This is the moment a pair of thieves stole a commuter’s bike in just seconds by cutting its lock and cycling it away.
Video footage shows Mark Hall, 50 and John Sallis, also 50, approaching the cycle chained up on a bike rack on Long Causeway in Peterborough city centre.
The pair are shown on CCTV walking casually to the targeted bike as people are seen walking by on the busy shopping street.
Hall, wearing a grey hoodie, cuts the lock to allow his accomplice Sallis, dressed in black, to ride off quickly on the stolen cycle. The thieves are seen splitting up, leaving in opposite directions after committing the crime.
Police were also alerted to the theft of two other bikes in the area on May 1 after the victims found their locks had been cut and the bikes were gone.
A pair of professional thieves have been brought to justice after CCTV footage showed them stealing a bike within seconds. Sallis and Hall (circled) shown approaching bike racks in Peterborough town centre
Hall (wearing a grey hoodie) cuts the lock from a bike chained up on Long Causeway, allowing his accomplice Sallis (in black) to cycle off quickly with the stolen vehicle
The pair were arrested on May 7 after CCTV operators spotted them in Long Causeway and alerted police.
Hall, of no fixed address, was charged with three counts of theft of a pedal cycle and going equipped for theft after he was found to be in possession of two bolt cutters and a pair of gloves.
He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on June 7, where he was ordered to complete a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) as well as paying £930 in compensation to the victims.
Sallis, also of no fixed address, was charged with three counts of theft of a pedal cycle and failing to provide a specimen for analysis when he refused to take a drugs test in custody.
He failed to appear for his sentencing, which was scheduled at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on June 7.
The pair are seen leaving in opposite directions after stealing the cycle in just seconds
Sallis is seen cycling of with the stolen bike after the slick theft in Peterborough town centre
Sallis was then arrested in Cornwall last month and appeared at Truro Magistrates’ Court on July 9, where he was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison.
PC Alexandra Pullan, who investigated for Cambridgeshire Constabulary, said: ‘Bike theft can have a significant impact on the victim as this is often their primary mode of transport.
‘I urge all bike owners to look into ways of protecting their bikes from theft, such as investing in sturdy locks and getting their bike marked which can help act as a deterrent and also increases the chances of us returning the bike if it is stolen and later recovered.’
It follows a spate of bike thefts, as criminals turn to increasingly slick methods to snatch vehicles quickly.
Another pair of thieves were able to pinch the scooter in just 13 seconds from Goodman’s Yard, near Tower Hill in east London last month
In April, a crook was spotted using an angle grinder to pinch a a bike in two seconds in Shoreditch, east London.
The hooded thief can be seen in broad daylight walking up to the bicycle before pulling out the cordless power tool.
Witnesses watch on as sparks fly from the metal lock, which was easily sliced open.
Another pair of thieves pulled off a similar trick to steal a moped last month in Tower Hill, east London.
Pedestrians were seen walking by as the pair also used an angle grinder to get away with the vehicle in just 13 seconds.