PEIA 34-year-old man faces charges after officers watched a suspect approach an expensive e-bike they had positioned in a public area and use bolt cutters on its lock before trying to take it away, Charlottetown police say.Nearly 200 bikes stolen so far this year, but police don’t think this suspect took them allDelaney Kelly · CBC News · Posted: Aug 27, 2025 7:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoCharlottetown police who recently set up a bait bike to see if someone would try to steal it say they intend to continue acting ‘proactively’ to put a dent in the number of thefts. (Lyza Sale/CBC)It’s a gut-wrenching moment — going to hop on your bike only to discover it’s not where you left it, even though you secured it with a good lock. That’s a feeling nearly 200 people in P.E.I.’s capital city have experienced so far this summer. To try to put a dent in the numbers, officers with Charlottetown Police Services have been getting creative. “During the morning of Aug. 13, the Street Crime Unit set up surveillance on a locked e-bike in a public area,” the force said in a news release Wednesday. Less than two hours later, the release said, a 34-year-old man “was seen approaching the bike, retrieving bolt cutters from his bag, cutting the lock and discarding it, and attempting to leave the area with the e-bike.”He has been charged with theft over $5,000, mischief under $5,000 and failure to comply with a probation order, and will appear in court Sept. 25. “This is not a one-off for us. We’ll continue this,” Sgt. Darren MacDougall told CBC News in an interview, saying officers positioned the bike specifically “in the hopes of catching somebody in the act.”If you can’t keep your bike indoors behind lock and key, Det.-Sgt. Darren MacDougall of the Charlottetown Police advises getting a lock that isn’t vulnerable to bolt cutters. (Laura Meader/CBC)Within the Charlottetown police force’s area of jurisdiction alone, 192 bikes have been stolen to date in 2025, MacDougall said. “It’s very concerning for our residents in our community and we’re listening to the residents in the community. And this is part of why we are proactively now going out,” he said.MacDougall said police don’t believe just one person has been stealing all these bikes; he expects several people have been finding it lucrative. ‘No problem cutting the lock’Simply locking up your bike does not guarantee its safety, he warned. People who are in the business of stealing bikes come prepared with tools that can cut off most types of inexpensive locks.Bike thefts prompt warning from P.E.I. cycling groupSome cyclists on P.E.I. say bike thefts are a growing concern in the community. Islanders, visitors and businesses alike have been targeted. CBC’s Gwyneth Egan reports.If it’s not possible to store bikes indoors, riders are advised to buy locks that a bolt cutter can’t sever, such as a U-lock or a chain made of hardened steel. “If your lock is able to be cut with a bolt cutter, then I would suggest that these people who are out doing this will have no problem cutting the lock and taking the bike,” MacDougall said.He also advised people to take a picture of their bike and record its serial number so that there’s a better chance police will be able to return it to you if they come across a cache of stolen bikes. ABOUT THE AUTHORDelaney Kelly is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. who studied journalism at Concordia University. She was previously a reporter at Iori:wase in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. With files from Laura Meader
Locked bait bike attracted a would-be thief in less than 2 hours, Charlottetown police say
