It’s been nearly a year since Igor Kenk was put of business.
Kenk, who is accused of being the city’s most notorious bicycle thief, was charged with 58 offences related to stolen bikes last summer.
Police discovered 2,865 bikes stashed in more than a dozen garages around the city and in Kenk’s rundown Queen Street West repair shop.
In the aftermath of the closing of Kenk’s store, The Bicycle Clinic, across from Trinity Bellwoods Park, the question has been out there: Are bike thefts down?
The answer is: Yes.
At this time last year, Toronto police had recorded 768 complaints for stolen bicycles. This year to date, 636 thefts have been reported, a drop of 17 per cent.
“We’re definitely hearing a lot fewer complaints about bike thefts,” said Assif Hassanali at Cyclemotive on Bathurst Street at Richmond Street
“But at the same time, you see all these little shops opening up around the city and those shops don’t have suppliers. And you wonder: Where are they getting that inventory?”
Det. Sgt. Ed Roseto, who was involved in the Kenk sting, said so far police haven’t been made aware of any one location that is trying to flip stolen bikes.
