Bike theft is, unfortunately, an ongoing problem in Victoria. Since 2011 the number of thefts have been steadily rising. We do know that certain areas, both urban and rural, have higher rates of theft than others.
Use our map below to zoom in and explore the key locations where bike thefts occurred across Victoria in 2020 (per capita).
As you will note, inner city suburbs in Melbourne pose the highest bike theft risk, and this has unfortunately been the case for decades. The five suburbs with the highest bike thefts (per 100,000 people) are:
- Brunswick
- Melbourne
- St Kilda,
- Carlton, and
- Richmond
The Victorian local government area (LGA) with the most reported bike thefts in 2020 was Melbourne, followed by Yarra and Port Phillip. The regional towns or cities with the highest bike thefts include Shepparton, Mildura, and Wangaratta.
Unfortunately, most local government areas (LGAs) across Victoria are experiencing continuous growth in bike thefts each year. The LGAs with the highest year-on-year growth in thefts are:
- East Gippsland
- Knox
- Monash
- Warrnambool, and
- Maribyrnong
Surprisingly, we identified only three LGAs that have experienced no net year-on-year growth in bike thefts. Wodonga, Ballarat and Campaspe were the only LGAs we found where theft rates were in decline. Overall, this suggests there are insufficient measures in place to prevent thefts from occurring.
The message is clear: there are thieves out there, and they will seize the opportunity to nab a set of vulnerable wheels.
If you would like advice on the best practice for securing your bike, including the best locks, please visit our bike thefts campaign page. You can also read our 2011-2020 Bike Theft Report for more detail.
This article was made possible by the support of Bicycle Network's members who enable us to make bike riding better in Australia.