Victoria BC – Yesterday, VicPD officers recovered a stolen bait bike to the 800-block of Johnson Street and are recommending several charges against a Victoria area man.
On Thursday, October 26th, at approx. 12:46 p.m. the VicPD’s Crime Reduction Unit deployed a Bait Bike in the 1800-block of Store Street. Within approximately six minutes, the bait bike had been stolen. Officers were able to track down the stolen bike to the 800-block of Johnson Street where the bike was recovered and the man was arrested shortly after. The man had a warrant for his arrest on an unrelated matter and was held in custody overnight. Investigators are also recommending charges of:
-Theft Under $5000;
-Possession of Stolen Property Under $5000;
-Possession of a Controlled Substance; and,
-Two counts of Fail to comply with a Probation Order
The bait bike program was adopted by the Victoria Police Department in late 2016 to assist in preventing bike thefts as bike theft is still occurring in the communities of Victoria and Esquimalt. Bike thieves often disguise stolen bikes by painting, altering parts, spray painting, or otherwise disfiguring the bikes which makes it difficult for police to positively identify a stolen bike. VicPD continue to take a proactive approach by using the bait bike program in order to arrest and charge bike thieves in Victoria and Esquimalt.
Another tool to help you if your bike is stolen is to register your bike with us. For more information on our bike registry http://vicpd.ca/bike-registry
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