Masked thugs forced me to hand over my bike - and the machete gangs targeting London cyclists are getting worse

27 January 2025, 21:19 | Updated: 27 January 2025, 21:30

'Bikejacking' appears to be getting worse in London
'Bikejacking' appears to be getting worse in London. Picture: Alamy
Johnny Jenkins

By Johnny Jenkins

I didn’t even know the term ‘bikejacking’ until it happened to me. It was 4am in the depths of north London, and I was cycling to work.

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Two masked thugs on electric bikes approached me, demanding I hand over my bike.

I let out a piercing scream – I couldn’t believe this was happening. It felt like I’d been thrown into a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

Drivers slowed down, took a good look at what was happening, and then carried on as if this was just another day in lawless London.

Sadly, when I turned to the police, their response wasn’t much better. They refused to retrieve my stolen bike, leaving me out of pocket by over a thousand pounds.

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That incident was 18 months ago, but bikejacking is still rife across London – and if anything, it’s getting worse.

In recent weeks, I’ve heard of even more cyclists being targeted, particularly near London’s parks.

This isn’t random – there’s an organised structure to these crimes. Gangs are targeting cyclists riding laps of Regent’s Park in the morning and Richmond Park in the evening.

Cyclists have taken to warning each other in online group chats, sharing messages about thefts.

Earlier this month, three e-bike riders in balaclavas were spotted speeding towards Richmond Park. They were swerving at cyclists at nearly 40 miles per hour.

In Regent’s Park, men with machetes have been seen riding white motorbikes, stealing high-end racing bikes worth thousands.

Cycling clubs are affected too. In Penge this month, three riders on Layhams Road – a key route into London from Kent – fell victim to bikejacking.

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One message I came across advised cyclists to avoid parks at dusk, forcing hundreds of riders to change their routes.

The police are aware of these crimes and seem to be stepping up efforts in some areas. Just this weekend, I saw two police cars patrolling Regent’s Park.

While it’s reassuring to see action in central London hotspots, I fear the thieves will simply relocate their activities to quieter areas.

Until the police start recovering stolen bikes, the problem will persist. The thugs know that they won’t be pursued by police. They’re getting away with it.

Unless the police act properly, bikes will keep getting stolen, cyclists will keep getting hurt, and criminals will continue to rule the streets.

London’s parks should be a haven for cyclists, not a hunting grounds for criminals.