It isn't about the value of property, it's about the effort required and chances of improving future career prospects. Recovering stolen bikes is, therefore, very low priority.
I had a similar experience where I followed a bike thief to his home, again police not interested.
Police forces in the UK have various campaigns where they will, for example, spend a month targeting a particular crime or social nuisance. With much fanfare press releases will be issued about how many people were charged with not wearing a seatbelt whilst driving, for example, and for the rest of the year not wearing a seatbelt will be relegated back to being ignored again.
The default excuse for this behaviour is lack of resources due to Govt cutbacks, which sounds fair until something interesting happens and suddenly 1000 police cars appear from nowhere.
Also...I saw regular drug dealing from a house and told police multiple times...no action.
I told my councillor who lives on the same street. They spoke to the community officer about it, they put two CSO's (Police Community Support Officer. Civilians dressed like police, no power of arrest!) in a car to watch the place. A few days later it was raided at 5am by a huge force.
Well, I'm not a fighting man. Probably the outcome would be that my adversary would take the weapon off me, and use it against me. Also, the resulting breach of the peace would put me in the frame for assault with a deadly weapon.
I had a similar experience where I followed a bike thief to his home, again police not interested.
Police forces in the UK have various campaigns where they will, for example, spend a month targeting a particular crime or social nuisance. With much fanfare press releases will be issued about how many people were charged with not wearing a seatbelt whilst driving, for example, and for the rest of the year not wearing a seatbelt will be relegated back to being ignored again.
The default excuse for this behaviour is lack of resources due to Govt cutbacks, which sounds fair until something interesting happens and suddenly 1000 police cars appear from nowhere.