A new initiative is being launched in West Sussex in an attempt to reduce the number of bicycle stolen from across the county.

Operation Velo is a new way of marking and registering bikes, and Sussex Police will be hosting events where officers will be on hand to mark, register and offer advice about the best way to secure cycles.

Sergeant Chris Pipkin, who has set up the initiative, said: “The operation will initially take place across Chichester, Bognor, Littlehampton and Worthing & Adur districts.

“Each bicycle will marked using an anti-tamper label and the owner’s details will be registered on BikeRegister, a national database, much like that which is used for cars and motorbikes. Officers will be able to check if a bicycle is stolen or in the wrong hands within minutes of stopping the rider.”

The new system will enable officers to stop a cyclist at the side of the road and check for a unique mark. A call to the control room, or by connecting to http://www.bikeregister.com will ,allow them to check the status of a bike as well as the details of the person registered to it.

“The aim is that potential thieves will be put off from stealing in the first place, knowing that they are more likely to get stopped and the bicycle will be traceable back to the owner,” added Sgt Pipkin. “Officers will also be able to reunite more people with their lost or stolen bicycles as they will be registered on the database.

“Cyclists will be able to come along to the events and speak to the team about registering their bicycle and to get advice about different types of locks as well as where to leave their bicycle and, more importantly, where not to leave it.”

Events will be held at:

Chichester
The Cross on Thursday January 10 and Friday 11 between 8.30am and midday
The Selsey Centre on Saturday January 12 between 12.30 and 3.30pm
The north side of Chichester Train station on Sunday January 13 between 10am and 2pm

Bognor
Thursday January 10 and Friday 11 - London Road between 10am and 2pm     
Saturday January 12 - The Pier between 1pm and 4pm 
Sunday January 13 - London Road between 10am and 2pm

Littlehampton
Thursday January 10 - High Street, Littlehampton between 10am and 2pm           
Friday January 11 - The Street, Rustington between 1pm and 4pm     
Saturday January 12 - The Street, Rustington between 1pm and 4pm     
Sunday January 13 - High Street, Littlehampton between 10am and 2pm

Worthing
Thursday January 10 - Chapel Road junction with Warwick Street between 10am and 2pm   
Friday January 11 - Montague Street at The Bandstand between 1pm and 4pm   
Saturday January 12 - Chapel Road junction with Warwick Street between 1pm and 4pm   
Sunday January 13 - Montague Street and The Bandstand between 10am and 2pm

For further information and images contact: Jodie Fisher, Marketing Executive for Selectamark.

Phone: +44 (0)1689 487829
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @bikeregister