It only took six minutes for a bait bike planted by Victoria police to be stolen and a Victoria-area man has now been arrested in connection with the theft.
VicPD’s crime reduction unit deployed the bait bike in the 1800-block of Store Street at approximately 12:46 p.m. on Oct. 26. Minutes later they recovered the stolen bike, tracking it to the 800-block of Johnson Street where a man was arrested shortly after.
The man had a warrant for his arrest for charges unrelated to the bike theft and was held in custody overnight. Officers are recommending charges of theft under $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
Bike theft is one of the most common property crimes in Greater Victoria. Hundreds of bikes have been recovered since the launch of the bait bike program in late 2016. In an effort to curb bike thefts in Victoria and Esquimalt, VicPD launched the proactive approach as a way to see bike thieves in the community charged.
If your bike is stolen, VicPD asks that you log the theft online at vicpd.ca/bike-registry.