More bicycles stolen, fewer thefts reported

Bicycles of 5 percent of the Dutch population were stolen in 2008. Only one in three victims reported these thefts to the police.

People living in towns and cities were affected more by bicycle theft than people living in villages. In very highly urbanised municipalities, 8 percent of inhabitants had their bicycles stolen, compared with 5 percent on average in other municipalities. Victims of bicycle theft in who live in cities report these thefts to the police less often. Only 26 percent of bicycle thefts in very highly urbanised municipalities were reported, against an average 37 percent in other areas. 

Forty-five percent of people report the theft in the hope of getting their bicycle back. Half of bicycle thefts are reported via the internet, both in urban and in rural areas.

Bicycle thefts reported by urbanisation rate, 2008

Carin Reep