Never had a bike nicked myself but the flat I rented a year or so ago used to house a "recovering" smackhead and he was CONSTANTLY bringing bikes back and storing them either in the communal garage or in the flat hallway. Then a few days after the bikes appeared you'd find him in the hall or garage taking them all to bits until there was no trace of the bike.
Sometimes he would swap out parts onto a complete mongrel of a bike he used himself or his son would just use the bike for a couple of days!

I rang the police once as at least 10 different bikes had entered the flat over the period of a week. They couldn't have been less interested and told me to ring back if I saw him with any more! So I did, and still nothing!

 

I must apologise, I should have added a footnote that it was a bit of fun, it never happened, (did you really believe it ? ) my sense of humour is not for everyone

 

I think the problem lies with the fact that each bike theft is treated individually as a fairly low priority.The same goes for mobile phone thefts.
This is why the police treat it with disdain & the ******* will keep on doing it.

I would hazard a guess that overall these crimes must run to many millions of pounds a year especially when some are run by gangs.

It's these types of crime that really pi** people off & cause major inconvenience.
About time the police & courts started looking at the bigger picture.