Police recover over $70,000 worth of stolen bikes in ByWard Market
The Ottawa Police Service has recovered 56 stolen bikes from the ByWard Market area, valued at approximately $71,050.
A new bike initiative run by the OPS D Platoon team conducted the recovery efforts between mid-May and mid-October.
In a news release on Tuesday, police say 32 of the 56 stolen bikes, valued at $42,600, were returned to their owners in person. 24 bikes, valued at $28,450, were found abandoned by police and their owners are still being sought.
29 of the 32 bikes returned to their owners were registered through the 529 Garage app or identified by police using the Stolen Bikes Ottawa Facebook group. The other three bike owners were identified through police reports.
Police said in 2021 that about 1,000 bicycles are stolen city-wide every year. Between 2016 and 2021, over 5,000 bikes were stolen, worth an estimated value of $3.3 million.
"During the pandemic, Ottawa has seen a record number of bike thefts, driven by their increasing value and unmatched versatility," said acting staff sergeant Evan Hung, who led the OPS bike initiative.
"Social media platforms, including Facebook and specialized platforms like 529 Garage, have proven to be an asset for law enforcement and bike owners."
Ottawa Police say they use digital tools to connect with the community, including sharing of key bike descriptors, to allow residents to play a role in the recovery of stolen bikes.
The D Platoon team also conducted a bike theft survey with the victims of thefts encountered through the initiative, which will be shared in the coming weeks.
Cylists can register their bikes on the 529 Garage app to let thieves and potential future buyers know the bike is registered to help police locate and return the bike if it’s stolen.
Victims of bike theft in the city can make a police report online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Celine Dion performs at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Beloved Canadian icon Celine Dion made her much-anticipated appearance during the closing of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before Jasper can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes "for several weeks."
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Canada's Christine Sinclair: 'We were never shown drone footage'
Canada soccer great Christine Sinclair said on Friday national team players were never shown drone footage during the more than two decades she was on the team, following a spying scandal that cast a shadow over the Canadians at the Paris Games.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn $146,000 for water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six figure water bill.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are 'standing and intact,' including its iconic main lodge.
She couldn't stop thinking about the guy she met at the Athens Olympics. Then a message from him changed her life
Omaira Gill grew up counting down the days to each Olympic Games. She wasn’t especially sporty, so she ruled out the prospect of competing pretty early on. But she still harboured Olympic dreams – even just spectating would do.