Cyclists who have had bikes stolen might find them in the hands of the Nanaimo RCMP.
In recent months thieves have been stealing upwards of four bikes a day.
Those stolen bikes are often found abandoned in ditches, tossed off to the side of the road and are even found in a few residences when police are conducting other business.
Members store stolen bikes at Nanaimo RCMP detachment for up to 90 days while they try to reunite them with their owners.
Bikes that have not been claimed within 90 days are turned over to Nanaimo Recycling Exchange for resale or disposal.
To help return more bikes to their proper owners, two investigators have recently been assigned to deal with the ever-rising inventory of stolen bikes.
“The bikes currently stored at the Nanaimo RCMP detachment are being catalogued, serial numbers searched for ownership and significant markings noted for identification purposes,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman.
O’Brien added that charges have been laid recently against bike theft suspects, which has caused a slight drop in bike thefts, but that decline might also be due to colder seasonal weather with bikes being put away for the winter.
Anyone who has had a bike stolen is asked to call Const. Derek Segstro at 250-755-3193, Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Please have the serial number for your bike handy or information particular to your bike that can help identify it.