HACKNEY IS STILL THE WORST BOROUGH in London for reported bike thefts in the last year. And that is from police data from November 2021 to November last year 2022.

Hackneyites are once again more than 10 times likelier than residents of Harrow, Bexley and Havering and other outer suburbs to have their bike stolen.

Here is the list, which many readers will notice is similar to those published annually: more than 50% of bike theft occurs in eight of the 32 boroughs. Hackney and Tower Hamlets are usually among the worst three:

• Hackney 1,869
• Southwark 1,812
• Tower Hamlets 1,760
• Camden – 1,567
• Westminster 1,564
• Hammersmith and Fulham -1,448
• Islington 1,268
• Lambeth 1,267

Criminal defence solicitor Nick Titchener, of Lawtons Solicitors, of  London, said that only 1.1% of all bike thefts led to a formal sanction. It was the same in 2020-2021.

Given that the likelihood of the police recovering your bike is — as with robberies from homes — minimal, make it easier to do the detective work yourself by having your bicycle details — eg, serial number  recorded by BikeRegister, which makes the stolen bike more difficult to sell. If, however, you see your stolen bike offered for sale on social media, do not confront anyone: tell the Metropolitan Police and demand investigation.

Loving Dalston asked the Met why is it still not taking bike theft in Hackney seriously. The force has not yet replied.

Hamish Scott 130123

* Photographs © [email protected], and for sale for reproduction. Bigger format versions are usually available.

* Backstory: Hit-cyclist-and-flee drivers in Hackney; Hackney cop sights the criminal faces

* Emboldened underscored words in most cases indicate a hyperlink, a reader service rare among websites. If a link does not work, it is probably because the site to which the URL refers has not been maintained.

* Links to articles in The Guardian do not imply any approval of the newspaper’s historic slavery links.