Every fifth Dane has nicked a bicycle

61,416 bikes reported stolen last year

Oct 23, 2014

More and more Danes have started carrying their bicycles up to their apartments out of fear they will lose them to nimble-fingered thieves on the prowl at night.

And with just cause as well, because a YouGov survey for the insurance company Alm Brand has revealed that almost every fifth Dane (17 percent) has stolen a bicycle at some point in their lives, although most contend that their thievery days have long since passed.

“I don't think the cycle thieves think about the consequences for the individual and society,” Mikael Sundby, the head of marketing at Alm Brand, told Metroxpress newspaper.

“They probably just think it's a replaceable bicycle. But it's not peanuts that society loses out on this every day – losing one's bicycle is so frustrating for the victims.”

Not high on police's list of priorities
An Aarhus University law professor, Sten Schaumburg-Müller, underlined that while it is certainly irritating and costs society millions, bicycle theft isn't necessarily a serious crime that the police needs to prioritise.

Last year, 61,416 bicycles were reported stolen nationwide and Danish insurance companies had to fork out 200 million kroner to customers who had their bicycles stolen.

The police revealed earlier this year that only about 1 percent of all bicycle thefts are solved.

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