Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg (Benelux) and a neighbouring German state have outlined how they want to clamp down on bike thefts.
Every year in the European Union, around 1.3 million bicycles are stolen. In Luxembourg, no fewer than several hundred bikes are stolen every year. What’s more, the theft of electric bikes has risen by 30% in Europe in recent years. It’s a fast-growing phenomenon, perpetrated by well-organised networks that often operate across national borders.
The Benelux countries and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have now joined forces “to tackle the growing issue of cross-border bicycle theft in a structural way,” the Benelux Union said in a press release on Tuesday. “Through a joint strategy, the partners aim to accelerate investigations and significantly increase the chances of catching bicycle thieves.”
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Three concrete measures
At the Benelux Bike Day conference in Brussels, the partners presented a joint position paper containing three concrete recommendations to better combat organised bicycle theft:
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Speeding up investigations by harmonising police data;
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Strengthening police cooperation, “including joint inspections and investigations”;
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Interconnection of national bicycle registration systems: by linking systems such as the Belgian MyBike platform – which already has more than 130,000 stolen bicycles registered – to neighbouring countries, ownership can be checked more quickly.
“Bicycle theft is not a minor issue – it undermines public trust in sustainable mobility and discourages cycling,” stated Frans Weekers, secretary general of the Benelux Union. “By addressing this problem across borders, with shared data and police cooperation, the Benelux and North Rhine-Westphalia can truly make a difference.”
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Model for broader European strategy
The Benelux countries and North Rhine-Westphalia hope that this cooperation will serve as a model for a broader European strategy against bicycle theft.
On Bike Day, the Benelux secretary general handed over the joint position paper to the Luxembourg police, as Luxembourg currently holds the Benelux presidency.
(This article was originally published by Virgule. Translated using an AI tool and edited by Aaron Grunwald.)
