Tel Aviv police contacted the Ituran Company, which places GPS tracking devices in automobiles in compliance with insurance company demands, seeking assistance in bringing an end the ever-increasing instances of bicycle thefts.

While the device is not yet available for retail sale, the company agreed to assist, permitting a field test of its new micro tracking unit, which police attached to over 20 bicycles placed in various areas of the city. One of the bicycles stolen was tracked to a warehouse where police found dozens and dozens of stolen bicycles, prepared for sale. The thief is in custody, a man reported to be in his 60s. Police are hoping the other devices which are still operating in the field will yield similar results.

Police acknowledge that it appears no matter how expensive a lock one buys, the thieves have become proficient in overcoming it and making off with bicycles.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)