Bikes and e-bikes worth £100,000 have been stolen from homes and business in Tayside in the last six months.
Police are now warning owners of high-value bikes to be aware after the latest thefts of e-bikes worth thousands of pounds.
They are advising people to increase the security of their bikes by registering them at a national data base.
Pitlochry theft
Three bikes valued at a total of £13,500 were taken during a break-in at a garage at a property in Pitlochry overnight between April 8 and 9.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “We are asking the owners of high value bikes and e-bikes to be mindful of security as £100,000 worth have been stolen from homes and business premises in the last six months in the Tayside area.”
He added: “This includes a break-in at a garage at a property in Pitlochry between 11.30pm on Friday April 8, and 10.30am on Saturday April 9.
“A Santa Cruz Bullet E-bike, valued at £7,000, a green and yellow Giant Trance E-bike worth £4,000, and a black Giant mountain bike worth £2,500 were taken, along with spare batteries and chargers. Enquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible.”
Heart-breaking
Sergeant Rob Southern said: “Theft can be heart-breaking for bike owners, especially those who have spent a lot of money on top of the range equipment.
“E-bikes in particular are a target and I am urging people to take the security of their property seriously.
“Marking and registering it is vital. Many of these bikes are recovered but we cannot return them to their owners if we don’t know who they belong to.”
Anyone with information about the theft of bikes should call police us on 101, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Bikes should be registered
Police say to help combat this kind of theft and to make sure bikes are returned to their owners when recovered, owners need to mark their property and register details free of charge at the national bike register database www.bikeregister.com/
The spokesman added: “In addition, it is important that bikes are stored in a secure place and we recommend that if they are in garages or sheds the frame should be locked to a fixed object, such as the floor.”
