So, you catch a 'thief'...

I just lost a long reply and i'm too angry to re type it.

Crux of it. The police SHOULD be the fucking answer. That they are not is perhaps more of a problem than bike thieves.

I hate that ! When you type a long answer and then lose it, fucking drives me nuts !!

Anyhow . . . I think the problem is that the police have not kept up with technology (for want of a better word) in the respect that a stolen bike is still viewed like a stolen wheelbarrow or shovel - not the crime of the century - they don't seem to be aware that in recent years it is becoming common for some bikes to be worth a fair bit of money.

The police might not be too aware of this but the thieves are.