PEOPLE WHOSE BIKES have been stolen in Dublin say that they have been left frustrated by the lack of garda response – even when the victims can pinpoint exactly where their stolen bikes are.

One man who spoke to The Journal whose bike was stolen last week said he gave the location of his bike to gardaí, but still hasn’t gotten his bike back.

Meanwhile, a cycling group said that people are no longer bothering to report when their bike is stolen ‘because they don’t think anything will be done about it’.

The difficulties for police in retrieving stolen bicycles has led to a growth in private companies which promise to actively recover bikes from thieves.

Cesar Correa had a tracking device on his bike when it was taken while he was at work at Dublin Airport last week and has since tracked the bike to a location in Dublin 9. He also found a bike he believes is his which is for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Despite reporting the theft to Santry garda station and providing all the evidence about the bike’s location to gardaí, Correa said “no effective steps appear to have been taken”.

“As a victim, it is difficult to understand how a case with tangible leads can remain unresolved without visible action. This raises broader concerns about how theft cases are handled, especially when victims do much of the investigative work themselves,” he said.

Speaking to The Journal, Correa said the situation is “frustrating and deeply concerning”, particularly as he relies on his bike to get to and from his work.

“This bicycle is not just a possession – it is essential for my daily mobility, work and life in Dublin,” he said.

Correa paid €1,100 for the bike, which is an Engwe L20, when he bought it just six months ago.

Cesar bought his bike six months ago and relies on it to get to and from work.

Correa decided to take matters into his own hands when he found a person selling what he believed to be his bike on Facebook Marketplace.

He arranged to buy the bike for €550 and travelled to a location in Dublin 9 to make the sale. However, the seller appears to have learned that Correa was the rightful owner before he arrived.

“Fuck you your bike was took [sic] from airport. You’re not getting it back. It’s already sold,” the seller messaged Correa.

Correa does not know for sure how the thief identified him but believes he may work nearby to where Correa stored his bike and recognised him. 

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told The Journal that the force is investigating the theft of a bicycle which occurred at a premises in Swords, Co Dublin on 20 March.

“This investigation is ongoing. An Garda Síochána does not comment on the specifics of any ongoing investigation,” they added.

‘Take theft more seriously’

Bike theft is a common issue in Irish cities, but a spokesperson for the Dublin Cycling Campaign says it is underreported due to the belief authorities will not follow up on thefts.

Speaking to The Journal, the spokesperson said: “We estimate that one in five bike thefts are reported”.

“People don’t tend to report bike thefts because they don’t think anything will be done about it.”

Dublin Cycling Campaign estimates that around 20,000 bikes were actually stolen from Dublin last year, which is much higher than the reported figure of 2,790.

Correa is not the only victim of bike theft who feels authorities did not take the report seriously. There are many reports on social media of bikes being stolen in Ireland where the victims have little faith they will recover their bike.

“I had a couple of friends giving the gardaí the location of their stolen bikes. With proof that the bike was theirs, the gardaí just did nothing. Anyone know why they don’t seem to want to solve this problem?” one Reddit user previously asked.

The Dublin Cycling Campaign spokesperson said that in their experience garda action on bike theft varies widely.

“We encourage gardaí to take theft more seriously, and encourage bike owners to lock their bike in two different ways,” she said.

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan told the Dáil last month that only around 11% of reported bike thefts in Dublin resulted in some kind of action, including a charge, summons, caution or youth referral. However, some of the actions may have related to bikes stolen before 2025.

He said 2,790 bikes were reported as stolen in the Dublin region last year. In the same year there were 315 charges, summons, cautions or youth referrals for bicycle theft.

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: “Every crime that is reported to An Garda Síochána is subject of investigation. The circumstances of each crime and investigation are unique to that investigation.”

“An Garda Síochána takes a proactive approach to preventing bicycle theft by regularly providing crime prevention advice to bicycle users,” they added.

They said gardaí also facilitates property marking events where a personal identifier can be permanently etched onto a bicycle.

“Provisional Crime data for 2025, published in February 2026, indicate that the reported theft of pedal cycles is down by -4% nationally,” they said, adding that gardaí figures provided suggest 1,846 bikes were recovered last year.

Our first stolen ebike recovery video is here.

Who do you think wins? Us or the thief? pic.twitter.com/Q0ecCo6FKv

— BackPedal (@BackPedalCo) February 9, 2023

The difficulty recovering stolen bikes isn’t unique to Ireland – in the UK a company has been set up to track bikes for a monthly fee and actively recover them from thieves in the event they are stolen.

BackPedal has a team of retired police officers, military veterans and security professionals who hunt for stolen bikes 24/7.

According to the latest figures on BackPedal’s website, it recovered 171 stolen bikes last September alone.

Meanwhile, Correa is still without his bike. 

“What I’m going through isn’t unique to me; many immigrants suffer from bicycle theft, and the gardaí do nothing,” he said.

“It’s infuriating because we’re here working in the hospitality sector, making good coffee, making tourists’ beds in hotels, serving drinks in pubs, cleaning floors when the universities close [at night] and delivering products that people don’t want to go out in the rain to get.”

“We’re here working and trying to contribute to the community and Irish culture, and we pay taxes like every other citizen. Then, when we need the gardaí, they don’t act as they should and don’t give us the support we deserve. It’s frustrating.”