POLICE have warned residents who received bikes as Christmas presents to invest in good-quality locks to help deter thieves.
Professional gangs are cashing in on the city’s cycling boom, taking bikes from streets, common stairways and sheds.
Pc Janie Harman said: “I would encourage bicycle owners to think about security and to use strong D-locks, never leave their bicycle unattended without securing it and to park in well-lit areas covered by CCTV, if possible.
“I would also ask people to take a few minutes to register their bicycle details on a national register at www.immobilise.com.”
The number of bikes reported stolen in Edinburgh fell four per cent between April 2010 and last March compared with the previous year, from 1706 to 1635.
Last month, figures revealed that only one in ten bikes stolen by thieves in Lothian and Borders is recovered.
Between 2008 and 2010, 6047 bikes were reported as stolen in the area with just 627 being recovered.
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