Hard to tell from the anecdotes, and hard to tell from statistics, as there's so much under-reporting. Where else do you see reports other than this thread and your own situation? Do friends/acquaintances/colleagues talk about it a lot? If so, that could be a good indicator, but there are so many factors involved in how thefts get noticed that I'd always be cautious in trying to identify trends.
It's definitely anecdotal but I've just seen loads more [than normal] hoodrats out and about since the sun started shining and you know full-well they didn't go out and buy a Trek hybrid. I also know a good few people now that have had a bike stolen this year.
Hard to tell from the anecdotes, and hard to tell from statistics, as there's so much under-reporting. Where else do you see reports other than this thread and your own situation? Do friends/acquaintances/colleagues talk about it a lot? If so, that could be a good indicator, but there are so many factors involved in how thefts get noticed that I'd always be cautious in trying to identify trends.