At the latest Board of Police Commissioners meeting, discussions began regarding a potential initiative that could lead to bikes hitting Estevan's streets in a new way.
Part of the meeting had Jamie Blunden, the Estevan Police Service's chief, talking about some of the recent crimes seen in the area. A notable statistic came from thefts under $5,000, with a 20 per cent increase compared to the five-year average.
According to the EPS, a big part of that number is bicycle thefts, as they've dealt with 44 over the first eight months of this year, including 11 in August.
The EPS is now looking at setting up decoy bikes in Estevan, which may also be fitted with GPS devices to track down stolen goods.
Inspector Tyler McMillan says that the bikes would fit in well with the existing bike programs they have with the EPS.
“It’ll work in tandem with the bike patrol unit,” said McMillen. “One of our constables is out, he’s put in over 300 kilometres on the bike this year trying to curb that sort of stuff.”
Shoplifting is the other major component of thefts under $5,000, with Blunden saying they'd work with retailers like Walmart to address those issues.