Vancouver – VPD officers working in the Downtown Eastside have helped re-unite a stolen high-end bicycle with its owner, after the bike was taken during a residential break-and-enter in North Vancouver last week.
A VPD Special Municipal Constable was patrolling near the Vancouver Jail, at Main and East Cordova Street, on March 6 when he spotted two suspicious people with a valuable Specialized road bike. The SMC stopped to speak with the people, who were unable to explain where they got the bike or what they were doing with it.
Although it hadn’t yet been reported stolen and wasn’t registered with Project 529, the heads-up Special Municipal Constable contacted a Specialized retailer, provided the bike’s serial number, and learned that the people in possession of the bike weren’t the ones that bought it. After making several more phone calls, the SMC tracked down the rightful owner, who was unaware that the bike had been stolen that week from their residence near Cates Park in North Vancouver.
“While we’re thrilled to have recovered this bike and are now in the process of returning it, most cases like this don’t have such a happy ending,” says Constable Megan Lui. “We recommend all cyclists register their bikes with Project 529 as an additional security measure to prevent theft, and to help police track their owners when bikes are stolen.”
The bike is now in the process of being returned to its owner.
