nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Bike Theft in Galway

Dubhghaillix

How many people have had bikes stolen in Galway in the last nine months?

Mine was stolen yesterday from NUIG by a 6ft(ish) pale guy with a shaved head, wearing a bright red rain mac. He cycled up, broke the lock, and cycled off holding on to mine. He was with some other fcuker with black hair.

Anyway they were on CCTV, saw the whole thing inc. the guy's face, and I reported it to the Gardaí today. I was talking to the head of security and he said there've been hundreds of bikes stolen since september '09 alone. I've also seen a rake of bikes around the college that have been "chop-shop'd" (the wheels and brakes and seats taken off them, see photos attached). And that's just in the College. Does anyone know what the hell is going on here? Who is stealing all these bikes? Who is buying all these stolen bikes?

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

Dubhghaillix

JJayoo wrote: »

How hard would it be to set up a simple trap. Nice fancy bike left over night in the college with a tracking device hidden inside the frame. Its a handfull of sh1ts that keep taking bikes, they obviously store them somewhere.

Yeah exactly, a sting operation is what we need. Like they do with prostitutes on US Cop Shows.

Fuinseog

Dubhghaillix wrote: »

Yeah exactly, a sting operation is what we need. Like they do with prostitutes on US Cop Shows.

nobody really gives a **** around the college o your bike is at risk no matter where zou park it there. you have some security if it is locked to something that cannot be removed. college bar area is notorously unsafe for bikes

Steyr

JJayoo wrote: »

Cops are lazy fookers.

Far from it lad, i had mine stolen about 2 yrs ago, i spotted it in town locked to pole i comfirmed it was mine by serial number, told Gardai, they came up, took it, kept it and informed me that if someone claimed it as stolen they would sort it and if nobody claimed it then i could have it back, a few days later some guy claimed it was his bike that was robbed so he came back and tried to claim as his which it wasnt, so he got done for it, i had all the documents etc ( he had nothing ) to prove it was my bike ( Serial Number/Special Pump Ring for Air etc ). Well done to the Gardai.

harryd2

For the record I have a kryptonite mini, which the skumbags tried to cut through but failed, so they took my wheels.
Kryptonite replaced the damaged lock for free.
The skum can get through any lock with the right equipment, you just gotta minimise the opportunites they have, such as not leaving your bike unattended for long periods in the same place/time every day..

Fuinseog

Steyr wrote: »

Far from it lad, i had mine stolen about 2 yrs ago, i spotted it in town locked to pole i comfirmed it was mine by serial number, told Gardai, they came up, took it, kept it and informed me that if someone claimed it as stolen they would sort it and if nobody claimed it then i could have it back, a few days later some guy claimed it was his bike that was robbed so he came back and tried to claim as his which it wasnt, so he got done for it, i had all the documents etc ( he had nothing ) to prove it was my bike ( Serial Number/Special Pump Ring for Air etc ). Well done to the Gardai.

interesting. unfortunately most of us do not get any documentation when buying a new bike.
in some countries you register the serial no. of your bike with the police.

LadyMayBelle

Leaving college this eve around 7.30pm I spotted two young lads, 14/15years ish 'hanging' around the bike stand near Friars in the uni. Saw me looking at sort of walked away, but as I pulled out I checked the review mirror and sure enough they were at the bike fiddling with the lock. Rang Security** who were said they'd be up right away and thanked me for the call, but I hung around for three minutes and the lads obviously had no success got bored and walked off.. they probably aren't the masterminds behind most of the thefts but at least security are alert to it.

** Trying to ring Security wasted a good bit of time...first had to ring the uni and listen to commands, choose 'English' then say 'Security' and wait for them to answer...I really feel the college and security should pull together and encourage every student to have that number in their mobile in case of incidents like this or indeed other ones.. the five minutes it took me to actually reach security could be too late.

Pen Rua

I usually lock my bike up by Jury's, and it hasn't been touched yet, touch wood. A guy I know had his bike stolen by the Subway off Shop Street. He locked up the shop he works in around 11 at night, and cycled to town and left his bike by Lynch's [I don't know was it locked or not], went to Subway and got his sandwich quick [no one was ahead of him] and went back and his bike was stolen. The people from the night clubs claimed to have not seen anything. I heard at the Bish, a bike was stolen from the Nun's Island end.

NMoore

If you know anyone who lives in apartments with attached car parks in town, such as the Docks apartments, etc you could ask them for help? The apartments usually require key-codes or car-park fobs to get in, and the car parks almost always have an under-utilised bike rack. It's not foolproof, but provides an extra-layer of security, CCTV, and off-street parking for your bike in central, rain-proof locations.
PM me for more info...

PerrinV2

Fuinseog wrote: »

interesting. unfortunately most of us do not get any documentation when buying a new bike.
in some countries you register the serial no. of your bike with the police.

Ya I just a new bike recently,all that came with it was a owners manual,not really much prove of ownership if it gets robbed.

suolonatio

skumbags stole Falcon Arizona Ladies bike from outside apartment at Mevue Post Office. Taken between 7.15-10.15pm on Thursday 18th of Oct 2012. Got complacent using only curly crap lock and having a routine for them to spot. They even left a stick in the place where the bike is usually left which I didnt realise at the time but it was a marker for the bike to be taken by an organised bunch that regularly spot these oporunities. It will probably be sold now for cash in hand throught Donedeal or a Market of some kind. Gardai dont seem to know much about it. But they must have a regular sales mechanism, maybe even back to the shops. The bike is silver and sky blue like pictured.

evoke

you should try and get an article in the advertiser with a good heading

"NUIG bike stealing scandal. 1000 bike stolen since 2009"

that will get them doing some thing about it

Squeeonline

evoke wrote: »

you should try and get an article in the advertiser with a good heading

"NUIG bike stealing scandal. 1000 bike stolen since 2009"

that will get them doing some thing about it

yeah the university hates bad press.

I like the idea of setting a sting, but instead of tracking where they take the bikes, just jump out of nowhere and beat the fuukrs with clubs. Do that a few times, and bike thefts around the city will drop.

StonedRaider

colleague lost 2 bikes in the space or 11weeks outside our workplace. and they were both ****ty rusty cheapo €40 second hand bikes..

Daisy1985

My son's bike was stolen in Galway city on Thursday night...locked securely to a post in the city for a short while at night time. His friend's bike was stolen about 4 weeks ago just outside his residence also. Both bikes had strong locks on them and were in well lit areas. They also know of a few other people who have had their bikes stolen in the city and at NUI. Would love to catch the dirty thieves red-handed but where there's a will to steal, there's a way! I like 'Squeeonline's' idea of possible ways to deal with these damn bike thieves. I reckon they may be part of a bigger operation though I'm afraid.

dmcg90

NMoore wrote: »

If you know anyone who lives in apartments with attached car parks in town, such as the Docks apartments, etc you could ask them for help? The apartments usually require key-codes or car-park fobs to get in, and the car parks almost always have an under-utilised bike rack. It's not foolproof, but provides an extra-layer of security, CCTV, and off-street parking for your bike in central, rain-proof locations.
PM me for more info...

Worthless, had my bike stolen from there. The code to get in to Dun Aengus is well known around town, and anyone can walk in after a motorist. Want to not get your bike robbed? Keep it in your house, if about keep two locks on it and keep it inside after 6pm.

StonedRaider

Set up a bait bike maybe:D

Sponge Bob

StonedRaider wrote: »

Set up a bait bike maybe:D

Ideally with a pipe bomb built in in case the bike is 'handled carelessly'

Seaneh

Maybe set up a few bait bikes with spy-bike gps chips in them, leave them around town, wait for little pricks to go for them and then follow them to their gaff, odds are more than a few of them will end up in the same place...

http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/Spybike.jsp

muppetkiller

Re-posting this with faces removed.
Saw these guys down at the docks a few months ago and managed to snap them sneaking off. Cops were coming around the corner at the same time too so managed to get them to chase them, not sure if they were caught though.

dmcg90

muppetkiller wrote: »

Re-posting this with faces removed.
Saw these guys down at the docks a few months ago and managed to snap them sneaking off. Cops were coming around the corner at the same time too so managed to get them to chase them, not sure if they were caught though.

Question: It doesn't look like they have any equipment with them so how could they have robbed the bike?

antoobrien

dmcg90 wrote: »

Question: It doesn't look like they have any equipment with them so how could they have robbed the bike?

It looks like one of the bikes was poorly secured against something and was simply ripped away (the lock is still on the bike being carried).

muppetkiller

dmcg90 wrote: »

Question: It doesn't look like they have any equipment with them so how could they have robbed the bike?

The biked was just locked outside one of the Apartments (at the window I think) so it was a smash and grab. Lock still on the bike if you zoom in.

Seaneh

antoobrien wrote: »

It looks like one of the bikes was poorly secured against something and was simply ripped away (the lock is still on the bike being carried).

yeah, looks like someone just didnt bother anchoring the bike, just put the lock through the frame and back wheel so the lads could just pick it up and take it.

Looks like someone else got the saddle before, them.

:pac:

Stereomaniac

I have never had my bike stolen in Galway. However, I also have never stolen anything in Galway myself. If I was going to take something, I could think of a few better things to steal.

Squeeonline

muppetkiller wrote: »

Re-posting this with faces removed.
Saw these guys down at the docks a few months ago and managed to snap them sneaking off. Cops were coming around the corner at the same time too so managed to get them to chase them, not sure if they were caught though.

They are caught in the act of commiting a crime. Name and shame. Show their faces, post them on facebook. Get people to help identify them, then break their legs/burn their houses down.

Ok the last bit might be a bit extreme, but if you've ever had a bike stolen you won't feel that way.

inisboffin

Seaneh wrote: »

Looks like someone else got the saddle before, them.

:pac:

Sometimes people take the saddle in as a deterrent. If they did, looks like it didn't work in this case!

muppetkiller

Squeeonline wrote: »

They are caught in the act of commiting a crime. Name and shame. Show their faces, post them on facebook. Get people to help identify them, then break their legs/burn their houses down.

Ok the last bit might be a bit extreme, but if you've ever had a bike stolen you won't feel that way.

I had originally posted it with faces and was asked to remove them. Until Proven in Court we can't really post it up for legal reasons

Squeeonline

muppetkiller wrote: »

I had originally posted it with faces and was asked to remove them. Until Proven in Court we can't really post it up for legal reasons .

apt username

charlie_says

Ever since the government introduced the subsidized bike to work scheme, there are loads of really nice and expensive bikes around nowadays. I heard (in the pub mind you!)that the bike theft rate more than doubled in Dublin since this scheme was introduced.

If you cycle to work or to college try to bring it in with you and find somewhere stealthy to lock it up, service areas have worked well for me in the past, just make sure it isn't in the way then no one will be bothered by it. I would never leave my bike out locked to a bike stand for the day, it's not worth the risk and potential cost of repair/replacement.

Also leaving it in town overnight is a big no no if you don't want to cycle after a few pints, savages kick them for laughs. My girlfriends bike was destroyed locked up outside Fr. Griffin Road Supervalu, 3 different groups of lads attacked it during the night on CCTV

:(:(

Make sure you have a record of the serial number and make and model and definitely report it if it's nicked or damaged, the cops do get some of them back and the more crime reported pushes them to do something about it.

antoobrien

charlie_says wrote: »

Ever since the government introduced the subsidized bike to work scheme, there are loads of really nice and expensive bikes around nowadays. I heard (in the pub mind you!)that the bike theft rate more than doubled in Dublin since this scheme was introduced.

It's true, mine was stolen out of the (locked) back yard of my house and I know of several people that had decent/good bikes stolen. Co-incidentally we all bought them from the same shop.

The theft situation got so bad in the that the business park I work, the management company had to send around emails to all the tenant companies to get people to properly secure their bikes.