Published Article

HeadlineBike-jacking in north London on the rise, cycling groups say

Short HeadlineCyclists hit by several 'bike-jacking' attacks

StandfirstIn the last five weeks there have been seven attacks on north London cycling groups, leaving many fearing for their safety.

Gangs of motorcyclists are increasingly attacking cyclists for their bikes on major cycling routes in north London, local groups have told City News.

This act has become known as “bike-jacking”.

With recent inflation in high-end bicycle prices, there is an increased value in selling stolen bikes.

Bike thieving in London has reached extremes, as motorcyclist gangs violently mug cyclists as they ride.

There have been seven attacks in the last five weeks on north London cycling group Regent’s Park Rouleurs members.

The group believes the criminals are aware of their cycling patterns which are target areas for high-end bikes.

Member Simon Fox was attacked early on Monday morning.

“(There were) Three guys on one motorbike. One of them pushed me and grabbed my bike whilst another kept pushing me and telling me to empty my pockets.”

Two other members were attacked in Barnet on Saturday morning.

“The driver was shouting at me increasingly aggressively ‘get off your f*****g bike you c**t’ over and over again,” says Alex Percival.

After contacting the police, Alex received a message saying that no further investigation could take place.

“I found it pretty disheartening that the police put little effort into the investigation. I’ve heard of cyclists being shoved off and threatened with machetes recently. This is an increasing problem which doesn’t seem to be slowing down.”

Sean Epstein, the chair of the group, is personally trying to tackle the situation due to a frustrating lack of police cooperation.

“We do not feel we are being taken seriously. We have seen no increased police presence or evidence that the problem is being tackled proactively. No one other than us is joining up the dots between these attacks and taking action accordingly.”

When approached by City News about the reports, the Metropolitan Police said: “To combat robberies, we have specialist teams of both uniformed officers and plain-clothed detectives who focus on responding effectively to reports of robbery.”