A successful online platform run by one Brussels police zone, which reunites bicycle owners with their stolen vehicles, has been expanded across the entire region.
Since last weekend (1 July) the digital platform Veloflic, operated by the Brussels Capital Ixelles Police Zone which posts pictures of recovered stolen bicycles which could not be linked to a filed report on a regular basis in the hope of still getting them to their owner, has been extended to the entire region, the local police officials announced on Monday.
This expansion, which has seen the project switch its name to Veloflic @ Brussels, means that from now on the Facebook page will be fed with images of stolen bicycles by all Brussels police zones. The management of the Facebook page will remain in the hands of Brussels Capital Ixelles Police Zone.
Chief inspector Tijl De Groot, who started Veloflic, explained that this will result in little changes for citizens, adding that victims of bicycle thefts are still advised to file a complaint first, either in one of the police stations or via Police-on-web.
"Afterwards, they can report their stolen bike via a private message to Veloflic @ Brussels. Regular monitoring of this Facebook page also remains recommended," De Groot added.
Nation-wide efforts
The page was launched in 2019 to respond to the rising number of bicycle thefts and the low number of reported cases: police suspect around 15 bicycle thefts per day take place in the region, but just five are reported on a daily basis.
The Facebook page already has more than 9,100 followers, and last year helped the local police zone return a total of 56 stolen bicycles to their rightful owners via the platform, up from 33 in 2021.
The police zone stressed that it will also continue to use so-called bait bicycles (placed at theft 'hotspots' in the hope of catching bike thieves in the act).
As bicycle theft continues to pose a major obstacle to Belgium's aim to get people to switch from fossil-fuelled vehicles to two-wheelers, it has stepped up efforts to tackle this issue, including setting up a free central bicycle register on which owners can log the details of their bicycle and file a report, as well as check whether a second-hand bicycle has been reported as stolen.
