Two charged with theft after North Bay police ‘bait’ them with unattended bike

Two people in North Bay have been charged after city police intentionally left a bicycle unattended and waited to see if anyone would try and steal it.

Two people in North Bay have been charged after city police intentionally left a bicycle unattended and waited to see if anyone would try and steal it.

Police said the suspects, aged 28 and 35, took the ‘bait bike’ set up in downtown North Bay.

The two men were charged with one count each of theft under $5.000 and were released on appearance notices.

“The bait bike initiative continues to be a valuable tool in the toolbox to target the theft of bicycles throughout the city,” inspector of operations Jeff Warner said in a news release Friday.

“The theft of bicycles is a crime of opportunity for thieves who are looking to make a quick flip for cash or dismantle the bike to sell for parts or scrap metal. The theft of a bicycle has a tremendous impact on the victim who may rely on it as their only mode of transportation to run errands or get to work.”

The bait bike program was initiated last fall, police said, and it will be deployed throughout the year.

Police said they are “committed to using some unconventional tactics like this to target these types of crimes in an effort to reduce the overall impact they have on our community.”