The everyday ‘superhero’ putting police to shame on ‘petty’ crime: Vigilante reveals how he has reunited FIVE HUNDRED owners with their stolen bikes by posing as a buyer and confronting the thieves – when cops have failed to help

• Omar Terrywall has helped return hundreds of stolen bikes through social media
• Has YOUR bike been stolen – or tracked down and returned? Email [email protected]

A self-proclaimed vigilante is stopping bike thieves in their tracks as he patrols a city, hunting down stolen bicycles via online advertisements and tip-offs and reuniting them with their owners.

Omar Terrywall has saved more than 500 bikes since 2019 by taking matters into his own hands and helping stricken victims – as police forces are increasingly failing to tackle such crime blighting the lives of people everyday. 

Company director Mr Terrywall has since set up a Facebook group which has amassed some 11,600 members, all of whom chip in and help when a member of the community reports a theft in Cambridge.

When people get in touch to explain their bike is stolen, a picture of it is posted on the group and members then scour the internet to see if it is being sold on online marketplaces such as Gumtree, eBay or Facebook.

‘This is where Cambridge just comes alive’, Mr Terrywall told the BBC. ‘We’ll pose as a buyer, we’ll arrange to meet up with that seller, then we’ll confront that seller. More often than not, they do actually hand that bike back. It’s an amazing feeling, it really is.’

Bike theft is rampant across the UK – and increasing – with an estimated 72,000 bikes stolen each year. 

Last month, Britain’s police forces were warned to get back to basics after a damning report found public confidence in the service was shattered – with officers often intervening in Twitter spats instead of tackling daily neighbourhood crime and disorder. 

Has YOUR bike been stolen – or tracked down and returned? Email [email protected] 

Pictured: Omar Terrywall who has reunited hundreds of bikes with their owners using the Facebook group Stolen Bikes in Cambridge

Mr Terrywall can be seen confronting a thief who is using a stolen bike 

Just a few weeks ago, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke urged officers to stay out of political matters and focus on deterring and solving crime and disorder.

In a bombshell report, Mr Cooke warned public trust in policing was ‘hanging by a thread’ following a series of scandals and officers not tackling the daily neighbourhood crime most people want them to focus on.

He said police forces are failing at ‘the basics’ such as picking up phones, attending incidents, investigating crimes and keeping victims informed.

Discussing how he first got involved with the group, Mr Terrywall added: ‘We don’t like bad people getting away with bad things.

‘We’ve recovered in excess of 500 bikes now, which is an astonishing amount.’

The vigilante also explained how the group feels it is their duty to step up and help the police as bike theft is viewed as a lower priority compared to other types of crimes.

He said: ‘If you’ve  just had a £500 bike stolen and there’s a domestic violence case going on over there, the police aren’t going to deal with your piece of metal I’m afraid. 

‘I’m not saying that we should form vigilante groups here, there and everywhere, but try and assist the police.

‘This is where we step up and try and help out.’

Titus Halliwell, the police’s national lead for cycling crime, discussed the dangers involved with trying to regain a stolen bike.

‘I can totally understand if your precious bike is stolen and you see it for sale online, you want to recover it,’ he told the BBC.

‘[But] you don’t know who you’re dealing with and you don’t know how they’re going to react.’

In the video you can see this man who was selling the bike online actually return it after he learns it was stolen

Mr Terrywall also confronts this person after pretending to be a buyer

Stolen Bikes in Cambridge’s official Facebook statement on their page reads: ‘This page was set up to re-unite owners of stolen property or goods in Cambridge AND help track down stolen bikes/goods. 

‘At a time where Police resources are scarce, let’s use the knowledge and power of community intelligence to battle the playing fields.

‘Bike thefts in particular, are one of biggest crimes in Cambridge and thieves operate in the same areas time and time again. There are far too many thieves, mainly drug addicts, who brazenly steal other peoples belongings and seemingly, get away with it – quite often in broad daylight too. 

‘A slap on the wrist is no deterrent for people like them. If you have video or photographic evidence of someone clearly stealing someone elses property, we will review it and then post it up here in the hope that the Cambridge community will identify them.

‘These thieves have already lost all dignity and they know full well that the police can only do so much – so let’s work together to make it impossible for them to walk our streets so freely.’

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