Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Not To Catch a Thief

In Denmark the police are bored with the whole thing:

Cyclists who find their bike missing shouldn't expect much help from police however. Even though bike theft is the crime Danes experience most often, police have decided to dedicate resources to solving violent crimes such as rape and assault.

The priorities of police often leave citizens with a sinking feeling of hopelessness when they report their stolen bicycle, Flemming Bolvig, a professor of law at the University of Copenhagen, told Politiken newspaper.

‘The most notable damage is our confidence in our surroundings and to each other is reduced,’ said Bolvig. ‘The trust you have in strangers is what keeps society together. Bike thieves remove some of the glue that keeps society together.’

Balvig went so far as to say as to say stealing a bike was ‘de facto’ legal, since the risk of being caught is practically nonexistent, and the fine for stealing a bicycle is only DKK 1400.

‘The success rate in solving bike thefts is minimal,’ he said. ‘You have to be an extremely unlucky bike thief to get caught.’

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