Tartu Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) spokesperson Taivo Rosi attributed the spike to economic woes, and noted that his authority's resources are coming under strain due to the growing number of theft reports.

He told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "Unfortunately, when compared with last year, we have seen from the reports coming in that stealing is on the rise."

"The increased number of thefts has undoubtedly put pressure on the PPA and investigators though, so far, we have been able to handle it at least to a satisfactory extent. Inevitably when we have to deal with thieves, other aspects of our work suffer as a result," Rosi went on.

Not only have bicycles been targeted; the Tartu Catholic School (Tartu Katoliku kool) and its associated church has also seen nearly €2,000 worth of property taken, including items such as a large gilded cross, a guitar, and schoolchildren's shoes and lunches.

School spokesperson Mart Ilves said: "You can see here the congregation building, where the evening mass was held. A large gilded cross, gifted from Spain, was taken, along with a guitar … and a donation box... And once, they broke into our elementary school building at night, stealing the next day's school lunches, meant for 200 children."

The PPA maintains thefts from schools are relatively rare events, thuogh Estonia's' second city has seen a rise in shoplifting, as well as bike thefts and even the stealing of fuel.

Bolt rental e-scooters have also been targeted, often stripped for components rather than taken wholesale.

Bolt said that this was a "highly systematic" phenomenon.

Bolt's communications manager, Liisi Maria Aleksius told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "It is normal for a few scooters to go missing or to get stolen during the course of the season... but what makes the Tartu case unusual is the sheer number of thefts, and how systematic they have been."

Burglaries and breaking and entering into storage units have also been on the up in Tartu.

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