Dutch taught to steal bikes ... to cut bike thefts

A cyclist lobby group in Holland is to give people lessons in how to steal bikes, in a bid to cut bike thefts.

Dutch bike group Fietsersbond says that 700,000 bikes were stolen in the Netherlands last year partly because riders are not security-conscious.

They believe that by touring the country offering cyclists lessons in lock-picking and how to get away with a bike people will start taking more care.

"This teaches people how to better secure their bikes," a spokeswoman for the group.

The government have now launched a campaign urging people to report bike theft to the police and to record their bike's identity number.