BICYCLE THEFTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 182, 19 November 1941, Page 5

BICYCLE THEFTS

DISCOVERIES BY POLICE

TWO ARRESTS AND MORE

LIKELY

For some time past there has been, an epidemic of bicycle thefts in, the Whakatane district andi, following exhaustive en* •qUiiries and a most difficult task, the local police have had their • efforts! rewarded in that they are steadily clearing up the disappearance of many of the vehicles. Already two men have been ar'rested in connection with the thefts -and are held in custody on remand while further involved enquiries are being made. Other arrests are pending. Cunning Employed' The police have discovered that cunning has been employed in covering u!p the thefts, and a number of men have been involved. The practice adopted has been to remove more than one cycle ■ and immediately alter their appear- : ance by' replacing and exchanging parts, adding or removing distinguishing marks, while in some case* different paint has been applied. The position is that many Vehicles are -greatly altered and the task of re- ■ assembling the ones recovered will foe extremely difficult, while many parts are missing making the recovery of complete bicycles by some owners impossible. The task of detecting the thefts has been a very difficult one and • has occupied a great deal of time and entailed diligent investigation "The police, however, have realised the great inconvenience to residents particularly workers, that the theft* have occasioned, apart from the ' monetary loss arid have been determined to bring the thieves to book. Men On Remiaind Appearing on remand from the previous week T'ai Reneti again appeared before Mr G. R. Kent, J.P., on Monday at the local Court and was further remanded to appear on "November 24. He was charged with the theft of a bicycle. A similar charge was preferred against Towsie Te Wild at the same sitting and he was also remanded to appear on 24. Further Arrest Yesterday morning another man, Turei Kawa Kawa, appeared at the "Court charged with the theft of a bicycle wheel, and he also was re_manded to appear on November 24.