Three arrests! Berlin struggles against organized bicycle theft

Three arrests! Berlin struggles against organized bicycle theft

Treptow-Köpenick, Berlin, Deutschland - The Berlin public prosecutor today raised charges against a total of three people. Among them are two men aged 25 and 37 and a 40-year-old woman. These are accused of having operated commercial stealing, and the indictment was submitted to the Tiergarten district court. According to the investigation, the accused is said to have initiated organized trading with stolen bicycles and e-bikes from mid-2023 in order to sustainably achieve a significant income from the sale of the thieves.

The investigation showed that the stolen bicycles and e-bikes were mainly stolen by unknown perpetrators in the Berlin city area. The stolen vehicles were kept in various storage locations in Treptow-Köpenick, where they were confiscated during search actions. For example, the police found a total of 11 bicycles with the 25-year-old, while the 37-year-old was lost 7 bicycles by the police and the 40-year-old had 18 bicycles. The value of the confiscated mobility pools is remarkable, since numerous high-quality e-bikes and bicycles of well-known manufacturers are among them, the individual values ​​of which are sometimes over 6,000 euros. The total damage amount is over 100,000 euros, whereby the majority of the thieves are ensured by extensive police measures, including the control of a used transport vehicle.

Legal consequences of theft

The theft of bicycles is a common crime in Germany. According to the Criminal Code (StGB) Section 242 (1), theft is the removal of a strange movable thing, with the intention of illegal or a third party. This often happens without the rightful owner noticing a lack of his property, which makes it difficult to clarify such cases. As on Anwalt.de , theft can also be pursued by the public prosecutor without reporting the person concerned. This underlines the seriousness of the topic, because every witness of theft has the opportunity to report the crime.

The legal situation in bicycle thefts can result in serious consequences for the perpetrators. From unauthorized use of a vehicle to heavy theft, the punishments range from fines to several years of prison, depending on the severity and circumstances of the crime. Especially when a perpetrator steals in a professional manner to resell the stolen bicycles, the consequences can be significant. According to Statista , bicycle theft is a frequent tort form that has unfortunately increased in recent years.

The Berlin police carry out comprehensive measures to combat bicycle thefts, especially with regard to the structures shown by the current charges in the area of ​​stealing. The goal is to protect both the owners of bicycles and to hold the perpetrators into account.