In the Lepel district, 13 road bicycle thefts were committed in the first 11 months of 2019 (compared to 7 in 2018), which is 6 more than the previous year. A suspect has been identified in 10 cases (compared to 5 in 2018).
By location of commission: 3 road bicycle thefts were committed from streets, 1 theft in a forest area, 4 thefts in apartment buildings (entrances), 3 thefts from private houses, and 2 thefts from shops.
In the town of Lepel, 7 thefts were committed, 5 in rural areas, and 1 outside populated areas.
The main reason for committing this type of crime in most cases is the carelessness of citizens themselves.
Nowadays, a wide variety of bicycles can be seen on the streets: from modest to multi-speed sports models. Cyclists leave their "iron horses" near shops, building entrances, shopping pavilions, and at night – on the stair landings of apartment buildings. Of course, this does not leave criminals indifferent and prompts them to commit theft.
Such incidents are not isolated. Many urban bicycle owners, after riding on the streets, do not bother to transport their iron horse into their apartment or onto the balcony, believing they can store bicycles in the entrances of residential buildings, and leave them on the stair landings near their apartments.
Attention should be drawn to such citizens that they are thereby violating fire safety regulations. The storage and placement of furniture, property, and personal belongings are prohibited on evacuation routes, which include common areas of residential apartment buildings. Bicycles belong in a garage, a shed, or inside an apartment.