Haven Green Cameras 'Can't Catch Thieving Villains'

Rory Cellan-Jones voices frustration after his bike was stolen

Rory Cellan-Jones returned to find a broken lock and his helmet but no bike. Picture: Rory Cellan-Jones

Ealing-based broadcaster and writer Rory Cellan-Jones has criticised the Metropolitan Police after officers closed the investigation into his stolen bicycle within minutes—despite the theft taking place directly beneath council-run CCTV cameras at Ealing Broadway.

Cellan-Jones, who lives with Parkinson’s and often cycles short distances because it is easier than walking, had locked his bike at the sheltered racks on Haven Green opposite the station on Monday while travelling to Holland Park to record episodes of the Movers and Shakers podcast. The racks are covered by multiple CCTV cameras, something he noticed as he secured his bike.

In his Rory’s Always on Newsletter, he relates how, when he returned six hours later, the bike had vanished. The heavy chain had been cut clean through, and the helmet he had left hanging from the handlebars was untouched. “You’d have to be pretty daft to steal a bike there,” he wrote in his newsletter, noting the prominent cameras above the stands.

He immediately filed an online crime report with the Met, highlighting that the theft must have been captured on the council’s surveillance system. Within minutes he received an automated offer of support from Victim Support—and less than twenty minutes later, a message informing him that the case had been closed.

According to the police response, the six-hour window during which the theft could have occurred made CCTV review “not suitable for investigation”. Officers told him the case could be reopened only if he could identify the exact time of the theft himself.

Cellan-Jones said he was surprised that officers declined to review the footage at all, especially given that the camera was fixed on a stationary object. Commenters on social media pointed out that even a basic midpoint-search method—checking whether the bike was present halfway through the time window, then halving the window repeatedly—would allow officers to narrow the timeframe in minutes.

The broadcaster described the camera as 'they unseeing eye'. Picture: Rory Cellan-Jones

When he returned to the bike racks the next day, he found a notice directing him to Ealing Council’s CCTV policy. The system is jointly operated by the council and the Metropolitan Police, with footage retained for 31 days. But members of the public cannot request footage directly: only solicitors or insurers may apply, and the council charges £127 to search and £127 to release any footage.

Cellan-Jones said he was not shocked that the theft of his £350 hybrid bike was not treated as a priority. He referenced reporting by journalist Jim Waterson, who previously documented in his London Centric newsletter the difficulty of getting police to investigate the theft of his own high-value e-bike—even when he could track it via an Apple AirTag.

Around 16,000 bike thefts are reported to the Met each year, though cycling groups estimate the true figure may be closer to 40,000, as many victims do not report the crime.

Local bike owners assume that cameras mean the Haven Green bike racks are secure. Picture: Rory Cellan-Jones

While acknowledging the pressure on police resources, Cellan-Jones said the experience had shaken his confidence in leaving a bike at council-managed racks, even those under 24-hour surveillance. He joked that he had finally discovered what CCTV really stands for: “Can’t Catch Thieving Villains.”