Bike basket thefts in Copenhagen have increased sharply, with thieves targeting cyclists while they wait at traffic lights or move through busy streets. Police received 1,807 reports in 2025, while around 1,300 cases had already been reported in 2026 by July.
The figures, obtained from Copenhagen Police (Københavns Politi) by Danish public broadcaster DR, show that stealing bags and valuables directly from bicycles has become increasingly common in the Danish capital.
Thieves target cyclists waiting at red lights
Many thefts occur when cyclists stop at red lights, according to insurance company If Forsikring.
Thieves approach the bicycle, remove a bag from its basket and escape on foot. In other cases, people riding bicycles or scooters draw alongside a cyclist and take the bag while both are moving.
Helene Vugt Ibsen, head of home insurance at If Forsikring, told TV 2 Kosmopol that the company had received almost twice as many reports of thefts from bicycle baskets during the first six months of 2026 as in the same period of 2025.
The insurer has recorded incidents particularly frequently around Nørrebrogade, Dronning Louises Bro, Jagtvej and Kalvebod Brygge, all heavily used cycling routes in Copenhagen.
Although similar thefts have been reported across Denmark, both If and Tryg Forsikring say the problem is most pronounced in the capital.
A distraction followed by a missing bag
Student Lea Margrethe Larsen experienced one of the methods used by thieves after crossing the road near Nørrebros Runddel.
She felt someone push her shoulder and instinctively turned away from her bicycle to apologise. She only realised shortly before reaching home that the bag in her rear basket had disappeared.
The bag contained two computers, chargers, headphones, AirPods, notes for her master’s thesis, her passport and her wallet.
“It is a rather unpleasant feeling that someone has gone through your belongings,” Larsen told DR.
She reported the theft to the police and posted about it in a local Facebook group. A resident later found the discarded bag inside an apartment building. Larsen recovered her passport, keys, knitting materials and photographs, but most of the valuable contents were missing.
The episode is consistent with methods described by Copenhagen Police, in which thieves create confusion or physical distraction before taking valuables. The police advise people to remain alert when strangers approach them and to keep bags closed and valuables close to the body.
Insurers call the increase unexpected
Insurance companies normally record more theft during the summer and festival season. However, If described the rapid increase in theft specifically from bicycle baskets as surprising.
The incidents can happen while cyclists are walking beside their bicycle, waiting at an intersection or travelling through the city.
If recommends securing bags to the bicycle and avoiding leaving computers, wallets, phones and other valuables in open or rear-mounted baskets. Copenhagen Police similarly advises victims to report incidents involving distraction as possible trick thefts and to call 114 when the perpetrator is no longer present.
The increase highlights a new vulnerability in Copenhagen’s cycling environment. Bicycles are used for a large share of everyday journeys, and open baskets are a common way to carry bags, shopping and work equipment. As theft methods adapt to these habits, cyclists are being encouraged to treat valuables in bicycle baskets with the same caution as belongings carried in crowded public spaces.
