A cycling group accused the police of ‘victim blaming’ in an online spat over bike crime.

It was sparked by an item on new on-street cycle parking places to be decided by Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for Transport Management Andrew Gant at a delegated decisions meeting last week.

A fierce debate broke out on X/Twitter after Thames Valley Police raised a concern that encouraging more bikes would increase bike crime.

Responding to an online consultation, a traffic management officer said: "Any measures that would bring more cycles into the city without adequate crime prevention would cause the police further burden."

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He went on to say the on-street parking bays should be "placed strategically under observation from a CCTV camera" which "would be more suitable, but still not ideal".

Oxfordshire Cycle Network posted: "Astonishing victim blaming by Thames Valley Police here. Concerns about cycle parking because they might encourage people to bring more cycles into the city, encouraging more crime. What next? Matthew Barber do you have any grip on this?"

Hitting back Police and Crime Commissioner Mr Barber replied: "Extraordinary that anyone would object to the police calling for crime prevention measures to STOP people becoming victims of crime!

"This isn’t victim blaming. This literally says that if the plans go ahead they should be designed with crime prevention in mind. Surely everyone would want new infrastructure to come with crime prevention at its heart."

Joining the debate Charlie Hicks, Labour and Co-operative county councillor said Mr Barber's position was "totally ridiculous and illogical".

"What else would Barber suggest in the name of crime prevention? Don't buy houses to prevent burglary? Don't use phones to prevent thefts? This is classic two-tier policing from a police force that doesn't care about road safety," he said.

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Mr Gant also remarked on the police concern while approving the bike racks at Brasenose Lane, Ship Street, Queens Lane, Leopold Street, Observatory Street and South Parade.

"You might feel that crime prevention is a matter for TVP but there you go," he said, adding that CCTV was a matter for the owners of nearby buildings.

The cycle parking is being funded by Oxford City Council but will not have cameras.

A spokesperson said: "CCTV is not included within this phase of cycle rack installations. By providing additional dedicated cycle racks, we are installing more locations to secure bikes, despite significant constraints on local funding. 

"To further reduce the possibility of theft, cyclists are also advised to use Gold Standard ‘Sold Secure’ locks, ideally two. D type locks are generally recommended as being more secure than cable locks."