'Capture bike' used by police to catch thieves was stolen and never recovered

A bicycle used by police to catch thieves was stolen and never returned, it has been revealed. The yellow "capture bike" was stolen from Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on March 13, 2014, and the cycle has yet to be found.

Phil Matthews, chairman of Nottinghamshire Police Federation, said the thefts are not unexpected and they happen from time to time. He added: "These things happen for a whole host of different reasons.



"It's professionally a little embarrassing but you have to take the rough with the smooth." The theft happened after Nottinghamshire Police positioned 15 brightly-painted bikes around the city, marked with the warning message "Capture Bikes in Operation".

The bicycles were dotted around the city's cycle racks and other bike theft hotspots in a bid to catch thieves in the act. Police and crime commissioner Paddy Tipping said thefts from police officers shouldn't happen.