Bicycle theft
The term bicycle theft (Switzerland .: bicycle theft ) denotes the unlawful taking of one or more bicycles or components thereof.
Over the past three decades, the number of cases has more than halved, falling faster than the number of crimes as a whole . This decline follows the trend that can be observed in all western countries not only in the case of theft.
Criminal liability
Taking away and using someone else's bike is a punishable offense regardless of whether the bike was connected. Relevant penal norms in Germany are:
Section 248b (1.2) StGB - unauthorized use of a vehicle
“Anyone who ... uses a bicycle against the will of the person entitled will be punished with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine if the act is not threatened with a heavier penalty in other regulations. The attempt is punishable. "
Section 242 StGB - Theft
“Anyone who takes away a movable property from another person with the intention of unlawfully appropriating the property to himself or a third party is punished with imprisonment for up to five years or with a fine. The attempt is punishable. "
Section 243 StGB - Particularly serious case of theft
“In particularly serious cases, theft is punishable by imprisonment from three months to ten years. A particularly serious case is usually when the perpetrator ... steals something that is specially secured against removal by ... a ... protective device ... "
Section 246 of the Criminal Code - embezzlement
“Anyone who illegally appropriates another person's movable property for himself or a third party will be punished with imprisonment of up to three years or with a fine if the act is not threatened with a heavier penalty in other regulations. ... The attempt is punishable. "
However, the cited paragraphs no longer correspond to current case law.
Statistical data
* Crime code for simple theft including unauthorized use: 3 ** 300
* Crime code for serious theft: 4 ** 300.
Germany
According to a position paper from 2006 drawn up jointly by the Ministry of the Interior, the State Criminal Police Office, the insurance industry and the ADFC, around two thirds of all bicycle thefts are committed by children, adolescents and adolescents, mostly male. In the police crime statistics , a distinction is made between simple theft of bicycles, including unauthorized use, and serious theft, which means the theft of locked bicycles. The trend shows the diagram. The number of bicycle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants has more than halved in 27 years. In 1992 there were 672, in 2019 only 335 stolen bikes per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2019 there are 277,874 cases. The clearance rate is around 10%. This means that bicycle thefts are falling faster than crime as a whole , which only fell by 21% over the same period. The pattern of a decrease in the incidence of theft since the early 1990s can be found in all Western countries. It's part of an overall decline in crime .
There is a high number of unreported cases suspected because not all thefts reported to the police. The insurance industry estimates the resulting damage at around EUR 100 million per year; It should be noted, however, that only some of the bicycles on the road in Germany are insured against theft.
In comparison, the number of stolen vehicles in 2019 was 28,132, the clearance rate was 28.8 percent.
Austria
According to Verkehrsclub Österreich and the Federal Ministry of the Interior , 25,202 bicycles were stolen in Austria in 2009, 3.5% more than in the previous year. With a total of 6 million bicycles in Austria, this is 0.42%. 62% of the thefts took place in the provincial capitals, most of them, namely 8,387 in Vienna , the least in Eisenstadt , here it was "only" 15. The clearance rate is 5 throughout Austria , the lowest with 3% in Vienna, the highest in Burgenland with 15.5 percent.
Countermeasures
Good bicycle parking facilities
The most effective instrument for preventing bicycle theft are bicycle parking systems , which provide a reliable “anchor point” for a bicycle lock to connect to the bicycle frame (and, if possible, a balance bike).
Since May 2016, the DIN standard 79008 "Stationary bicycle parking systems" has been in force, which in Part 1 describes requirements for theft protection properties, security and usability of bicycle parking systems; Part 2 defines the test procedures for this. The DIN 79008 is largely derived from the technical guideline TR 6102-0911 "Recommended bicycle parking systems" of the ADFC . On the basis of DIN 79008 (and previously TR 6102-0911), the ADFC carries out quality tests on bicycle parking systems which, after passing the test, are allowed to carry the rating "ADFC-recommended parking system".
Bicycle locks
According to statistics from France, inferior locks are involved in around 90% of all thefts. Corresponding statistics in Germany are not available. Experience suggests that no lock offers one hundred percent security, but that locks that can withstand an attempted break-in for at least three minutes prevent theft more efficiently.
The use of a higher quality bicycle lock offers relative protection. Here are forged chains - " tank " - and pleated padlocks better choice - but good locks are relatively heavy, bulky and big. Not every U-lock is automatically suitable for preventing theft. In particular, they are often difficult to use for connecting a bicycle to an object (tree, lantern, etc.). Good padlocks are relatively safe in relation to their weight. Chain locks are better suited to securing them tightly in order to connect a bicycle to a bicycle stand, fence or the like. It is important to connect the frame and at least one wheel . By Stiftung Warentest recommended locks are from about 25 euros available (2015).
Bicycles that are parked outside the living space (cellar, shed) must always be additionally secured with a lock if you want to have the sum insured at least partially reimbursed by the household insurance in the event of theft .
Bicycle registration
Registering a bike with the police is possible in many cities and countries in Europe. The police usually register for free. Bicycles registered in this way are usually clearly marked with a corresponding sticker.
It is also possible to register the bike for a fee with one of the privately maintained databases on the Internet. The police usually refuse to work with commercial providers of this service.
If a registered bicycle is stolen, at least the data collected during registration can be transferred to a police search file ( e.g. POLAS ). The most important criterion is the bicycle frame number , which the manufacturer (according to an old DIN standard and the new European standard) should (but is not always) attached to each bicycle frame.
Bike pass
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The bicycle pass is a form developed by the police in which important information can be recorded that can lead to the identification of a bicycle that has been found or checked. However, filled in by the owner or the dealer, they are a very good tool for answering the relevant questions of the investigating officers in the event of a theft report. The police have recently been offering a free smartphone app for downloading, which is intended to provide the police or insurance company with a precise description of the stolen bike as quickly as possible.
Bike coding
With bicycle coding , the place of residence and street address (or, as in Berlin, the date of birth) and the owner's initials are engraved in the frame in encrypted form. However, this protection is only relative, as a stolen bicycle is only noticed during a police check or can trigger suspicion of theft. Such checks are very rare, as the understaffed police do not have the capacity to do so, so mostly only when they have a concrete suspicion of having a thief in front of them. However, the sale of coded wheels by thieves or stolen goods is much more risky for them than uncoded wheels. Selling stolen encoded bikes through internet auction houses is highly risky and therefore unlikely.
Since many bikes are only “borrowed” for a joyride and then left standing somewhere unlocked, the chance of their return is much higher than that of uncoded bikes. According to a statement from a medium-sized police station, which is not supported by nationwide statistics, the owners of 90% of all bicycles found there can no longer be found because they cannot provide any relevant or unequivocal information about the nature of their property or do not report any complaints at all. For example, around 500 uncoded bikes are officially auctioned off in Frankfurt am Main every year because the owner can no longer be determined. Coded wheels, on the other hand, rarely go under the hammer.
Safety despite quick release
The use of quick releases makes it easy for thieves to disconnect the bike from the front wheel in seconds if only this is connected. In addition to similar systems, such as those from Kryptonite and other manufacturers, the Pitlock system, which makes it much more difficult to unscrew components with 256 different pairs of a special nut and a hexagonal attachment that only fits this one. The disadvantage is that you always have to have the special attachment ready in the event of a breakdown. Further disadvantages are the high price compared to conventional screws and the limited suitability for systems with thru axles.
Saddles and wheels that have a normal quick release should be attached to the frame with a lock. It is rare for a thief to break a lock on a single item, except for very high quality parts.
Lockable boxes
In areas that are important for bicycle tourism (such as Eichstätt in Altmühltal, Münster , Regensburg , Breda in the Netherlands), private or municipal bicycle garages are increasingly being built. These are usually guarded and also offer theft protection for luggage. The most significant downside is that they have limited opening hours and are expensive.
At many train stations there are lockable boxes that can be rented, the customer receives a key and is therefore independent of the working hours of the train staff.
In another variant, the box is locked with the owner's bike lock.
insurance
Theft of bicycles is often covered by household insurance. It is advisable to take a look at the insurance conditions.
- The compensation is usually limited to a percentage of the sum insured for the household effects. All bicycles in the household are insured up to this limit.
- In household contents contracts, it is often possible to include the risk of bicycle theft using an additional component. This must be agreed separately.
- The insurance is valid around the clock, depending on the insurance conditions. In older contracts, the protection can be limited to the time from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless the bike was in use (i.e. it was parked in front of a cinema or a restaurant for the time of the visit). However, this restriction no longer applies to many new contracts.
- In the event of theft, the insured person must be able to present the report to the police to the insurance company and also be able to state the bicycle frame number (from VHB 92 Clause 7110 No. 4).
- Vandalism is not insured, so broken bikes will not be compensated.
- Taking out the insurance gives them the opportunity to subsequently terminate the contract, which they could otherwise only do once a year with a notice period of several months. Customers also have these options.
There are only very few pure bicycle insurances nationwide, as the claims often exceeded the corresponding premium income, i. H. the insurance companies suffered losses.
Official measures
As a preventive measure, a safety gain can already be achieved during town planning (e.g. municipal bicycle parking regulations) by creating or specifying the creation of safe parking spaces to which the bicycle can be permanently attached.
The police fight against bicycle theft mainly when looking for people with stolen bicycles. The bicycle identified as stolen is supposed to convict the user as the perpetrator, or at least as a suspect. If the checked bicycle has been assigned to a criminal offense (often reported against unknown persons), the bicycle is used as evidence and the last user is used as a suspect. In general the bike is using on the frame number subject-search checks whether the bike has been put up for investigation. Occasionally it is also possible to convict the perpetrator with the help of the additional code number.
Abandoned bicycles are also searched for by the police , as the presumption of theft is assumed. If the bike is not in the wanted inventory, it will be treated as a find . In addition, many municipalities carry out regular cleanups, i. H. Bicycles that are obviously abandoned or that are ready for scrap are collected and a note is left on site. They are kept for a period of six months and then used if the owner does not complain about his property. This can also be done for security reasons, for example if passages are impermissibly restricted.
Bike rental systems / bike rental
Urban rental bike stations with public bikes can also help avoid the theft of private bikes by reducing motivation. Around two thirds of bicycle thefts are so-called convenience thefts, which are committed solely for the purpose of currently using the bicycle and then storing it as a supposedly ownerless.
Media and literary adaptations
In terms of film and literature, milieu studies on bicycle theft were staged again and again . The most famous is the classic of Italian neorealism Ladri di biciclette (German bicycle thieves ) 1948 by director Vittorio De Sica . A young man living in poor post-war conditions is stolen the bicycle he needed for the job found after a long search as a film poster sticker. Despite all efforts to get it back to support his small family, he does not succeed. Now, in the end, he steals a vehicle and is caught doing it. A cinematic revision of the same topic called Beijing Bicycle (China / France 2001, original title Shiqi sui de dan che , director Wang Xiaoshuai ) in a Chinese urban setting, filmed more than 50 years later, showed that similar conflicts are taking place all over the world. In literary terms, bicycle theft is often mentioned in glosses under “Miscellaneous” by correspondents from Amsterdam, Copenhagen or the city toll- reinforced London. While in the novel it only opens up a sideline as a retarding moment , in short stories it is occasionally enough for the main theme. A particularly impressive example is the story Don Camillo and the Bicycle Thief by Giovanni Guareschi .
There is a poem by Horst Tomayer called Tomayer's Little Bicycle Thief Neck Court Order , in which he insults the unknown thief from the perspective of a stolen bicycle owner and commemorates him continuously increased corporal punishments up to death.
The “length of stay” of unlocked bikes at various Munich squares was investigated by the SZ magazine. The time varied between several minutes and a few hours.
Web links
- Police bicycle codes in Berlin and elsewhere
- ADFC : How to protect yourself against bicycle theft
- Arguments for and against bicycle coding
- Study and publication: Prevention strategies for bicycle theft
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Police crime statistics. Federal Criminal Police Office, accessed on March 30, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Michael Tonry: Why Crime Rates Are Falling Throughout the Western World . In: Crime & Just. Band 43 , no. 1 , 2014, p. 5 (English, umn.edu [accessed June 6, 2019]).
- ↑ Full of business . In: Der Spiegel . No. 34 , 1989, pp. 51-53 ( online - July 9, 2009 , statistics 1988).
- ↑ Statistics from household contents insurers: Bicycle thefts at five-year high. General Association of the German Insurance Industry , July 13, 2015, accessed on July 23, 2020 .
- ↑ Technical guideline TR 6102-0911 "Recommended bicycle parking systems" PDF ( Memento of the original from January 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ADFC: ADFC-recommended parking facilities. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018 ; accessed on September 26, 2018 .
- ↑ Good protection doesn't have to be expensive. In: test.de. Stiftung Warentest, April 23, 2015, accessed on July 23, 2020 (bicycle lock test).
- ↑ Bike pass as an app. In: polizei-beratung.de. Police crime prevention of the federal states, November 18, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 .
- ↑ Bicycles insured around the clock. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 15, 2015 ; accessed on July 15, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Christoph Deike: Politicians have to do their homework ( memento of the original from February 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 18, 2015
- ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Information from the LH Munich - KVR (lost property office) )
- ↑ Statistical data from Copenhagen (Denmark) after the introduction of a Ciytybike ( Memento from January 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
