Bike shops in Richmond are recommending cyclists invest in better security measures in light of the British Transport Police stating it may not review CCTV or investigate bicycle thefts if a cycle has been left unattended for more than two hours.
Police say the policy will allow them to prioritise more serious crimes and cases with stronger evidence, at a time when Richmond has suffered the most bike thefts at stations of any London borough since 2019, with 734 cases reported from 2019 to 2024.
Doug Addecott of Giant Cycles in Twickenham emphasised the importance of using a quality lock.
He said: “It doesn’t make a difference if there’s cameras, you should get the best lock you can afford.”
At Moore’s Cycles, a bike shop with branches in Twickenham and Teddington, staff suggested that only premium locks like the £250 Hiplok D1000 can guarantee protection from angle grinders and other tools commonly used to cut through bike locks.
But for Aidan Larsen, a worker at the shop, it is enough to have a better lock than the bikes you’re parked next to.
He said: “Our advice — as nasty as it is — is to make your bike look harder to steal than someone else’s.”
Larsen uses Kryptonite’s high-end yellow New York D-lock, which retails for about half the price of the Hiplok D1000 but for more than most other locks.
He said: “The cheaper black Kryptonite lock is still good, but thieves are going to go for that over the orange or yellow one.”
Larsen also advised that cyclists park in busy areas.
He said: “While it doesn’t deter criminals, it stops opportunistic people seeing you as an easy target.”
The manager of Moores’ Twickenham branch, who asked not to be named, said bike theft is a daily issue for their customers.
He said: “We get customers everyday who have had bikes stolen — some multiple times — even though they’re buying good locks.
“The invention of the angle grinder was not great for cyclists.”
At D&M Tools, a DIY shop in Twickenham, workers say that criminals obtain angle grinders for cheap on the black market.
One said: “It makes no sense to buy one from us for £350, when you can go to some dodgy market, grab one that’s clearly stolen for ten, twenty quid.”
The manager at Moores’ Twickenham even questioned the effectiveness of trackers.
He said: “We’ve heard of bikes that are tracked, but when they go to the police they aren’t interested in actually going to the property and retrieving the bike.”
He ultimately recommend getting insurance, alarms, and a high-quality lock.
Featured image credit: Salem Abu-Zayed
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