New data has revealed the areas of Swindon you are most likely to have your bike stolen.

The data taken from the Wiltshire Police website documents the number of reports of bike thefts across the town from January 2023 to October 2023.

From March to September of the same year there were 250 reports of bike thefts in the town, but just 18 arrests, according to a response to a Freedom of Information request which the Adver received from Wiltshire Police.

This is an arrest rate of seven per cent.

The data provided reveals that the hot spots for bike theft mainly correlate with popular shopping destinations.

Swindon town centre has experienced the highest amount of bike thefts. Greenbridge Retail Park and areas in West Swindon have also experienced a higher number of bike thefts compared to the rest of the town.

The data shows there also appears to be a rise in thefts during the summer period with the number of reports of bike thefts more than doubling from April to May and then staying at a similar level across June, July, August and September.

Acting Inspector Winter, based at Gablecross Police Station in Swindon, said: “We appreciate how upsetting it can be to have your bike stolen.

“As the weather gets warmer and more people are out on bicycles, we would expect to see an increase in bike thefts.

“We are also aware of the hotspot areas, which tend to be where there are a greater number of bicycles, and we regularly perform targeted patrols of these areas to provide community reassurance.

“There are a number of things that cyclists can do to help keep your bike secure. 

“We run regular bike marking events across our neighbourhoods, which are advertised on our social media pages.

“Bike marking is an effective, visible deterrent to bike thieves as they know that if they’re caught with a registered bike, the owner can be traced from it.

“If you are out and about, the most important thing you can do is to double lock your bike, one of which should ideally be a D-lock. Thieves are less likely to carry multiple tools so use different types of lock if possible.

“Lock the frame and both wheels to a secure cycle stand, ideally in a recognised secure cycle parking that’s well lit.

“More bike theft protection advice is available on our website.”