Vol. 567 No. 3
187 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the increase in bicycle theft; the measures he intends to introduce to reduce the theft of bicycles; the steps which are taken to return recovered bicycles to their owners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14171/03]
Reported instances of the theft of pedal cycles for the first three months of this year show an increase of 78% when compared with the same three months in 2002.
The Garda Síochána avail of every opportunity through school and college visits, community meetings and crime prevention leaflets to inform the community of the importance of security of pedal cycles. Garda personnel assist with identification marking of pedal cycles which subsequently facilitates identification of the owner if the pedal cycle is stolen and recovered.
Every stolen pedal cycle that is subsequently recovered is recorded on the PULSE system. This has proven to be a very effective aid to restoring pedal cycles to their owners.
