Crooks can’t keep their hands off of Kelowna bait bikes

KELOWNA – It took just 90 minutes before a bait bike set up outside a Kelowna business was stolen. RCMP then traced the bike to a residential property where a suspected stolen bike and a confirmed stolen bike were recovered.

On the same day, June 13, a second bait bike was allegedly stolen by a suspect police caught riding in the area. The suspect is a 32-year-old Kelowna man who is expected to appear in court at a later date.

Then, on Tuesday June 25, the Target Team of the RCMP Street Enforcement Unit recovered another five confirmed stolen bikes from a property in Kelowna, along with a dozen bike frames and other bike parts.

"Theft of bicycles in our community continues to be a concern, and the RCMP will continue to target those responsible for committing these crimes,"  Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesman for the Kelowna RCMP said in a press release.

"The Kelowna RCMP will continue to target bike thieves through this initiative and other enforcement tactics."

The RCMP urges residents to record their bicycles’ serial numbers in the event that it gets stolen. Anyone who wishes to register their bike with Project 529, the Kelowna Regional RCMP Bike Registration, can do so through the City of Kelowna website.

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