Canary wharf cyclists warned of rising thefts

He said: “There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that bike crime is under-reported. Just by going out and talking to cyclists you find people don’t tell the police they have been a victim of this crime because they believe nothing can be done.

“And if figures have gone from six to 12 in Limehouse we know the whole picture is likely to have gone up.”

Limehouse ward runs east of Canary Wharf to Westferry. Police assure workers and residents that overall crime in the borough of Tower Hamlets is falling, but with the rising price of bikes, thefts of this sort are becoming more attractive.

Sgt Brown said there were ways to protect against the crime and urged any bike owner to register at one of Limehouse’s bike marking schemes run by police officers.

He said: “If we know enough about the bike and come across one in suspicious circumstances or in a stop and search then we can check it out.

“This is why cycle marking is important. It helps us compile a good description of a bike and note reference marks.”

The Limehouse team will be holding their next bike marking day on Tuesday (July 1) at Dundee Wharf on the Thames Path.