NORTHAMPTON — Northampton police are warning people to be mindful of their bicycles, as the department has investigated a number of bicycle thefts in the city over the last few weeks.
The NPD made the announcement via a posting on its Facebook page on June 19. The posting detailed that it had recently investigated six different bicycle thefts, two of which were of bicycles stored in unlocked parking garages. The thefts occurred on Barrett Street, Church Street, Garfield Avenue, Butler Place, Bratton Court, and Main Street in Leeds.
The post also detailed steps that residents can take to combat theft, including using a good bike lock; knowing the serial number, make and model of your bike; having pictures of one’s bike that can be added to a report; and reporting a stolen bike.
While some of these bikes have been recovered, others have not.
Since that post was made, two other bike thefts have occurred in Northampton, according Northampton Police Captain John Cartledge.
One of the thefts occurred at 155 Pleasant Street overnight on June 23, with the bike having been locked to a bike rack, according to Cartledge.
The other theft occurred on June 25 in the afternoon near Cook’s Dam in Leeds. Two bikes were locked to a tree there, with one of the bikes being stolen and the other having a wheel stolen, according to Cartledge.
Cartledge said that no arrests have been made in any of the bike theft incidents.
“It’s hard to say,” said Cartledge, on whether the thefts are organized or not.
Cartledge also said that this number of thefts felt like an increase, and that his sense is that summer is the season with the most bike thefts.
To prevent bike thefts, Cartledge suggests securing them in a visible area and bringing them inside if one is able. He also said that people should report suspicious activity around bikes to the police.
Cartledge said that patrols have been instructed to keep an eye out for bike-related activity.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.