The British Transport Police will not investigate many categories of bicycle theft, the BBC learns.

My lad’s bike was stolen from a train station a few months back. He’d left it there while he was at work. He works for longer than an hour a day, like many others.

This was the BTP’s response, so it’s kind of mad to see that it’s actual policy now.

Really makes you glad to pay the old national insurance and council tax, y’know?

  • Four_mile_circus@lemmy.ml
    0·
    1 year ago

    If it helps, I think bicycle theft is (mostly) a symptom of state violence.

    What I mean is, most people who steal bikes aren’t doing it because they want a bike. They steal bikes to resell them.

    Some people do it because they’re homeless, can’t get a job, and need money to live.

    Some people do it because they’re drug addicts, can’t function well enough to do a job, and need money for drugs.

    Some people just do it because they’re broke and it’s easy money.

    In other words, because of capitalism, because of capitalism, and because of capitalism.

    And all those people are willing to risk state violence (in the form of being arrested for theft) in order to get the money they need.

    Because, in general, those groups are already the subject of state violence in so many ways that they’re not deterred by more state violence. I mean, why the fuck shouldn’t a homeless person steal a bike? Because he might be arrested? He might be arrested for sitting on the fucking sidewalk minding his own business.

    When you risk arrest every single day just for existing in public, or for using the chemicals that big pharma prescribed to you, addicted you to, and then illegalized you for being addicted, the marginally greater danger of arrest from stealing someone’s bicycle doesn’t really make a big difference.

    Fix the fucking social safety net and bicycle theft will plummet.

    • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
      0·
      1 year ago

      Okay, but we aren’t going to fix the social safety net. Nothing ever gets fixed. So, since that’s never going to happen, this basically just means cyclists don’t have the same property rights as motorists.

      We already have fewer rights than anyone else on the road, now we have fewer rights off the road too.

      If they decriminalized car theft then at least it would be fair. This is just a way to ensure cyclists stay second class commuters. We aren’t even people to them, just annoying obstacles for motorists.

      • PowerCrazy@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        According to the article, BTP won’t investigate Car theft for cars being left more then 2hours.

        Any bikes stolen worth less than £200 will not be investigated, neither will car thefts if the vehicle has been left for more than two hours.

    • rautapekoni@sopuli.xyz
      0·
      1 year ago

      All of this is true, but I still have zero sympathy for bike thieves. Go steal memory cards from a supermarket or something, leave other regular folks property alone you fucks.

    • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      my father gave me a lesson like this when i was young when my bike was stolen and now i only buy bikes that can be folded up and taken with me everywhere i go.

      it’s also bizarre that train conductors/authorities still count it as a regular bike even though it doesn’t take up the same amount of room and a traditional bike.