By Axel Lier
In Friedrichshain alone, three bikes are stolen every day, and only a few perpetrators are caught in the end.
These basement rooms have been completely crushed!
Police section 51 on Wedekindstrasse, responsible for almost five square kilometers of Friedrichshain. On average, more than three bicycles disappear in the scene district alone – per day! From cellars, from bus stops and public places.
These bikes were seized. They are stored in three cellars on Section 51 Photo: Parvets
Last year, 1260 advertisements landed on the desks of the two clerks and more than 100 exhibits in the catacombs of the guard: racing bikes, delivery service bikes, children’s bikes, Dutch bikes.
“We try to submit every theft report to the judiciary within three months,” says police chief inspector Daniel Knöpke (43), head of the section commissariat. “Only the seized bikes stay here for years.” The bikes are stored in three cellars – actually next to each other.
“Coworkers recently brought in several bikes that were found on a homeless person on Holzmarktstrasse,” says the police inspector, pointing to a ball of steel and tin. It’s already the second load. Now the search for frame numbers and victims begins.
Important for the investigation: the stamped frame number Photo: Parvets
After that, each wheel meticulously receives a registration form, including a barcode. In each basement room, a fan ensures a stay free of mold and rust. Daniel Knöpke: “We have to protect every wheel against depreciation.”
The head of the police department divides the cases into two types: 1. “Hint of a beginning” and 2. a “Unfortunate case”. The latter always arrives when there is not the slightest trace of an investigative approach.
“Did anyone see anything? Are there video recordings? If not, the case moves swiftly to the judiciary and ends in suspension,” the official said.
Bicycles and equipment from delivery services are also stolen Photo: Parvets
The Berlin police received a total of 25,438 reports of bicycle theft last year. Only 1167 cases could be cleared up.
“When we arrest a perpetrator in the act, we always check whether accelerated proceedings are possible, perhaps even with an arrest warrant,” says Chief Inspector Knöpke.
This is how criminals order stolen bikes online
“Sometimes photos of bikes for sale are put online, on which the lock is still attached,” says police officer Knöpke.
Police chief inspector Daniel Knöpke (43) is the head of the section commissariat Photo: Parvets
Recently, a thief who was active on the “Viber” messenger service was caught red-handed on Mercedes-Platz. In a group with over 1,800 members, users exchange views there: “I need a bike, who can get one quickly?” In the chat history, the officials could see that he had already offered other bikes for sale.
Knöpke: “The perpetrators are mostly homeless people or drug addicts trying to make a few euros quickly.”