Paul Rudolph received a surprising phone call from the Victoria Police Department last week.
He was told that they had found his bike, just hours after Rudolph reported it missing in the first place.
B次元官网网址淚t was pretty amazing,B次元官网网址� Rudolph said. B次元官网网址淚 was elated.B次元官网网址�
Rudolph, who manages Fairfield Bicycles, said heB次元官网网址檚 never had a car and always commutes via bicycle. Three of his bikes were stolen from the storage unit at his downtown residential property sometime between Wednesday night and Friday morning.
B次元官网网址淭hey must have gotten in through the back door of the building, which is a heavy metal door with high-security keys,B次元官网网址� Rudolph said. B次元官网网址淭he bikes were half-way up a 60-foot set of stairs in a closet that wasnB次元官网网址檛 locked up, because we didnB次元官网网址檛 expect it to be stolen.B次元官网网址�
By Wednesday, the VicPD found two of the three stolen bicycles, at a value of $4,000. Another bike and a bike trailer are still missing, but Rudolph is hopeful.
The returns are part of an increased effort by VicPD to return stolen bikes after a long list of complaints came forward.
B次元官网网址淪tolen bikes easily out trump stolen money from banks or stolen vehicles,B次元官网网址� said VicPD spokesperson Bowen Osoko.
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Since patrol officers adjusted their strategies on Jan. 21, more bikes than ever have been returned to rightful owners, with five returned in the first 24 hours alone.
B次元官网网址淚 have never seen five bikes returned in one day before,B次元官网网址� said Osoko. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a return value of $10,000.B次元官网网址�
Osoko added that one bike was valued at $5,000 while the rest were between $1,000 and $2,000.
Patrol officers are taking more time to speak with any suspicious people with bikes, and are being more proactive about posting stolen bicycles to the popular Facebook group B次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�
Additionally, VicPD is strongly encouraging people to register their bikes with the police in case itB次元官网网址檚 ever stolen.
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B次元官网网址淧eople can print off a form and drop it off, and it makes it a lot easier to find them later,B次元官网网址� Osoko said.
Rudolph echoed OsokoB次元官网网址檚 recommendation, saying that anytime people purchase a bike at his shop he gives them a registration form. He also recommended parking bikes in public, visible spaces when out and about, andto use chains or locks versus cables to lock them up.
VicPD is also advising people to check up on their bikes in the winter months, even if they think their bike is safe in storage.
B次元官网网址淲e called up a student recently who also didnB次元官网网址檛 know his bike had been stolen from a storage locker, and it was worth $2,200,B次元官网网址� Osoko said.
People can learn more about registering their bikes at
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