{"id":4781,"date":"2025-08-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/?p=7306083"},"modified":"2025-08-07T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T19:00:00","slug":"crime-of-opportunity-spike-in-bicycle-thefts-in-kelowna-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/4781\/crime-of-opportunity-spike-in-bicycle-thefts-in-kelowna-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Crime of opportunity&#8217;: Spike in bicycle thefts in Kelowna this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s summer and people are out riding their bikes, so thieves in Kelowna are taking advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RCMP are asking people to be extra careful because of the uptick in bike thefts across the city, according to a press release from police issued, Aug. 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past six months the number of bike thefts have been far higher than they were last year. Weekdays and daylight hours are when bike thieves are most active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thieves have been targeting bikes in parking lots, streets and public parks, especially if they aren\u2019t properly locked in a visible area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBicycle theft is a crime of opportunity,\u201d Kelowna RCMP media liaison officer Cpl. Allison Konsmo said in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThieves are often looking for quick access and minimal resistance. We\u2019re encouraging all cyclists to always lock your bike securely, choose well-lit areas, and report any suspicious activity immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police are advising people to use a high-quality U-lock or heavy duty chain. Lock bikes in well-lit high-traffic areas. Store bikes indoors or in locked garages if possible. Take photos of your bikes and record serial numbers as well as register it with an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/project529.com\/garage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online bike registry like Project 529.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s also a free bike valet service in downtown Kelowna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe all have a role to play in keeping our community safe,\u201d Cpl. Konsmo said. \u201cBy staying alert and taking preventative measures, we can reduce theft and help ensure that Kelowna remains a safe place for cyclists and all members of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/ac3d883595614326b9071fbc49ccc251\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here for more tips for keeping your bike safe<\/a>, and bike thefts can be reported to the non-emergency line at 250-762-3300 or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ocre-sielc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca\/kelowna\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThieves are often looking for quick access and minimal resistance.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":547,"featured_media":4782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"","source":"","byline":"","published":"","updated":"","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":null,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1285,492,493],"tags":[],"region":[206,207,208,209],"class_list":["post-4781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-local","category-topnews","region-kamloops","region-kelowna","region-penticton","region-vernon"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"post_modified":"2025-08-07T12:00:00","post_modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T19:00:00","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-hd-mediaitemid66410-4960.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/547"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4781"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=4781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}