Bike thieves in Amsterdam

As bikes are a big part of our lives in Amsterdam, we get a little upset when a bicycle thief pops up in front of our very own offices and goes to work. Last Friday, it appeared as though one of the city’s bike removal specialists was attempting to do just that. Of course, as good citizens we were obliged to call the authorities. The Dutch Politie arrived promptly only to discover that the bike thief was none other than one of our own copywriters who happens to be married to a producer whose bike lock was broken. Copywriter (Peter), who will not be named in this article,  can be seen in this film being interrogated by the police in Dutch after being caught red-handed attempting to crack his wife’s lock with a hammer, hacksaw and his bare hands. The best part of the story, however, occurs off camera, when a true Amsterdam bike thief noticed the commotion and offered his services to remove the lock. He opened his jacket to reveal a portable tool shed and, for a small fee, did the job. He was also nice enough to give us a rundown of what locks we should and shouldn’t have if we’d like to ensure our bikes are safe from him. His top pick to deter him: a Viro chain lock.