Overview

• Bike thefts in Germany dropped slightly in 2024 to 245,900 recorded cases, but financial losses surged to a record €160 million due to high-value targets like e-bikes.
• Police in Mönchengladbach and Zwickau highlight evolving tactics, including swapping stolen bikes and breaking into private storage spaces such as basements and garages.
• In Zwickau, recent thefts involved high-value bikes, including an e-bike worth €3,000 and a mountain bike valued at €2,600, stolen from secured private spaces.
• Authorities recommend stronger preventive measures, such as robust locks, dual-locking techniques, garage reinforcements, and the use of GPS trackers for recovery.
• Clearance rates for bike thefts remain low at approximately 10%, underscoring the need for vigilance, bike registration, and reporting tools to combat theft effectively.