What to do in case of theft

You didn’t lock your bike for a short visit to the bakery and it’s gone. This guide tells you what to do if your bike is stolen.

Bicycle theft: the first steps

If your bike has been stolen, there is little chance that you will ever see it again. Because there are not only opportunistic thieves like drunks looking for an inexpensive way home after a late night party, but also professional gangs. So it’s more about damage limitation than getting your bike back.

If your bike is gone, you should within 48 hours inform the police. Do not dial the emergency number, but the number of your nearest police station. Of course, you can also visit the station in person or report the incident online. If you have a police bicycle pass, that can help enormously.

If only parts were removed, such as a speedometer, a wheel saddle or everything except the rear wheelyou can ask by phone whether you should come to the police station to report it or whether a patrol will stop by on site.

Finally the police are thereyou should be able to answer the following questions:

• became the wheel with a lock secured? If yes, how and when?
• Where exactly did the bike stand?
• Is the bike insured?

In any case, you need the following documents for an advertisement:

• yours identity card.
• the purchase contract or the statement for the bike.
• Either the bike pass or other information about the code of the bike.

Your bike has been stolen: inform the insurance company

If you have household contents or bicycle insurance, you should Notify vendors of theft. Make sure you are really insured. Most of the time your bike must have been locked. Some insurers also have certain minimum requirements for the lock. There are other exceptions:

• bikes are not included in your household contents insurance.
• is in your contract one night time clause included, according to which your bike is not insured between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

You also need your insurance certain documents:

• The ad number (you get this from the police).
• Your proof of ownership, this is for example the purchase contract or the Invoice.
• The police one bike pass, if available. If you don’t have one, you can ask the insurance company for the necessary information.
• You also need one Proof that the bicycle was adequately secured. For example, the invoice for the security lock, a photo or information about the product is sufficient.

Unless you have your bike not within 3 weeks is found by the police, turns up in a lost and found office or you find it on your own, the insurance company will pay for the damage.

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