The Indigenous Christian Fellowship in Regina is looking to install new security measures after at least six bicycles and four winter tires on rims were stolen from a shipping container in the fellowships parking lot.
According to staff, when they arrived on Wednesday morning, they noticed the locks had been cut on one of the containers. It wasn't long before they noticed bikes were missing from inside the shipping container.
"The locks cannot be cut with bolt cutters; they would have had to use some sort of power tool,” Indigenous Christian Fellowship family youth worker Wilfred Dieter said.
The bikes were meant to be donated to the community through the fellowships bike donation program, which has given away over 5,000 bikes since starting over 15 years ago.
"We are receiving bikes, and then volunteers take their time and their skills to repair the bikes. And then we store them, so that we have a day of distribution,” said Bert Adema, the executive director of the Indigenous Christian Fellowship. “What this means now, is that the good work of volunteers on the good charity of others has been set back because bikes are missing,” Bert Adema said.
The area behind the fellowship, where the bikes were stolen, is quite hidden. To combat that, the fellowship is planning to install security cameras.
"We have a presence in the community and we're a target just because people know we can't fix tools with shotty stuff, and we can't deliver stuff on our backs. So, we have vehicles and we have tools, and we then have good stuff to give away,” Adema said.
The fellowship has dealt with theft before, but the sea cans have never been broken into. Workers say they're not surprised.
"It's typical for this area,” Dieter said.
"We’re frustrated, it doesn't make for a good morning,” Adema said. “My staff was kind of dejected when I showed up yesterday. But we'll pick up and carry on because we're here to bless the community.”
Adema estimates the property was valued around a couple thousand dollars. One item stolen was a three wheeled tricycle that was to be used by some adults in the community. He also said an insurance claim is difficult because the fellowship doesn't know the monetary value of the bikes.
The last bike distribution saw a line of over 200 people, and another distribution day was planned for August.
"I know now that distribution, the next one, is delayed because of this theft,” Adema said.
"We're just trying to get this sea can filled so we can have another one,” Dieter said.
The fellowship doesn't keep an inventory of their bicycles and there were no serial numbers, so there's really no way of tracking them back down. But the community is already trying to help, with a donation of three bikes coming in to the fellowship on Thursday morning.
Regina Police say bike theft is more common in the summer months, and suggest locking your bike inside a building and recording the serial number.
"Find it, write it down, keep it in a safe place,” said Elizabeth Popowich, the manager of public information and strategic communication with the Regina Police Service. “That way if the bike is stolen, it can help us in the investigation.”
