March 6, 2012 12.32 pm This story is over 143 months old

Lincoln man charged over handling stolen bike

Bike theft: Ongoing efforts to reduce bike theft in Lincoln lead to the arrest and charge of a man with handling a stolen bike.

A 25-year-old man from Lincoln was charged with handling stolen goods in relation to a bike theft in the city.

Lincolnshire Police officers arrested Adrian Johnson of Yarborough Road in Lincoln on Monday, March 5.

He was charged with handling stolen goods in relation to a red Coyote mountain bike, which was stolen from Lincoln Bus Station on February 25.

Johnson was released on bail to appear at Lincoln Magistrates Court on March 23.

Lincolnshire Police recently introduced a scheme to help reduce the number of bicycle thefts, after a recent spike in thefts in the city.

In Lincoln alone, bicycle theft has seen around a 50% increase in the last three months, compared to the previous year.

Between April and November 2011, 1,832 bikes were stolen in Lincolnshire, a 14% rise on the same period in 2010.

The scheme is set up across west Lincolnshire and will introduce bike passports and encourage marking and microchips to ensure stolen bikes are returned to their owner.

While police have made arrests and recovered hundreds of bikes, a number are still unable to be returned to owners due to lack of information on the bike.

Call Lincolnshire Police with information on bike theft on 101, or call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Source: Lincolnshire Police