About Bike Theft / The Problem / Bikes Are A 'Hot' Product

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Bikes are VALUABLE: Components 25% RRP, entire bicycles 10% RRP.

Lack of effective registration and high demand for bicycles makes them easily DISPOSABLE.

Everyone ENJOYS cycling and ‘sporty’ bikes are twice as likely to be stolen.

Bikes are AVAILABLE because millions of bikes are on the street or in sheds up and down the UK.

The term ‘hot product’ is widely used to describe those items most likely to be stolen by thieves. The British Home Office uses the related acronym C.R.A.V.E.D, coined by the criminologist Ron Clarke (1999), to describe the features that elevate an item’s risk of theft, as follows:

Concealable, Removable, Available, Valuable, Enjoyable and Disposable

Like typically stolen items such as cash and mobile phones, bikes too are a good example of a 'hot product'. Their monetary value and ease of transport provide an attractive target for bicycle thieves. Johnson, Sidebottom and Thorpe (2009) describe how bicycles fit neatly into the CRAVED framework.

Poorly locked and self-mobile means easily REMOVABLE.