Winnipeg police officers are chaining up bikes in public spaces — and waiting for them to get stolen.

In July, officers in downtown Winnipeg started using bikes equipped with GPS tracking devices to catch thieves in the act, and they hope the tactic will help deter would-be criminals.

"I'd like to see people that are stealing [bikes] to think about it twice, to wonder if we're actually sitting there watching you steal our bike," said patrol Sgt. Brian Chrupalo.

The program has been available to police for a couple of years, but this summer, foot patrol officers noticed a marked increase in incidents of theft.

Chrupalo, one of the officers deploying the bait bikes, said it's already helped him make a handful of arrests.

"We've been out about half a dozen times," he said. "We've had success almost every time."

So far this year, nearly 1,800 bikes have been reported stolen to police, with the Wolseley, Earl Grey and central St. Boniface neighbourhoods topping the list.

Winnipeg Police Service patrol Sgt. Brian Chrupalo says the first time he set up a bait bike, it was stolen within five minutes. (Holly Caruk/CBC)

Chrupalo, who is part of the Centreline unit that patrols downtown, has set up bikes near the Millennium Library and other high-traffic spots within the city's core.

"The first time we did it, it lasted about a total of five minutes with the bike being chained up."

Chrupalo said he wears plain clothes, places a bike in a known hot spot for thefts and waits for someone to take the bait.

"I'll literally ride the bike out to a bike rack, I'll chain it to the bike with a bike lock, and I'll get into a position where I can watch the bike," he said.

Police won't say how many officers are using the tactic, nor exactly where, but bait bikes can be used throughout the city.

Police will place these stickers on bike racks around the city to hopefully deter would-be bike thieves. (Lyza Sale/CBC)

Officers have a number of different bikes at their disposal and tracking equipment is hidden somewhere inside the bike.

"You won't know that there's any equipment in it. The last guy that we arrested, that was the first question he asked: 'Did I steal a bait bike?'" Chrupalo said.

Hundreds of stickers will show up on bike racks throughout the city over the coming weeks, letting thieves know one of those bikes could be a bait bike.

"Letting criminals know that we are in the area, we're watching. We may be watching today. If you decide to steal that bike, that may be a bad decision for you."

'Bit of a trap'

Not all bike-theft victims think bait bikes will help curb the problem.

"I don't think that a sticker is going to prevent any bikes from being stolen," Basia Sokal said.

Between them, Sokal and her partner have had four bikes stolen over the last 18 months.

Sokal has a car but prefers to get around on two wheels.

Most people who don't cycle aren't aware of just how bad the bike theft problem is, she said.

"I think it's actually much worse than people realize."

Basia Sokal would like to see the problem of stolen bikes become an election issue. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)

"The way that I got one of my bikes stolen is that somebody climbed the balcony, the third-storey balcony, to take my bike. That seems like a sense of violation to me even," she said.

Sokal has mixed feelings about police using bait bikes.

"I almost think that it's a bit of a trap," she said.

"The people taking bikes, I would like to think that a majority of them have mental health issues, addictions … a whole gamut of issues."

Police is our knee-jerk reaction to everything. I think we have much larger issues in the city that actually require police attention - Basia Sokal

Sokal would like to see stolen bikes become an election issue this fall, because property crimes in general are on the rise. Statistics Canada says the number of property crimes has increased annually since 2013.

"[It's] not just about bikes, but about safety in general, and that means safety for folks that can't access the social services that they need," she said.

It's up to elected officials to put policies in place that go after the root cause of the problem, Sokal said. She believes bike thefts are related to meth, addictions and mental health issues.

"Some of this crime will be reduced if we start addressing the root causes of some of these problems in our city," she said.

"Police is our knee-jerk reaction to everything. I think we have much larger issues in the city that actually require police attention."

Jeff Hobden is an avid cyclist and works at a bike repair shop in Winnipeg. He's happy to see police using bait bikes to deter criminals. (Holly Caruk/CBC)

Other cyclists are happy to see police addressing the problem.

"I honestly think it's a good idea. The people who are having their bikes stolen, they're everyday Winnipeggers," said Jeff Hobden, who works at a Winnipeg bike shop.

"Anyone who is caught by the bait bike program made a conscious decision to steal somebody else's property."

Hobden said he'd also like to see more spot checks of cyclists who are seen carrying bike parts or dragging a second bike behind them as they ride.

"While I do think that curbing crime needs to be a top-down approach primarily, at the end of the day, something needs to be done to discourage this type of behaviour in the community," he said.

Winnipeg police officers are using bike baits to make thieves think twice. (Holly Caruk/CBC)

While both cyclists are happy the issue is on police radar, they say many cyclists need to do more to combat the problem, like registering bikes and reporting thefts.

"The police can't actually do anything [without proof] and that's causing a divide and a frustration among citizens of this city and the police as well," Sokal said.

Is your bike registered?

Last year more than 2,300 bikes were reported stolen, but police say hundreds more go unreported.

Chrupalo said often bikes aren't registered and owners don't know their serial numbers or have paperwork to prove ownership.

"It's really important that people register their bikes," Chrupalo said.

"Because if we don't know whose bike it is when we recover it, it goes to bike recovery and then to the auction."

Last year the city auctioned off 672 bikes, slightly fewer than the average of about 718 over the last five years.

Sokal said her partner's bike was returned by police because it was registered and reported stolen, with a good description and photos.

"It's not impossible to be reunited with your bicycle," she said.

Since the city launched its online bike registry in April, nearly 1,900 bikes have been registered.

There's a one-time fee of $6.60 per bike and the city says the information will help them return your lost or stolen bike if it's recovered.

Police say a thief can cut through a bike lock in minutes with simple household tools. (Holly Caruk/CBC)

Sokal said people buying bikes also need to be aware that if they buy online, they could be buying a stolen bike and feeding the problem.

"A lot of people are oblivious to what's going on in our city."

The issue has changed the way she shops for bikes — she no longer buys them new.

"I went from a $2,500 bike being stolen, to a $1,200 bike, to an $800 bike, and now … I am potentially riding a stolen bike, because I purchased this bike for $200 from the police auction."