© Georgi Kozhuharov
Dnevnik Express
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Daylight, chain, cameras, security… None of the above is guaranteed to prevent bike theft. And if it does happen, the victims do not believe that the probability that it will be found and returned is greater than the tip of a needle. The chance may not be in the efforts of the police, but in a person seeing his own bike for sale, or in the realm of the unbelievable: a stranger recognizing the perpetrator and giving precise directions where to find him.
Official data of the General Directorate of National Police (GDNP) at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) show that in 4,707 reports of stolen bicycles from the beginning of 2020 to the end of May 2023, according to official data, 1,809 perpetrators were identified . Assuming that each of them has stolen one bike, nearly 40% of offenders are caught.
“Dnevnik” received the data in accordance with the Law on Access to Public Information (see graphic). However, many do not file formal complaints and the stolen bikes are most likely many more, but it is difficult to make an assumption. The Ministry of the Interior calls for reports to be submitted as quickly as possible, because “the more distant in time the reporting of the theft is, the more difficult it is to later find the stolen item”.
When the bike disappeared
In the summer of 2022, the bicycle of Alexander Kamburoudis disappeared from the site of the floor of the block in which he lives in the “Studentski Grad” district of Sofia. Returning from work in the evening, he notices its absence and sees from the security cameras that the theft took place around noon. In doing so, the offender entered the block twice: the previous evening around midnight, when he removed two bicycles, and then in broad daylight, when he also took Kambouroudis’ bicycle.
“The building is very big and there is a constant flow of people, no one knows anyone. Even on the video, he is sitting in front and waiting for someone to let him in. We even have a doorman downstairs, but he doesn’t have many functions. She stopped the thief because she clearly recognized him my bike, but he told her he was from the third floor and he was going to the store with his girlfriend,” the man recalled.
In response to questions from “Dnevnik”, the police specifically point to housing cooperatives as a risk area for bicycle theft:
When the bike is bought from a store, notes and documents related to it should be kept. Because if it’s stolen and found, evidence of who it is is needed. Photos you keep, including changes, can be useful. In the case of a stolen bicycle, it is proper to file a report with the Ministry of the Interior, at least in order to contribute to more reliable statistics of violations. It is difficult to estimate the likelihood that the bike will be found by law enforcement. In parallel with the official complaint, it may be (more) useful to report the theft on Facebook, as well as to check the bike exchanges and classifieds sites. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also monitors social networks for information about crimes.
From there they also explain that the perpetrators observe in advance the places from which they intend to steal in order to get impressions about overcoming locking systems, the absence of people in the perimeter, the presence of cameras, security.
Hristo Donev’s bicycle was also stolen from the entrance to the block where he lives more than a year ago, he told “Dnevnik”. And at the beginning of July 2023, his bicycle, locked with a thick chain, disappeared at night in Slaveykov Square in Sofia.
Report on Facebook or the police
Alexander Kamburoudis posted photos and video from the security cameras in Facebook groups related to the neighborhood. He says he gets a lot of messages and reactions from other people in the area, also with stolen bikes, some even from the same perpetrator.
The man also filed a report in the Seventh District Office. The officers asked him for printed out security camera photos of the bike and the perpetrator. The duty officer even recognized the bike, explaining that the police also monitor Facebook groups and had already seen the post about the stolen bike, Kamburoudis recalled.
In answers to “Dnevnik”, the GDNP defines the reporting of a stolen bicycle as a standard procedure. It indicates that the facts and circumstances of the violation are presented, a description of the stolen items is given: “In case there are photos and documents that reflect the distinctive features of the stolen items and serial numbers (certificates, warranty cards, individual passport of the product, etc.), it is good to provide them, this could make it easier for the officers who will work on the signal”.
On his first attempt with a stolen bike, Hristo Donev turned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “Even when I was talking to the policeman, he told me that it is very difficult to find,” recalls Donev about the first theft. Since “nothing happened afterwards”, he did not alert the authorities the second time.
Now he is only betting on spreading the photos of the stolen bike on social networks, in case a friend or acquaintance sees the bike being sold on the Internet or at the former Yunak Stadium (Vasil Levski Stadium parking lot) in Sofia. Also browses online shopping sites.
In answers to “Dnevnik”, the GDNP also claims that it checks markets for stolen bicycles: “There is a practice in such cases to carry out checks for the offer of stolen items on the market. The same applies to Internet sites, especially if the applicant recognizes his item there.” .
I buy my bikes with the idea that one day they may no longer be mine without having sold them
Hristo Donev prefers to buy used bikes from the Internet or through acquaintances, realizing that he does not know enough about their origin, nor does he have official proof that the bike is his. “Only my first bike in my life was bought brand new from a store, with a receipt. All the others are second-hand. It’s cheaper, and I already have experience that they disappear,” the man thinks.
Find yourself… a thief and a bike
The Facebook posts turned out to be decisive in the case of Alexander Kamburoudis. He remembers that only a day or two after his bicycle was stolen and he filed a police report, he was contacted by a person who recognized the perpetrator from the photos and footage that had been circulated:
“Years ago he stole some gold from me. I can tell you everything: data, location, Facebook profile, who to call the police, they know,” the man told Kamburoudis.
He passed the information on to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which sent a team to the perpetrator’s address. The police did not inform the man about the progress of catching the thief. He only receives information that his bike was taken from a pawn shop, and there is a procedure for receiving the bike, explains Kamburoudis. (What it is, read further down in the text.)
Hristo Donev tells about cases of his acquaintances with found bicycles, but again not by the police. “He went to the market for bikes and skis at Yunak Stadium. He saw his bike there, he also had pictures. The seller was understood and returned it to him. However, I also know of a case where the person had to to buy back the bike,” Donev says.
“Dnevnik” asked the Ministry of the Interior in how many of the cases with identified perpetrators the stolen bicycles were returned to their owners, but the answer stated only: “The requested information on this issue is not processed and stored according to the criteria specified by the applicant.”
Get your bike back
Alexander Kamboroudis remembers that it took at least four months from the time the thief was identified to the return of the bike. The reason is that pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case and the wheel is physical evidence. He explains that during the course of the case he went to the district office to fill out additional documents. “A policewoman and I rewrote where and what was found, I dictated to her, she corrected me on how to make it sound better, more institutional,” says the man.
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The Ministry of Internal Affairs officials also demanded proof that Kamburoudis actually owned the bike. He bought it years ago from a store, he doesn’t keep the receipt, but he has a warranty card and a product book of the bike”. He was also asked for photos of the bike from previous years. There was also a kind of test, asking what color the pedals, the seat, is there anything distinctive about it.
“They pay a lot of attention to modifications. If they have been made, for example changing the grips, it should be described,” Kambouroudis explains. His impression is that “the police are trying to help with the writing so that there is no problem with getting the bike”.
Everyone hopes their bike won’t get stolen, but here’s a summary of what to keep in mind if it happens:
When the bike is bought from a store, notes and documents related to it should be kept. Because if it’s stolen and found, evidence of who it is is needed. Photos you keep, including changes, can be useful. In the case of a stolen bicycle, it is proper to file a report with the Ministry of the Interior, at least in order to contribute to more reliable statistics of violations. It is difficult to estimate the likelihood that the bike will be found by law enforcement. In parallel with the official complaint, it may be (more) useful to report the theft on Facebook, as well as to check the bike exchanges and classifieds sites. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also monitors social networks for information about crimes. 
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