By Alicia Harris
With bike theft a concern for many Ottawa residents, local police say their “bait bike” program has been very successful in catching bike thieves in Centretown.
Sgt. Rolly Campbell, of the Ottawa Police’s Central West Neighbourhood Squad, says the project has police conduct surveillance on decoy bikes set up in areas with bike theft problems.
Drug addicts will resort to theft and prostitution to support their habits, Campbell says. These individuals may also steal bikes either to use as transportation or to sell for drug money.
He says the program comes in response to issues brought up by their crime analyst, as well as concerns and crimes reported by the community.
Bike theft is a priority for Ottawa residents, says Campbell, citing the 2006 Public Survey on Policing Services Report that places bike theft in the top five neighbourhood concerns.
Forty seven per cent of those surveyed responded they were either concerned or very concerned about the issue.
In a one-day blitz on Oct. 10, eight individuals were charged with a total of 19 criminal offences, and police also retrieved 17 grams of cocaine, a sum of money, five bikes and some stolen meat, according to an Ottawa Police Service news release.
He adds most of the arrests were made on Lyon Street North between Gladstone Avenue and Somerset Street West.
He says police caught one individual trying to steal one of the decoy bikes who had two large bags containing about $100 in steaks. Police say these were taken from a grocery store near the intersection of Bank Street and Somerset Street West.
This is the second time the program has been run, says Campbell.
There was another two-day blitz in May 2006 that resulted in 32 charges against 10 individuals and retrieved a stolen car, 10 grams of crack cocaine and $690 in cash.
Campbell says police retrieved the cocaine and cash in the October sting, and the stolen car during the May surveillance days.
Police caught those suspects because they were spotted in the surveillance area rather than because they were trying to steal the decoy bikes.
Even those who kept away from the decoys managed to catch the attention of officers conducting surveillance, Campbell says.
He says police concentrated on sections of Bank Street, Somerset Street and Gladstone Avenue during the two runs of this program.
Charles Akben-Marchand, president of Citizens for Safe Cycling, says he has twice been a victim of bike theft, including last summer when his bike was stolen from inside the organization’s office near the Bank and Cooper Street intersection.
He says he thinks the program is a great idea and will help fight bike theft by adding an extra deterrent.
“Actually catching people while they’re in the act is a good way of solving that crime,” says Akben-Marchand.
“If they stole one bike, it could be very well that they’ve stolen many others.”
While the program specifically targets bike theft, Campbell says this type of offence is a “spinoff crime” often related to bigger issues like drug houses in the areas where they occur.
Marilla Lo, member of the board of management of the Somerset Street Chinatown Business Improvement Area, says she is happy to see police responding to issues such as bike theft and prostitution.
“It extends a warning to people,” she says. “I think that’s excellent.”