ROBBERIES and bicycle thefts have spiked in three wards, according to new police figures.

Stats released on Monday via a Hampshire Alert show the crime trends in Grove, Eastrop, and Brookvale and King’s Furlong, detailing the number of reported crimes in the previous 90 days.

The three crimes that showed the largest increase were personal robberies, theft of bicycles and business burglaries.

By far the largest increase has been the theft of pedal bicycles.

In the past 90 days, 30 bicycle thefts have been reported to the police, up from 11 reports in the 90 days previous.

Some of the suspects have been identified from CCTV and investigations are ongoing, with patrols being concentrated in key areas.

There were 13 robberies reported to the police over the course of the past 90 days, up 10 from three in the preceding 90 days.

Police said suspects in relation to those incidents have been identified and the incidents are under investigation.

Brookvale and King’s Furlong ward Councillor Michael Westbrook, said: “I hadn’t necessarily heard of the particular rise in these crimes, but councillors in the area regularly meet with the police sergeant, local businesses and school heads to see what can be done about the smaller crimes in the area.

“We have regular meetings on local crimes, in order to get a feel on what is happening locally, and we are working on what is important in the area.”

The three crimes that said to have decreased the most over the same time period were residential burglaries, criminal damage and violence with injury.

The figures also point to overall crime falling, with Eastrop showing a slight dip with 454 crimes reported over the past 90 days, compared to the 456 in the previous 90.

Ward councillor for Grove, Cllr Ronald Hussey, said: “By and large, Grove is low crime area.

“Throughout the area, the problem that we’ve been having is in relation to drug paraphernalia in the shrubbery, which we are making safe with the borough council helping to clear the area so it is safer for people walking.”

Ward councillor for Eastrop, Cllr Ryan Hickling, said: "With forced changes to travel plans and costs of a replacement, cycle theft needs to be taken seriously and is incredibly frustrating for those involved.

"Cycling is something that we should be encouraging more of throughout Basingstoke and can be helped by placing cycle storage in visible locations as well as ensure CCTV coverage to aid in finding the culprits."

Hampshire Constabulary was contacted for a comment on the figures.