJ One Hundred
-KHS DJ Fifty
-Haro Pro XL
-Fuji Nevada
-Jamis Trail X2
-Specialized Stumpjumper
-Norco Katmandu
-Diamondback Grind
-Norco Storm 6.1
-Free Agent Ambush 24
-Haro 8.2
-Giant Yukon
-Kona Stuff
-KHS VJ50
-Banshee Scream
-Kona Shred
-Giant STPS
-Infinity Mercury
-GT Saddleback
-Supercycle Burne R

If you have had one of the above noted bicycles stolen please email Const. Graeme Greig at Graeme.greig@rcmp-grc.gc.ca and provide the colour, serial number, or any unique identifiers about your bike. 

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.