Thieves targeting increasingly pricey e-bike, car parts; Sharp rise in thefts this year

The theft of parts and items from e-bikes, scooters, and company vehicles rose to record heights during the first nine months of this year. In total, the police recorded more than 21,000 thefts from vehicles, not including privately owned passenger cars. That is a quarter more than in the same period in 2022 and the highest number since at least 2012, when these statistics were first collected, according to an analysis by ANP based on police figures.

The police added up all thefts from e-bikes, company cars, scooters, vans, and buses into one category of crimes. Thefts from personal passenger cars are therefore not included. The number of registered crimes in this category increased the fastest of all crimes on an annual basis, with only cybercrime rising at a faster rate.

The police have not investigated why this specific type of crime is increasing so quickly, but a spokesperson did say that batteries, digital screens, and other parts from e-bikes are being stolen much more often. According to the police, expensive tools are often targeted in company vehicle burglaries. Such thefts are all "written off" under one category.

In almost two-thirds of municipalities, the number of thefts from January through September of this year was higher than in the same period in 2022. Of the largest municipalities, parts or items were stolen much more frequently than last year, especially in Groningen, Utrecht, and Rotterdam. On a per capita basis, this type of burglary happened most often in Amsterdam, Zandvoort, Nieuwegein, and Katwijk.

André Bouwman, advisor at the national vehicle crime center LIV, said that the increase is because vehicles are becoming increasingly expensive, and the cost of parts is also rising as a result. Criminals are thus finding a more robust market in stolen parts, he said.

"On platforms such as Marktplaats and Facebook, criminals can anonymously offer up stolen parts. These parts then travel around the world and, with the exception of navigation systems, are untraceable by investigative services," said Bouwman.