The ordinary “Bait Bike” that’s equipped with a hidden GPS transmitter has been increasingly used in the Netherlands by a growing number of municipalities as a way to nab bike thieves. This happened recently in Drachten where a bait bike was stolen twice in one evening.
But also cargo bikes seem to be an object of desire for thieves. Exact statistics are not yet available but an indication of the extent of theft can be obtained from last year’s figures, when in the space of one month 67 cargo bikes were stolen in two Amsterdam city districts. This is the reason why the Centre for Bicycle Theft has recently deployed a cargo bait bike. In the meantime this tactic has been adopted by several other municipalities. Results of this initiative will be published shortly.