Omar Terywall, founder and administrator of the ‘STOLEN BIKES in Cambridge’ Facebook group has called to work directly with Cambridge colleges to help educate students on bike theft.

The Facebook group was set up by Terywall to “use the knowledge and power of community intelligence” to combat bike theft “at a time when police resources are scarce.” Members of the group can post about their stolen bikes in the hopes other members have seen them and can also take pictures of abandoned bikes they find around Cambridge to help reunite them with their owners. Videos and photos of thieves stealing bikes are also regularly uploaded to the group to warn people and deter the thieves.

As part of his push to reduce bike theft in Cambridge, Terywall wants to work directly with colleges. “Most of the bikes that are stolen are stolen from students and most of the people that buy the bikes are students,” Terywall says.

He wants to train incoming students on storing and locking bikes as well as educate them on the dangers of buying cheap second-hand bikes online. He urges students to do their due diligence by checking the frame number and seller of bikes on eBay and Gumtree to ensure they are not stolen.

Terywall also wants to educate students about what to do in the event that their bike is stolen. This comes at a time when many students in Cambridge who have experienced bike theft have been disappointed with the police’s response, with one student saying they “had never felt so uncared for and dismissed by public servants” as they did when they reported their stolen bike to the police.

Terywall’s Facebook group has almost twelve thousand members and has been featured on both ITV and BBC News.

Cambridge has some of the highest rates of bike theft in the UK, and recent national cuts in police spending have put additional pressure on the authorities to prevent these thefts. Statistics for the whole of England and Wales published last month revealed that almost 90% of all bicycle theft cases reported to police were closed without a suspect even being identified.

Terywall also defended the police in face of growing pressures following budget cuts. He said that he is very willing to work with the police more, and is pleased he now has regular meetings with Cambridge police where he shares the data he collects from the group.

Some have raised concerns about the group’s tactics, which occasionally involve publishing personal information about underage teenage thieves, including their full names and where they live.

Yet Terywall says that he is “happy to take any kind of criticism from people,” and admits, “I’ve learned a lot along the way”. The page is continuously monitored and Terywall regularly reminds the group of the guidelines.

Several head porters of Cambridge colleges were contacted to see if they would be willing to work with Terywall, but none wished to comment at this time.