The Leader of the Liberal Democrats is calling on the Met Police to ensure that bicycle theft does not become “decriminalised” in London, by urgently establishing a dedicated unit to tackle the issue.

Kingston MP, Sir Ed Davey is calling for the creation of ‘Operation Bike Bait’ to tackle the ongoing bike theft epidemic in London.

Visiting Wimbledon alongside its Liberal Democrat MP Paul Kohler, Sir Ed rode bikes and picked litter as he outlined his concerns about bicycle theft in London.

The Liberal Democrats say they’ve analysed Home Office data which shows that in the 2024/25 financial year, 142 assailants were charged or summonsed by the Metropolitan Police, out of a total of 15,557 cases. This means that over 9 out of 10 bike theft cases went unsolved.

The Lib Dem’s proposed bike unit would work with police forces to carry out targeted operations, planting bicycles fitted with trackers in theft hot-spots so officers can catch offenders and uncover wider criminal networks. It would also coordinate the collection and sharing of intelligence and best practice across forces, helping to build a national picture of bike theft and improve the policing response.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey says:

“Sadly, bike theft has become effectively de-criminalised, both here in Wimbledon and across London, and I’m shocked to see that fewer than 1 in 10 cases are actually solved.

“Thousands of victims are being failed, whilst criminals get away without any consequences.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for ‘Operation Bike Bait’, a dedicated unit that can work closely with local forces to tackle this spiralling problem.”

Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon Paul Kohler says:

“Whilst we have had fun this afternoon riding bikes and picking litter here on Wimbledon Common, there is a very serious message behind today’s story.

“This Government is not taking this theft epidemic seriously enough, and in failing to truly address the problem, they are neglecting local communities.

“People deserve to feel that if they’re a victim of a crime, justice will be served.”

A spokesperson for the Met said:

“We recognise the impact of bike theft and understand the disruption it has on victims. It is costly and can cause huge inconvenience.

“Please rest assured we will investigate all crimes which are reported to us, as well as carrying out extra patrols and operations across London as appropriate.

“As part of the Met’s summer crackdown, we have been working with partners to tackle crime impacting our town centres and high streets and increased police and partner activity in hotspot areas.”