Just under 7,000 bikes have been stolen across Ireland since the start of last year

The area with the highest rate of stolen bikes was Dublin South Central.

Gardaí have issued a warning after revealing there have been nearly 7,000 incidents of bike theft across Ireland from January 2020 to 23 April 2021. Dublin South Central had the most amount of bikes stolen, followed by other areas of Dublin, Cork City, Limerick, Louth and Wicklow.

An Garda Síochána is now urging the public to take extra precautions after recording 6,845 incidents of bike theft during that period.

Gardaí recovered 2,139 of the bicycles, but many cannot be returned to their owners as their serial numbers were not recorded.

Of the bicycles stolen, only one in every five bike owners were able to provide their bicycle serial number when reporting the theft, which Gardaí say "causes problems reuniting bicycles with their owners".

Gardaí are now encouraging people to spend 10% to 20% of the value of their bike on two locks, to lock their bike tightly to an immovable object, to lock their bike indoors or in well-lit areas and to keep the lock off the ground to help prevent thefts. They are also urging people storing their bikes at home in a shed or garage to ensure it is locked to an immovable object or another heavy item and to take a photo of the bike and serial number and email it back to themselves.

"We are appealing to all bicycle owners to ensure they lock their bikes as securely as possible when they are not in use," said Crime Prevention Officer in the Galway Garda Division Sgt Michael Walsh.

"Anecdotally, more people are cycling since the start of the pandemic and this is to be welcomed. Schemes like cycle to work offer great opportunities to those taking up cycling but it does mean people are investing in more expensive bikes.

"Take a photo of your bike. Note the serial number, which is located on the underside of your bike close to the pedals. Email the photo and serial number to yourself or store it on the cloud, so you will always have a record of it.

"If your bike is stolen, report the theft to Gardaí as soon as you can, and ensure you have your serial number to hand if you have it."

An Garda Síochána has a number of recovered bicycles at Garda Stations around the country which have not yet been claimed and photos of these bikes are available here.