Local Police lend out bikes to victims of theft

Police in the coastal town of Veurne in Western Flanders has created a new scheme which loans bicycles to people who have had theirs stolen. Officers in the town will offer a bicycle on a week loan for those who report a bike theft.

The bicycle loan scheme was created to minimise the disruption caused to victims of bicycle theft and ensure they can still travel – people in Flanders use their bike for 1/7 of their daily trips. There is a stock of ten bicycles which have been developed by local students to include various designs and sizes.

Most thefts happen at the bike shed at the local railway station. This system will work until the bike shed is relocated to a new shed that is observed by security cameras.

75 bicycle thefts were reported in the area last year.