Almost every urban dweller has known the sting of finding just a broken lock where their bike used to be. Well, North Vancouver RMCP got one back, after a catching a suspected bike thief in the saddle.
According to police, a woman reported her $4,000 mountain bike stolen from the back of her vehicle’s locked rack in Deep Cove on Monday. Shortly after, patrol officers spotted a man riding the suspected stolen bike near Cates Park. Matthew James Hurren, 22, of no fixed address has now been charged with one count of possession of stolen property and one count of theft under $5,000.
Sgt. Peter DeVries, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman, said police do what they can when it comes to tackling bike theft, which has been on the rise in 2019, but he added owners have to make sure bikes serial numbers are logged and registered. And thefts have to be reported promptly, as most bikes are chopped for parts within hours of being stolen.
“When we see a known bike thief with a bike or some bike parts, we will stop and question them,” he said. “The problem is, even if we are highly suspicious that it might be stolen, if the owner hasn’t reported it to us along with the serial number, or taken the time to engrave identity markings on the main components, there’s nothing we can do. We have to let them go on their way. It’s frustrating.”
