CYCLISTS are more likely to have their bicycles stolen in Oxford than almost anywhere else in the country.

The city has one of the highest rates of claims according to Halifax General Insurance, which has ranked Oxford fifth in a national league table.

According to the Halifax, based on figures from insurance claims, bicycle theft has increased nationally by 9.5 per cent since 2001.

The highest ranking place for bicycle theft is Kingston-upon-Thames, followed by Greater London, Cambridge, Bristol and then Oxford.

High-tech tracking devices and alarms are being fitted to cycles by police in a bid to halt the rising number of bicycles being stole.

The city's dedicated Cycle Crime Team, based at St Aldate's police station, is also being expanded from one to four officers.

Alongside more conventional methods, the team will use 'trap cycles' fitted with tracking devices, and covertly alarmed cycles to give officers an extra edge when conducting operations in bicycle crime hotspots, such as East Oxford.

Sgt Nick Garside, who heads the Cycle Crime Team, said: "The sheer number of cyclists and bikes within Oxford does give the criminals here opportunities and over the last year there has been a slight rise in the number of bikes being stolen."

The use of trap cycles was welcomed by James Styring, a spokesman for Oxford cycling group Cyclox.

He said: "I think this is a fantastic idea and Cyclox fully support the police, because bike thefts are costing cyclists half a million pounds a year, and the number of claims means that insurance premiums are going up."

In May last year, the first dedicated officer was appointed to co-ordinate and investigate cycle thefts.

The new team will consist of a sergeant and three officers, supported by a number of analysts from the Autocrime Unit.

They will also be able to call upon other plain clothes officers to support them in specific operations and investigations.

Traditional hotspots for cycle crime in the city centre are around Magdalen Street and Broad Street.

However, with the increase in CCTV cycle thieves are becoming more wary and new areas are developing.

The Cowley Road and Iffley Road and the adjoining streets are seeing an increase in the number of thefts, mainly from outside people's homes.

It is estimated that 20,000 cycles enter and leave the city centre each day.

There were 2,056 cycles reported stolen in the Oxford police area between April 2004 and March 2005, and this increased last year to 2,107 thefts.