The Netherlands' secret pastime: Bike theft

By Thomas Burmeister Oct 21, 2010, 4:06 GMT

Amsterdam - Nowhere in the world are there so many bicycles per capita as in the Netherlands. And nowhere else in the world are so many bikes stolen. There appears to be no simple and effective solution to the problem.

Piet Hein Donner for years has been one of the Netherlands' top politicians, but in one way he is a very average citizen: He rides a bike to work and twice his bike has been stolen.

The last theft occurred after he left his bike in a heavily guarded government garage. This surprises no-one in the Netherlands. Despite all efforts by the police and other organizations, bicycle theft still plagues the country and has even become a secret pastime.

The Netherlands is a cyclists' paradise with more bikes - 18 million - than residents - 16.6 million - and thousands of kilometres of bicycle paths. Cyclists are safer there than in any other country in the world. But the bikes themselves are not. In 2009 nearly 900,000 were stolen, according to the Dutch cycling association.

'Nowhere in the world are more bikes stolen than here,' a Dutch newspaper stated. The reasons for this vary dramatically.

'This is almost like an addiction,' said a young Amsterdam man who calls himself Jan de Kampioen, or John the Champion. He is in fact a champion in cracking bicycle locks, particularly those made in Germany.

'Excellent quality, but they flaunt in their ads that they are thief-proof. It's a real provocation,' Jan de Kampioen said. Lock design hardly matters to specialists like him. They assert that nothing can stop them: Locks made of steel cables or iron chains, rigid U-shaped locks and the type of lock that blocks the wheel with a ring.

Scores of tricks on how to refine one's technique can be found in internet chat rooms. The information about bike theft available in such forums is astounding. It's also quite amazing to read how thieves justify their actions and how accepted the theft motives are.

'Hello, people,' reads one such message from a user identified as MVC. 'Just had another bike stolen. Have to steal one back. Any tips?' The question receives a wave of responses. A psychology student in Amsterdam explained that Dutch cyclists believe they have a right to everything.

'Perhaps it's been passed down from the good old squatter era,' she said.

Initiatives to curb bicycle theft are started in the country over and over again. Some occasionally work. Police have had success in smaller communities using cameras posted over certain area as long as someone in the police department monitors the film.

Many cyclists who own expensive bikes have them marked with a code that is all but impossible to remove. The codes are registered on the internet and when these bikes are spotted at flea markets or on sale at second-hand shops, they are confiscated.

However, when a bike isn't worth that much to begin with, such efforts are usually too much for the owner.

'Your bike is gone? Steal one back for yourself,' is the usual reaction of friends.

The Dutch have a way of laughing off the problem. A well-known bad joke, for example, describes the 'cheapest method for acquiring a bike.' It takes a bit of courage, but it goes like this: Confidently approach a group of students with bicycles, hold out your hand and say, 'That's my bicycle!' At least one of them will be shocked and will let his bike fall and run away. Then all you have to do is pick up the bike, get on and casually cycle away.

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