Hotel bike thefts spur warning from North Bay police

North Bay police are warning cyclists to take extra precautions after two bicycles were stolen from vehicle-mounted racks at local hotels.

Police in North Bay are urging cyclists to take extra precautions to protect their bicycles from being stolen – this messaging comes following two recent bike thefts at hotels in the city where bikes were mounted on a vehicle rack.

Barry Klus, the owner of Cheapskates, a sporting goods store on Main Street, recommends bicycle owners use a sturdy lock to protect their bike from theft.

“There’s different levels of locks you can buy. But you have to spend some money to get some really solid locks that will be difficult to get to get into,” he said.

Police said that bikes left unattended on car mounts are attractive targets for thieves.

In a news release, the North Bay Police Service encouraged cyclists to remove their bikes from the rack and store them in a secure location whenever possible.

“People that don’t lock their vehicles, they’re going to get their car ransacked,” Klus said. “People who don’t lock their bikes, they’re going to be gone.”

Police advise storing bicycles indoors overnight

Police also recommended travellers staying in hotels to ask reception if bicycles are permitted inside their room.

In two recent overnight incidents, victims had their bicycles mounted on vehicle bike racks and locked while staying at North Bay area hotels, but the locks were cut and bicycles stolen.

“The best locks generally are U-locks. They’re harder to get through and I know I personally . I had to get through one a while back and it took me about ten minutes with the saw to get through the shank itself,” Klus told CTV News.

Police moreover encouraged cyclists not to leave their bikes unattended on a vehicle overnight, record the bike’s serial number and take a current picture of it to help ID it if is stolen. Officers also said to report any suspicious activity involving bicycles or bike racks to police.

CAMSafe program seeks registrations

Police added that if you have security cameras on your property, you can help the agency in future investigations.

“Sign up for CAMSafe to help the North Bay Police Service build a database of security camera locations in our community. CAMSafe only requests basic contact information and camera locations,” police said in the release.

If a crime occurs in your neighbourhood, officers will request to view the footage from your cameras.

By signing up, you are under no obligation to provide footage, and the police service does not gain access to or control over your security cameras. Further, residents can withdraw from the initiative at any time.