42 of 1,414 stolen bikes were recovered last year. (c) Gilles Demarty.
Less than three per cent of bikes reported stolen in Hackney were recovered by the police last year.
Only 42 of the 1,414 bikes reported stolen last year were found, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
Haggerston saw the most offences last year with 263 reported thefts – of which only five were recovered. The second worst hit area was Queensbridge where there were 197 offences and just six recoveries.
Brownswood was the least affected ward, with only 19 reported incidents, just ahead of Springfield, 20, and King’s Park, 21.
The figures will be a blow to the police who have made a concerted effort to tackle this problem.
Last year saw the launch of the Hackney Cycle Crime Unit to some success as the two-man team recovered nine high-value cycles – worth approximately £6,000 each – in just three months.
Yet the figures suggest that police are still failing to catch and punish thieves after only 26 people were charged last year.
The City of Westminster, Islington, and Camden were the only London boroughs to have more bikes stolen last year.
In total there were 21,263 bikes stolen in the capital in 2010 – down from 23,177 the year before.
