Bike thief arrested after Cambridge locals rally together to set ‘trap’

Husayn’s wife and the Police officer who helped recover the stolen bike (Image: Cambridgeshire Police) Group 28 Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you.

We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. More info Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Quick thinking from a Cambridge bike seller, and a team of fellow bike vigilantes, led to the arrest of a thief and recovery of an expensive bike.

Nathan Weekes, owner of Bikeman in Market Square, and other members of the neighbourhood watch-styled group ‘Stolen Bikes in Cambridge’, all helped lead a bike thief into a trap which would swiftly lead to his arrest. On February 10, Nathan was approached on his stall in Cambridge Market Square by the bike seller, who called himself ‘Stephen’ and said he was looking to sell on a cargo bike. Nathan had suspicions something was awry when the thief tried to persuade him to buy the bike for a heavily discounted price.

Cargo bikes of that sort are valued at approximately £3,000, but the thief was attempting to sell it for a much-reduced £50. Not wanting the thief to “disappear” with the bike forever, Nathan told “Stephen” that there was a bike shop on Mill Road that could be interested. Local legends: Cambridge’s ‘bike Batman’ on mission to help owners get stolen bikes back Nathan said: “I didn’t want him to disappear with it altogether, so, I claimed that a bike shop on Mill road would take it in – in the hope that it would buy me some some time to contact the [Stolen Bikes] group admin, Omar.

” Nathan alerted Jef Sharp, owner of Life on a Bike on Mill Road, and then proceeded to call Omar Terywall, the admin of Stolen Bikes, who quickly informed the police. Just twenty minutes from the moment the thief first appeared at Market Square, police promptly arrived the Mill Road shop where they caught the thief attempting to sell the bike to the owner of the shop, Jef. Talking about the achievement in securing an arrest for the bike thief, Nathan said: “It was a great team effort.

Cargo bikes are mainly used to taxi children around and as a family man myself, I knew I had to get the bike back to its rightful owner. ” PC Rob Tindall said: “We were delighted to be able to reunite the owner with her bike last week. Cycle crime is a long-standing issue in the city, and it continues to be a priority for neighbourhood officers.

“We are working closely with partners across the city to combat theft through cycle awareness days, bike marking with Immobilise, education, catching offenders and recovering stolen bikes with proactive patrols. We would urge cyclists to register their bikes and if anyone has their bike stolen, report it to us as soon as possible. ” Omar Terywall, founder of the Stolen Bikes in Cambridge group, lauded the police’s positive response to the intelligence the group had provided them.

He said: ” It was really really good timing all round, and it was great to have the police work so swiftly. “Some sort of collaboration with the police is exactly what we wanted. Anything that’s time sensitive is better to go to an officer who actions it.

” Omar was pleased the group is working as intended. He explained: “We’re working a lot more closely with the police now. For now, Stolen Bikes is working extremely well as a community page.

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