Concerns over British Transport Police policy on investigating bike thefts

Fears have been raised that British Transport Police’s approach to investigating bicycle thefts could give the green light to thieves operating outside the area’s railway stations.

BTP’s assistant chief constable Ian Drummond-Smith made national headlines after he told BBC Radio 4 that the force has set a two-hour cut off period for examining CCTV footage of bicycle thefts.

He said officers do not have the time to wade through hours of footage and the force is operating with ‘finite resources’.

The force’s policy on investigating bicycle thefts has led to concerns over locations such as outside Maidenhead Railway Station, which has previously been labelled as ‘the bike theft capital of Europe’ by ward councillor Gurch Singh.

This week, he told the Advertiser: “Setting an arbitrary two-hour limit on CCTV is effectively giving thieves the green light.

“Commuters are leaving their bikes at the station all-day long and they’re effectively being abandoned by the system. If we want people to travel sustainably, they need to know their property will be protected and it won’t be written off as a low priority.”

“In towns like Maidenhead, we’ve seen how repeated thefts have eroded public trust. The cameras are there, the evidence is there, the only thing that’s missing is the will to use it.”

The cycle racks outside the town’s railway station have faced long-standing problems with bicycle thefts in recent years.

Maidenhead Riverside resident Tara Sutthoff returned from a trip to London to find her bicycle had been poached back in 2022.

She told the Advertiser: “It really can affect your confidence and make you feel quite vulnerable. Your bike is something that perhaps you’ve spent a lot of money on.

“I know people that actually haven’t gone back and replaced their bicycle (after it being stolen) and they’ve given up.

“I just bought an older bike from cycle hub and scrawled my name all over it.”

Council-operated CCTV covers the facility but the location of the bike racks (to the side of the station forecourt) has left some residents unsure of whether to report thefts to British Transport Police or Thames Valley Police.

When Tara reported the theft of her treasured bicycle, Thames Valley Police said the theft fell under the jurisdiction of British Transport Police as it had occurred at the railway station.

She called for police forces to focus more on prevention and said by apprehending bicycle thieves, officers could potentially unearth wider criminal rings.

Martin Richardson, a member of Windsor, Ascot and Maidenehad Active Travel Group added: “Two hours is not really a long period of time and many users would expect to be able to leave their bikes safely for the day while they’re at work.

“I think the policy undermines public confidence in secure cycle parking and it risks deterring people from choosing sustainable transport.”

He said the force’s approach to investigating bicycle thefts also risked hitting lower-income residents who rely on cycling and public transport.

In response to criticism of its crime screening policy, British Transport Police issued a statement refuting claims it has effectively decriminalised bicycle thefts.

A spokesperson said: “BTP records all cycle crime reported to the force and considers all viable lines of enquiry when an offence is reported.

“If it is available we will review around two hours of CCTV footage to try to identify the incident, but it is not proportionate to review longer periods as it keeps officers from being available to respond to emergencies, visibly patrolling railway stations and trains, investigating crimes with identified lines of enquiry or which cause the most harm to victims – such as violent or sexual offences.”

The force said it is looking to work with train companies to improve its identification of suspects and is exploring other ways it can manage its investigations.