There’s been an increase in the number of bicycle thefts in Edmonton this year, and police are warning cyclists to ensure their bicycles are secure.

Police said by the end of July 2012, 304 bicycle thefts had been reported in Edmonton – but at the same time this year, that number had reached 392 – and many of those were reported in the downtown area.

This July alone, police said a nearly 30 percent spike in thefts had been recorded, and nearly all of those incidents were preventable.

“People are buying beautiful, high-end bikes that cost $1,000 or more, and they’re locking them up with $10 locks that can be cut off within seconds,” Const. Shawn Wruth said in a press release.

Police recommend cyclists use U-shaped locks, which are hard to cut, and if they’re locked around the bike frame and rear tire, prevent the theft of the frame and parts of the bike.

For added security, cyclists can replace the front-wheel release latch on their bike with a lock, securing all major parts of the bike.

In addition to the increased number of thefts, police said the recovery rate of stolen bikes is low.

“Bike parts don’t have serial numbers on them,” Const. Wruth said in a press release. “These parts or even the whole bike often end up on online classified sites.

“Even when a bike is recovered, the original owners have often lost the receipt, don’t have photos of the bike and don’t have the serial number, making it very difficult to positively identify the owner of the bike.”

Police said the bikes can also often end up in pawn shops, although the owner of a pawn shop on Whyte Avenue said he takes measures to make sure he doesn’t get involved in selling a stolen bike.

“I just don’t want the trouble with it,” Joe Treger said. “It’s a long process, we take people’s IDs, pictures and serial numbers and it goes in the system.”

Any bike thefts should be reported to police immediately, and the owner should provide a photo of the bike and serial number to police.

A report can be filed by calling the Edmonton Police Service non-emergency line at 780-423-4567 or #377 on a mobile phone.

With files from Ashley Molnar