The owner of a Queen Street West bike shop has been arrested by police in connection with the theft of bicycle Wednesday night.

Igor Kenk, 49, the owner of The Bicycle Clinic, is alleged by police to have directed a man with bolt-cutters to steal a bike near Trinity-Bellwoods Park.

Plainclothes officers made the arrest after observing another man cutting the locks off two bicycles near the park.

Both Kenk and Jean Laveau have been charged with one count of theft under $5,000, one count of attempted theft under $5,000, and one count of possession of property obtained by crime. Laveau faces an additional charge of possessing burglary tools.

Bicycle theft in Toronto is not uncommon — in fact some say it is epidemic.

Heather Spratt had her bike stolen in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood on Wednesday.

"Yesterday I locked up my bike, went to get a newspaper, I came back and it was gone," she said.

Toronto police figures show that more than 50,000 bikes have been reported stolen in the city since 1997. Last year alone, 4,585 bicycles were reported stolen. But police said the numbers don't even come close to the real figures because most people don't register their bikes — and victims don't always report the crime.