Two men have been charged following targeted activity tackling bicycle thefts in Swindon.
In response to community concerns, officers from the Swindon Neighbourhood Teams have been engaging in activity aimed at targeting theft of pedal cycles and, as a result of their actions, a number of stolen pedal cycles have been recovered.
On Thursday 12th Jamie Loveridge, 25, of Stenbury Close, was charged with theft of a pedal cycle from Swindon Town Centre. He has been bailed to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 1st September.
Yesterday Leandro Pinto, 18, of no fixed abode, was charged with theft of a pedal cycle, again from Swindon Town Centre. He has been bailed to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 15th September.
Sergeant Richard Fay, of the Swindon Central South Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “These arrests are just the start of our response to the increase in theft of bicycles currently being experienced across the town.
“As well as dedicated operations to target cycle theft, we have a number of crime prevention events taking place in the near future focusing on cycle security, during which we will be providing advice on how to keep your bike safe and also offering a bike marking service.
“These events are taking place at Swindon Train Station, Swindon town centre and Swindon North Orbital on Thursday 26 August as well as a further cycle crime prevention event taking place at the Buckhurst playing field in Walcot on Saturday 28th August.
“Please come along to these events and learn how to minimise the risk of your bike being stolen and discuss any concerns you have with our officers.
“We hope that by working with the community, we can tackle this issue together.”
To find out more about our upcoming cycle crime prevention events, keep an eye on the Swindon Police Facebook page.
If you’ve been the victim of a bicycle theft, you can report it online here – Report a crime | Wiltshire Police. Always call 999 in an emergency.
