Cyclists commuting into London boroughs of Islington and Westminster seem to be more likely to have their bikes stolen. According to data released by the Metropolitan Police, those were the boroughs where a largest number of bicycle thefts were reported during February.
On the following map, each borough was painted with a colour representing the amount of bicycle thefts that were reported to the police during that period:
Bike thefts reported in February (Adapted from: Jolly Janner)
Boroughs:
1) City of London; 2) City of Westminster; 3) Kensington and Chelsea; 4) Hammersmith and Fulham; 5) Wandsworth; 6) Lambeth; 7) Southwark; 8 ) Tower Hamlets; 9) Hackney; 10) Islington; 11) Camden; 12) Brent; 13) Ealing; 14) Hounslow; 15) Richmond; 16) Kingston upon Thames; 17) Merton; 18) Sutton; 19) Croydon; 20) Bromley; 21) Lewisham; 22) Greenwich; 23) Bexley; 24) Havering; 25) Barking and Dagenham; 26) Redbridge; 27) Newham; 28) Waltham Forest; 29) Haringey; 30) Enfield; 31) Barnet; 32) Harrow; 33) Hillingdon.
Transparency:
The raw data used on this map are available on this Google Spreadsheet. You might also get access to further data on the Metropolitan Police’s web-site.
Prevention:
There are some simple tips you might follow to protect your bike from potential thieves. Check what we published before on this subject:
Why should I register my bike?
How can I properly lock my bike?
Glad not to live in Central london!
Surely you travel to Central on a bicycle and lock it up somewhere…