Police are issuing a warning that bicyclists are reporting a drastic increase of on-campus thefts of bikes.

The University of Iowa Police Department says there's been nearly 2.5 times as many reports in recent years. In 2017, from January 1 to October 13, UIPD has investigated 74 reports of stolen bikes. In comparison, during that same time period, there was 52 in 2016 and just 29 in 2015.

Police say protecting bikes isn't as easy as just locking it up. They said many of the bikes that were stolen had been locked up, but that they weren't locked up well enough.

"Something we're seeing this year that's new to us is that they will actually mix and match and create a bike there at a bike rack. They'll find a bicycle that's secured just by the front tire and remove the frame, and then find a frame that has an unsecured front tire and they'll actually create a bicycle by doing two thefts essentially," Capt. Mark Bullock, of UIPD, said.

Bullock said it's important to find a sturdy lock that can stand up against bolt cutters. Police recommend usingU-Locks. He also said it's important to make sure that the frame of the bike and its front wheel are both secured with the lock.

University of Iowa student, Ryan Hall, had hisBlue Surly Disc Trucker bike stolen on Wednesday, October 18. He had secured the front tire using his U-Lock, but the frame wasn't locked with it.

"On my bike rack was just my front wheel," Hall said. The rest of the bike had been taken.