NCJ Number
78967
Date Published
1977
Length
105 pages
Annotation
The proceedings of the 1977 conference for police officials in high-level management on prevention of bicycle thefts are presented.
Abstract
Although bicycle theft receives little publicity in the mass media, it is the single most common crime in the Federal Republic, with the lowest clearance rate. In 1976 the damages from bike thefts amounted to 16.5 million German marks in North Rhine-Westphalia alone. As bike thefts pose no physical danger to citizens and involve little 'criminal energy,' certain individuals favor decriminalization of the offense. But this seems unwise because of the significance of bicycle thefts as an entry point for juveniles into criminal activities and the increase in such thefts by drug addicts. For this reason, special attention should be devoted to reduction of thefts. To this end, a number of papers by police officers and officials treat factors related to bicycle thefts. Specific topics include the nature and prevalence of bicycle thefts, the increasing use of bicycles as a means of improving city traffic patterns, bike and motor bike thefts from the perspective of insurance companies, and possibilities of cooperative efforts with lost-and-found offices. Also covered are bicycle thefts and prevention measures in the Netherlands, special units for control of bike thefts in Muenster and Krefeld, and means of preventing bicycle theft as illustrated by the case of one police beat. Summaries of discussions and a summary of meeting results are furnished. For individual articles, see NCJ 78968-71.