BIKE theft in Oxford has reportedly risen since lockdown, but police are fighting back.

The number of bike thefts has risen in Oxford in recent months, following the end of lockdown, with insurer Admiral reporting in May that more people across the UK had made claims for stolen bikes than in the same period last year.

At the same time, more people are taking up cycling, as the Government is encouraging people to not drift towards using their cars as frequently as before lockdown.

As Oxford City Council met on Monday (October 6), Green councillor Dick Wolff asked what was being done to help prevent bike theft.

Louise Upton, the council's cabinet member for a safer, healthy Oxford told him that the council was working alongside Thames Valley Police, British Transport Police and Oxford University to stop thefts.

There are now more cycle racks than ever in Oxford, allowing more cyclists to lock up their bikes.

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And the 'Bike Crime Partnership' between the council and other authorities is also calling for more people to list their cycles on Bike Register, an official database for the vehicles.

TVP is also spending £500,000 on stopping bike theft specifically in East Oxford, as part of a wider scheme called The East Oxford Safer Streets project.

Ms Upton also said: "Most crimes are rising following lockdown ending and we do recognise that Oxford has one of the highest bike theft rates in the country."

Oxford has consistently been ranked among the worst towns and cities for bike thefts in recent years, alongside Cambridge and parts of London.

A petition calling on the council to do more to help prevent bike theft was set up in August and ran until the start of October.

It gained 180 signatures in total.