'There’s just so many little rats out there stealing bikes' - Guelph Police const. Bryan Dean

Sian Matwey was heartbroken when a bicycle she was planning to give to a friend was stolen from the fenced-in backyard of her her north end home last year.

“I felt betrayed that the city I used to feel safe in is no longer my safe haven. I felt afraid to leave my windows open at night,” said Matwey.

She’s not alone. In 2016 there were 424 bicycles reported stolen in the City of Guelph. In the first six months of 2017 there have been 213 bikes reported stolen.

That doesn’t include the 306 bikes last year and 171 this year recovered around the city that were never reported as stolen and it doesn’t include the hundreds of bikes and dismantled bikes police have found in break and enter investigations.

It has become a huge problem, as brazen thiefs enter backyards, porches and garages to get them.

“There’s just so many little rats out there stealing bikes,” says Const. Bryan Dean of the Guelph Police Service.

“They strip them down, they use them, they don’t use them, they sell them, they trade them. It’s ridiculous,” said the veteran officer.

They’re not always sold for money. Often they’re traded for other things. Bikes have almost become a currency on the street in some circles.

“They’re like like cigarettes in prison,” he said.

One thing is for sure, says Dean, and that is that there is a definite relationship between the increase in bike thefts and an increase in drug use in the city.

“There’s a definite correlation with the drug culture,” Dean says. “Intuitively, everyone sees that connection.”

There is little police can do to prevent bike theft, a lot of that is up to the bike owner.

“We can only advocate prevention,” he says.

Buying a high-end lock is the first step. Taking photos of your bike and writing down serial numbers as well.

“We see a lot of high-end bikes stolen and the owner didn’t even write down the serial number,” he said.

Dean said it’s also extremely important for people to report it if their bike gets stolen. At least then police have a better shot at reuniting bikes and owners if they are recovered.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to stop it (bike theft) but where we can make a dent is in returning as many bikes as possible back to their owners and if they report their bikes stolen, we have a better chance of doing that,” Dean said.