Cyclists in South Africa are easy targets for criminals as they often have very expensive kits and few means of security on the road.
With modern bicycle prices stretching from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of rands, syndicates are starting to see them as a way of making money that is easier than stealing a car or a motorcycle, according to Neil Robinson, CEO of the Pedal Power Association (PPA).
In an interview with Cape Talk, Robinson said these criminals understand what brands are worth, and which names are more premium than others, and they are targeting specific areas where they know the pricier bicycles are more abundant, whether it be in “Cape Town, Pretoria, Joburg, PE, you name it.”
As a result, cyclists in South Africa are falling victim to thieves more frequently than ever. Just in the last month, nearly 100 incidents of cyclists being attacked were reported, indicating that the illicit bicycle trade is “becoming a market,” said Robinson.
The majority of the bicycles that are stolen or hijacked from right under their rider go to shady scrap metal dealers, who in turn sell them to contacts outside of South Africa, but if they are not that sought after, they may also be turned into scrap metal.
See something, say something
The PPA urges citizens whose bicycles have been stolen to report the incident to the police rather than staying quiet, as there have been many owners who were past victims of this crime but didn’t notify the authorities and didn’t receive a case number.
This makes it much more difficult for groups like the PPA and SAPS to establish the modus operandi of the criminals and track them down.
“We really urge cyclists to report these incidents so we can actually start making a proper tracking trend of what’s happening out there because we get these reports all the time, we have a hotline at PPA, and we really encourage them because the only way to stop this is by lobbying with government and the policing service, so actually we’ve got a huge compromise,” said Robinson.
“If we don’t have the reports, we can’t have these conversations.”
The PPA also implores cyclists to ride in a group whenever possible to avoid becoming an attractive target for bad actors, as even the biggest, strongest riders pedaling solo have stood no chance in the past against a team of criminals dead-set on taking their wheels.
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