Cardiff has a bike theft problem. 1074 bike thefts reported to South Wales police alone in 2024, with 421 of these occurring in the city centre. This leaves the Welsh capital as the third worst city for bike burglary in England and Wales.

With the main campus and student accommodation primarily located in Cathays, which lies at close proximity to the city centre, cycling is often the chosen method of transport for many students trying to get around quickly and cost effectively.

However, an investigative look at the state of student cycling gives unfavourable readings. Cardiff University itself recording 92 cycle thefts throughout selected ‘student’ areas in the 18-month period between July 2024 and December 2025.

South Wales Police’s statistics were even more damning with 216 cycle thefts recorded in similar student areas in the two-year period between 2023 and 2025.

A deeper look at the statistics reveals intriguing insights into the type of student dominated locations that have been targeted by Cardiff’s bike burglars. Cardiff University’s statistics revealed that 62 of the 92 robberies took place at Cardiff University owned accommodation, with 56 at the large Talybont complex alone.

Home to over 2,500 students, the Talybont complex has clearly been a hotspot for opportune thieves, with South Wales Police also reporting 32 thefts at Cardiff’s largest student halls between 2023 and 2025, as well as a staggering 71 thefts on North Road as a whole.

Moving closer to campus, a whistle stop tour of two-wheeled crime does not faulter. South Wales Police’s statistics show 37 thefts on Maindy Road and 27 on Senghennydd Road respectively. Such roads are integral gateways between home and campus for many students.

Even streets within the Cathays Park Campus have seen their fair share. Museum Avenue has 5, City Hall Road has 13, and Park Place has 9 reported thefts within South Wales Police’ two-year period. Even King Edward VII Avenue, home to Cardiff Central Police Station, has 19.

It is important to highlight that all the police statistics are reports, and that many more unreported bike thefts will have come and gone in the same time period.

The high rates of bike theft just a stone’s throw from the main campus raises significant questions regarding the security and safety of the area for students simply trying to reach campus. It is worth noting that as a city-based campus, Cardiff University is within the grasp of the petty theft criminals as much as anywhere else in the city centre.

Remedying this problem is an ongoing issue for the university and for South Wales Police who must find a sufficient solution to the high amounts of bicycle theft. The police suggest securely locking your bike with a quality lock that costs ‘at least 10%’ of the value of the bicycle. In addition, registering the bike online and leaving it well-lit CCTV served areas with both frame and wheel secured together.

JOMEC student Reuben became aware of the cycling crisis for students when his bike was stolen in the city centre last year. ‘Taking my bike to university, I was aware of the potential dangers of bike theft. However, I thought if I left it in public places, near CCTV and in safer areas I would have no issue. Oh, how I was wrong.’

‘I cycled to university leaving my bike by The Betty Campbell Monument. I came back to my bike 3 or 4 hours later to see it gone. I filed a police report and then was responded with ‘as there was no CCTV in this area,’ something I find hard to believe considering there was a CCTV camera right above where it was stolen.’

‘I now have a bike again, which I use on short visits to places. The high risk of theft makes it difficult to truly rely on cycling to university/work.’

Evidently students in and around campus, or those who venture boldly into the city centre on two wheels must be astutely aware of sharing Reuben’s experience, and becoming a part of a crime statistic, that appears to be ever rising.