More than 1,000 bicycle and micromobility device thefts were reported in both 2023 and 2024, according to Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) figures.

Taivo Rosi, an investigator with the Tartu Police Department, said recovering a stolen bike is possible but rare.

"Most stolen bikes disappear and are never recovered," Rosi said. "But we've also seen clear success stories, and from time to time we do catch the thieves and recover stolen bikes."

He said the main challenge is how quickly stolen property is moved on.

"The bike is usually resold quite quickly, and then police may no longer be able to trace it," the police official admitted.

Such bikes are typically sold through pawn shops or online marketplaces, he added, though pawn shops generally try first to determine whether a bicycle may be stolen and have no interest in stolen goods.

If an item brought to a pawn shop is determined to be stolen, police will seize it as evidence, costing the shop money.

Even so, pawn chain Luutar CEO Ljubov-Luule Emmar said employees are not required to independently verify every item's origin.

"If a client has [an item's] paperwork along, it increases the pawn value," she said. "But there's no point asking where the item came from because people often won't tell the truth anyway."

Pawn shops work with police

Emmar said items later determined to be stolen are handed over to police, confirming that such cases do occur.

She added that pawn shops can also refuse transactions altogether if an item appears suspicious, especially if they have received prior warnings from police or customers.

"We'll seize it at the time the contract is being signed," Emmar said.

Authorities say how bike theft cases are handled depends on the value of the stolen bike. If it exceeds €200, police will launch a criminal investigation; lower-value cases may result in fines or detention.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!