An average of two bicycles or electric scooters are stolen daily in Vitoria-Gasteiz. These figures are causing concern among residents, although the trend for scooters has seen a slight decrease in recent years. In 2025, 631 bicycles and 159 scooters were stolen, but many could not be recovered.
The Local Police has conducted several operations recently, both in occupied premises and in various city locations, seizing stolen bicycles and other items. However, recovered bicycles represent a minority. Often, stolen bikes end up outside Vitoria-Gasteiz or are distributed through organized networks.
“"You always have to report it because it's the only way to confirm that something has happened."
César Fernández de Landa, the Councillor for Security, highlights that bicycle thefts are among the most common petty crimes, representing an offense against property with economic and sometimes sentimental consequences, but without causing personal harm to victims. It is a situation so common that it is rare for a Vitoria resident not to have experienced such a theft in their lifetime.
The councillor states that the Local Police and the Ertzaintza are working to curb these crimes, despite the feeling among many Vitoria residents that recovering a lost bicycle is impossible. Nevertheless, Fernández de Landa insists that reporting is essential for recovery. "A case doesn't necessarily have to be resolved immediately. It can happen, as it does in many cases, that during a police intervention, previously stolen items are found, along with other clues and circumstances from the past that can solve earlier cases. But for that, a report must exist," he asserts.
Furthermore, the councillor has cited examples from other cities with "perfectly organized networks," suggesting that this could also apply to bicycles and scooters, similar to mobile phones. The Local Police has an investigation team that monitors reports and prepares case files for the courts. Additionally, since last year, the Local Police has access to the Sirag system, which allows verification of whether an individual has been previously arrested in another territory.
