Gardaí disrupt gang linked to spike in bike thefts in north Cork

Gardaí have disrupted a gang they believe were behind a spike in bike thefts in north Cork.

They have recovered several bikes which were believed to have been stolen for quick sale - one is valued at around €3,500 - and they also recovered suspected cannabis and cocaine with a street value of around €3,000 during the same search operation.

One man has been charged and files are being prepared in relation to two other men who were arrested during the course of the operation.

Gardaí had mounted a number of extra patrols in the Mallow area following a spike in bike thefts, particularly from the Castlepark area of the town in recent weeks.

At around 1.30am on Sunday, gardaí on patrol in the town stopped and searched a car in the Castlepark Avenue area.

The driver, a man in his 20s, was arrested and charged in relation to road traffic offences.

He has since appeared before the courts.

The stopping of that vehicle led to the identification of a 'property of interest' in the town.

Acting on foot of a search warrant, gardaí later searched a house at Maple Square in the town and seized five bicycles they believed had been stolen in the town in recent days.

Suspected cannabis and cocaine with an estimated value of €3,000 was also seized during the search and will now be sent for analysis.

Two men, one in his 20s and one in his 30s, were arrested at the scene and taken to Mallow Garda Station where they were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 for questioning.

They were later released without charge and a garda spokesman said files in relation to the investigation will be prepared in due course for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Crime Prevention Officer Sgt John Kelly reiterated the advice contained in the garda bike security campaign, ‘Lock It or Lose It’ launched late last year in a bid to raise awareness of the need for better bicycle security.

"We would advise that you spend 10% to 20% of the value of your bike on two locks and lock your bike tightly to an immovable object, or lock your bike indoors or in well-lit areas if possible," he said.

"Take a photo of your bike, note the serial number and email it back to yourself so you have a record of it forever.

"I would also ask that anyone who has had their bicycle stolen recently and has not reported it to Gardaí, to do so.

"We regularly post photos of bicycles we’ve recovered on the Garda website www.garda.ie to try and reunite them with the owner."

Many of the bikes stolen in the Mallow area recently were taken from unlocked sheds.

Figures released last year show that more than 14,000 bikes worth an estimated €2m have been stolen since 2016, with 83% stolen in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway.

Just over half of all bikes were stolen on public streets, with almost a third stolen from homes. The average cost of a bike stolen is €510.

Garda data also shows that your bike is most likely to be stolen between 8am and 5pm, with bike thieves most active on Fridays.

Of the 14,000 or so bikes stolen since 2016, only 16% had the bike frame numbers recorded by their owners.