View Stolen Bikes on UA Campus in a full screen map. Zoom in for a more detailed view of the map showing the stolen bikes from 2007 to 1013

Bicycle thefts on the University of Arizona campus have increased by almost sixty percent compared to the same period last year.

According to an analysis of University of Arizona Police Department  theft reports, there were 271 bicycles stolen between Augusts 2012 and February 2013. During the same period the year before 170 bicycles were stolen representing a 59.4 percent increase so far this academic year compared to last year.

Asked earlier last month about an increase in bike thefts, UAPD public information officer, Juan Alverez said he did not believe more bikes were being stolen, but instead, more people were taking the time to report their stolen bikes.

However, no new reporting tools or marketing campaign have been undertaken by the department to encourage students to report their bicycles as stolen.

In 2011 there were 225 bicycle thefts compared 331 in 2012, which represents a 47 percent increase. Check out the yearly totals in the graph below.

Bike thefts drop during the months that fewer students are on campus. According to stolen bike data from 2007 to 2012, the month with the fewest average bike thefts is June with July as a close second. The number of thefts begins creeping up when school starts and has peaked each year in September when, on average, almost 40 bicycles are stolen.