Yellowknife (Sep 29/06) - Bike theft is becoming a rampant problem in Yellowknife, according to Const. Roxanne Dreilich of the RCMP.

While police couldn't provide statistics to compare with previous years, the numbers of bikes being stolen are up, she said. The mountain of nearly 150 bikes accumulating in the RCMP parking lot since June certainly attests to that.

Doug Ritchie always makes sure to lock his bike now after nearly having his stolen a few weeks ago. - Erika Sherk/NNSL photo

"It's starting to take over the parking lot," she said, noting that some officers no longer have space to park their police cars.

Mostly, stolen bikes don't go far. They're often taken for a short ride and then discarded, said Dreilich.

The RCMP is planning a bike viewing Saturday, Oct. 7, so the public can take a look at the bikes and see if their own departed bicycle is one of the bunch.

Sometimes people don't get around to reporting stolen bikes, said Dreilich, but still have the serial number written down and can prove that a bike is theirs.

"It's a good amount of money we're looking at," said Dreilich, of the giant bike pile, "and we'd like to return them to their rightful owners."

However, if you don't have a serial number, proving a bike is yours own can be tricky, said Constable Maria Williams.

"Usually people can give you a specific description of the bike - a scratch by the front forks or a little sticker on it," she said, "and if it's personalized then we take their word for it."

The number of bikes disappearing in Yellowknife doesn't mean people are being irresponsible, Dreilich said.

"People are locking up their bikes," she said, "and thieves are cutting right through them."

Doug Ritchie of Ecology North had his bicycle stolen just a couple of weeks ago. He left it on his bike rack, unlocked.

"I thought that no one would touch it because it looked locked, so I took a gamble and I lost."

He walked out just a few minutes after his bike was stolen, he said.

"I spotted the guy and he was biking very slowly and I was walking very, very quickly," said Ritchie.

"I got within 20 feet of him and said 'hey! That's my bike!' and he just took off."

Ritchie couldn't catch up to him, but two people noticed his plight and helped him chase the bike thief down. "I was able to get my bike back. I was very, very lucky,"he said.

Wilf Schidlowsky is the co-owner of K and W Cycle. He said he has heard of many stolen bikes from his customers.

Bike thieves are getting brave, he said. They have equipment similar to what he uses in his bike shop, only battery-powered and portable.

"Locks are made for honest people," said Schidlowsky, "and unless you have double locks and triple locks on the bike...one lock isn't good enough."

When asked for bike safety advice, Schidlowsky chuckled. "Take it to bed with you," he said, "or get a big Doberman to stand guard over it."

In seriousness however, he said that it helps if you can lock your bike in a shed or garage. Or bring it into the house, but as he said, "who wants to do that all the time?"

After the Oct. 7 bike viewing, any unclaimed bikes will be fixed up at K and W Cycle and then auctioned off by the Rotary Club of Yellowknife.