Bike theft in Victoria is trending down, says Victoria Police Chief Del Manak.
During his quarterly presentation to Victoria council Thursday, Manak noted 451 bikes have been reported stolen through the first week of November, suggesting the numbers are dropping from last year, when there were 551 reports of stolen bikes.
“It’s actually encouraging to see where we’re at with bike thefts,” said Manak. He added, however, that bike theft is always under-reported, since many people don’t expect to get their bikes back.
Bike theft in Victoria hit a peak in 2015 with reports of 857 bikes stolen.
Manak said people are now more vigilent, as bikes can often cost thousands of dollars and are often cyclists’ only source of transport. Awareness has also increased, he said.
“People, I think, are attuned and aware of proactively preventing bikes from being stolen.”
Manak also credited the City of Victoria’s free bike valet service near Centennial Square, which allows residents to check their bikes and other personal mobility devices for free while downtown.
Manak was also upbeat about the state of downtown during his presentation, calling it safe and vibrant and saying the department is continuing with foot patrols and deploying more resources in the core.
“Is it perfect? No,” he told council. “It’s not perfect, but it is safe, it’s thriving and people are coming downtown.”
The department’s calls for service remain high, he said.
In the third quarter of 2023, there were 10,297 calls for service, a slight drop from the same quarter in 2022, when there were 10,383, though it’s an increase from the second quarter this year, when there were 9,218.
Manak said calls typically jump in July, August and September.
He said the department is again dealing with a strain on its resources due to calls that require the attention of many officers and, in some cases, emergency response teams, as well as protests.
Those kinds of calls, staff shortages, injuries and sickness have led to an increase in overtime costs, he said.
Manak said the department has been focusing on prevention and early intervention for officers.
The department has added an in-house psychologist, instituted annual wellness checks and requested the addition of a re-integration officer to help members get back to work, he said.
