Gardai share photos of bikes recovered in athlone

The Gardai have shared photos of bicycles recovered in Athlone and other parts of the country in the hope of returning them to their rightful owners.

Bicycles recovered by An Garda Síochána, where they cannot identify an owner, are regularly advertised on the Garda Síochána Flickr website.

As part of National Bike Week, bikes from Athlone and other areas, including Roscommon town and Boyle, have recently been uploaded to the site and Gardai are appealing to those who have had their bikes robbed in these areas to view the website with a view to possible recovery.

The photos of bikes recovered in Athlone can be viewed on the Garda Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardasiochana/page2/

Over the last 10 years the level of bike theft has increased by 227%, with approximately 6,750 reported bicycle thefts in 2014, equating to a monetary loss in the region of €4million.

To end May 2015 there have been in excess of 2,100 reported bike thefts nationally, with in excess of 1,600 (76%) reported in the Dublin Region.

Only 10% of bike owners are able to provide An Garda Síochána with the bicycle frame number

Twice as many bikes are stolen during the summer months, peaking in July, August and September. One third are stolen from residential locations, such as houses, sheds, and gardens.