How a police sting uncovered £130,000 worth of stolen bikes and cut thefts by 90%

Police discovered more than £100,000 worth of stolen bikes at a warehouse in East London

A police sting operation, which involved tracking a stolen 'bait bike' through the streets of London, lead officers to a haul of around £130,000 stolen cycles.

Local bike thefts have fallen 90% over a three-month period since the City of London police operation caught the criminal gang behind the stolen bicycles.

A bicycle fitted with a tracker was stolen in November 2020 and then police traced it to a warehouse in East London.

Police recovered 57 other bikes at the warehouse - being used to dismantle and dispose of the stolen bikes - valued at around £100,000.

Members of the bike stealing gang were caught on CCTV dismantling stolen bikes at a warehouse in East London

CCTV footage caught the gang entering the warehouse on a daily basis and some pulling the bikes apart.

The mastermind behind the bicycle stealing ring, Louey Baldwin, was seen on the footage handing over angle grinders, a common tool used to steal bikes, to the thieves.

Seven members of the gang were sentenced to prison or received a suspended sentence, earlier in February.

Baldwin was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail.

The bike haul is thought to be the single largest recovered by the City of London police force.

Another 21 bikes were found at the home of Suleyman Akram, 30, who has been jailed for two years and six months for selling stolen bikes on auction websites.

During the gang’s criminal spree in August 2020, there were 68 reported bike thefts in the City and following the arrests the number of reported bike thefts in January 2021 fell to seven.

Last year, on average, there were around 19 bike thefts a month, considerably lower than when the gang was operating.

Louey Baldwin, 29, was jailed for two years and nine months for handling stolen goods. Credit: City of London Police

Police seized around £130,000 worth of bikes during the sting operation. Credit: City of London Police.

Detective Constable Matt Cooper, in the Serious Organised Crime Team at City of London Police, said: “The City of London Police has been working tirelessly to catch and bring bike thieves and their handlers to justice, employing technology and innovative techniques to limit their opportunities to commit more criminal activities.

“Today’s sentencing shows our dedication and work to achieve this outcome.

“This group stole thousands of pounds worth of bikes, and since their arrests we have had a significant reduction in offences reported as a result of the disruption to the handling mechanism in place for thieves targeting the City offences.”

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