Usedom Island (dpa / mv) – Bicycle thefts are increasing again on the holiday island of Usedom. Last year, 390 bicycles were stolen there after 192 the year before, the police said on Monday. In 2019 – before the Corona pandemic – there were 609 and in 2018 even 719. The reason for the decrease during Corona was the controls for compliance with the protective measures, according to the police. According to the information, no figures are available for the current year.
The reason for the announcement was the foiled theft of three high-quality e-bikes with a total value of around 9,000 euros last weekend. A man called the police and reported seeing three men stealing. Shortly thereafter, the police officers arrested two suspects nearby and also found the bicycles. They did not find the possible third man.
According to the information, the proportion of e-bikes among the stolen bicycles on the German-Polish island is increasing. Of the 390 bicycles stolen in 2021, 161 were e-bikes – a share of 41 percent. In 2019 it was almost 30 percent and in 2017 only 5 percent. The police put the damage caused by bicycle theft on Usedom at 638,000 euros last year alone.
