Only one in eight bike thefts in Clydebank over the last five years led to someone being prosecuted for the crime, new information has revealed.

However, the figures show that reports of bikes being stolen in the area have been coming down since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following an FOI request by the Post, the police revealed there were 143 reports of bicycle thefts across Clydebank’s three wards since the start of 2017.

And out of those 143, only 17 were “detected”, meaning there was enough evidence to consider criminal proceedings against an accused individual.

That means a staggering 126 thefts were unsolved with no one ever charged with a crime.

When approached by the Post on the figures, Chief Inspector Coleen Wylie said: “We realise the distress and inconvenience it causes to individuals when their bikes are stolen and we continue to work hard to tackle this type of crime.

“Prevention is key and over the past year officers from our Community Engagement Team have offered the Bike Marking scheme to a large number of bicycle owners, and I would urge cyclists to consider the wide range of security measures available.

“We also continue to rely on the help of the public to provide us with information relating to the theft of bikes.

"If you notice any suspicious behaviour in the places bicycles are typically stored, please report it to the police."

In Clydebank Central, there were 56 bike thefts recorded since January 1, 2017, with nine of those detected.

This was broken down to 33 between the start of 2017 and the end of 2019. From the beginning of 2020, there were 23 recorded bike thefts.

There were 73 reported bike thefts in the Clydebank Waterfront ward, with 52 taking place between 2017 – 2019 and 21 from January 1, 2020.

Only seven resulted in criminal proceedings against an accused.

In the Kilpatrick ward, 14 bikes were recorded as stolen during the time period with only one detected, with eight up until the end of 2019 and six over the next two years with none recorded so far in 2022.