Police have arrested four men in two separate incidents this week for attempting to commit bicycle thefts on campus.
On Sunday, two men were arrested at the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Weyburn Avenue. The men were found to be in possession of stolen bikes, and one of the men was found with a coil lock that had been cut, according to university police reports.
The following day, two more arrests were made after a witness reported two men who were attempting to cut a bike lock. The incident occurred near the Engineering IV building, said UCPD Sgt. Robert De Francesco, who added that the incidents are unrelated.
UCLA has seen an increase in bike thefts since the beginning of this year, said UCPD crime analyst Kristi Godines.
While police have made arrests regarding bike thefts over the past year, the number of bikes reported missing has remained high, Godines said.
Last week, nine bicycles were reported missing on campus and in the surrounding area. Since Sept. 1 of this year, there have been 44 reported thefts, she said.
Tim Min, a fifth-year sociology student, rides his bike around campus every day. He uses a bicycle lock when he leaves his bike unattended.
The threat of bike theft is “always in the back of your head,” he said.
UCLA is a major target for bike thefts because there are many bike racks on campus, and suspects can easily blend into the bustling crowd of students, De Francesco said. Bicycles are also easy targets because they are very easy to sell on the Internet.
UCPD spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein said the increase in bike thefts may also be related to the economic recession.
Students should take proper security measures to prevent their bikes from being stolen, Greenstein said. One way they can do this is by renting out bike lockers from UCLA Transportation, she said.
The lockers can be found in Parking Structures 2, 5, 7 and the Center for Health Sciences, according to the UCLA Transportation Web site. Students can rent out the lockers online and have the lock combinations sent to their cell phones.
De Francesco advised students to invest in a good quality lock.
“Without a good quality lock, such as a chain or a good cable lock, it’s relatively easy for the suspect to cut the lock and easily escape with the bike,” he said.
To combat bike theft, UCPD officers are assigned to directed patrols, where two to three officers focus solely on monitoring bike racks and looking out for thieves, De Francesco said.
Police also rely on witness reports to catch suspects of bike theft.
Being a good witness is important to preventing bike theft, De Francesco said. The arrests made on Monday only occurred because a witness was at the location and reported suspicious activity, he said.