More bicycle thefts in Giessen: City and police want to check more often

• ofKays Al-Khanak

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In Giessen, the number of thefts of bicycles has recently increased. In order to counteract this circumstance, the police headquarters and the city want to work more closely together.

From a perspective, the bicycle is becoming more and more important in Giessen. Many residents are already using their bikes to get around the city center quickly – including a large number of students. Politically, too, some parties want to give bicycles greater importance – keyword: bike lane on the ring road. The increase in bicycle traffic is accompanied by a higher number of bicycle thefts. The Central Hesse police headquarters are already observing this: If there were 359 bicycle thefts in 2019, last year there were a total of 429 such offenses. The trend is rising, as Police President Bernd Paul said on Wednesday at a press conference on the banks of the Lahn. There, the police and the city presented a cooperation aimed at reducing the theft of bicycles.

Mayor Peter Neidel says that bicycles are very popular in Giessen and “an important climate-friendly alternative to cars.” During the pandemic, it continued to gain popularity in the cityscape. In order to make cycling in Giessen safer, it is not only necessary to invest in the cycle paths. Neidel also mentions the expansion and improvement of bicycle parking facilities – as planned at the train station -, bicycle parking systems and the checking of found bicycles.

Bicycle theft in Giessen: Organized structures are often behind it

Police President Paul emphasizes that bicycle theft is not a minor offense. Organized structures were partly behind it. The perpetrators cannibalized the bikes and resold the material. He hopes that the cooperation with the city will be successful – especially against the background that some bikes are now as expensive as small cars and electric mobility opens up more groups for cycling. The clearance rate, Paul admits, is only in the single-digit range.

In order to counteract this fact, the increased cooperation was agreed, says the head of the Giessen police department, Joachim Bernard. “Whether the regulatory office, the federal police or we as the police headquarters: everyone did something, but not together.” That is about to change. The police, for example, want to reposition themselves: the processing of the reports is to be centralized. “For example, this makes it easier for us to identify series of thefts,” says Bernard. It also makes contact with bicycle or scrap dealers easier.

Bicycle theft in Giessen: Many bicycles are not locked

Kerstin Benner is the responsible clerk in the investigation team. She says a third of the bikes stolen in 2020 had not been locked. And in 57 percent of the cases there was no frame number. This would make the search much more difficult. The frame number would be important, for example, for an inspection. “We often have to let a suspicious person drive again because the frame number is not known in the police system,” says Police Commissioner Paul. For example, wheels could be coded by the authorities free of charge.

Bicycle theft in Giessen: Too few reports from the police

Another problem: some victims of bicycle theft did not report them to the police. Benner tells of a case in which an owner found his stolen bike on the Internet. It should be sold. The police then organized a bogus purchase from the provider – and were able to convict the thief. He had hidden four bikes at home. But there was only one complaint for two of them.

In the future there should be more frequent controls. If there is any suspicion, bicycles could be confiscated “with a sense of proportion”, says Mark Frackenpohl from the police. As with the Tuner and Poser working group, appropriately trained officials should specifically check cyclists with the support of the city. It should not only be about theft, but also about the ability to drive. Because many bikes would have major defects, says Frackenpohl. And once a month, the police go to a cyclist who is on the road with more than 2.5 per mille of alcohol in his blood.

Info: Police President Paul calls for helmets to be compulsory

Police chief Bernd Paul has appealed to cyclists to wear a helmet. It is difficult to understand why people would not protect themselves in traffic. “Convenience and vanity often come at a high price,” he says, referring to the serious head injuries that a cyclist without a helmet can suffer in an accident. Paul therefore calls for helmets to be compulsory.

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