Bike Thieves Beware

In the bicycle-filled Netherlands, police use GPS-equipped bikes as bait for thieves.

1 minute read

March 12, 2004, 6:00 AM PST

By Peter Christiansen


In a country with more bicycles than people, there are naturally going to be bike thefts. In Amsterdam, capital city of the Netherlands, nearly one in ten bikes is stolen every year. This year, police will release bicycles with GPS transmitters in an attempt to track down where professional thieves take them. One anti-theft organization says that 40% of bikes are stolen by professional thieves, 30% by drug addicts needing a fix, and 30% by impulsive (often drunk) thieves, often because they need to get home after their own bike was stolen.

Thanks to Peter Christensen

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 in CNN

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