Two Brompton owners who had their bikes stolen have been reunited with them, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service Safer Transport Command’s Cycle Task Force, funded by Transport for London.

Both bikes were seized after officers arrested a 36-year old man in Southwark in connection with the sale of stolen bikes online. The suspect had three Brompton bicycles, two of which belonged to a woman called Hanna from Westminster, and the third belonged to Neil Years from Essex.

Neil contacted the Cycle Task Force after he found what he thought was his stolen Brompton bike being sold online, which he reported stolen in October last year in Tower Hamlets. This subsequently led to the arrest and seizure of the bikes on 15 February.

Both Neil and Hanna had their bikes property marked and Neil’s was registered on BikeRegister the preferred MPS registration database for bicycles.

Hanna’s bike was reported stolen in July 2011 from Westminster.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and possession of class A and B drugs and later bailed to return to police in April.

Chief Superintendent Sultan Taylor Safer Transport Command, said: “The Cycle Task Force is dedicated to tackling cycle theft across London and we are pleased to have been able to recover these bikes and reunite them with their rightful owners.

“This highlights how reporting crime to police and keeping information about items registered on property databases, up-to-date, assists police in restoring property to their rightful owners.

“We advise any cyclist to follow ‘the three R’s’ - record the details of their bike, register them onto the MPS preferred property database http://www.bikeregister.com and report any theft to the police. These are simple steps that all cyclists should take so that if their bike is stolen they stand a good chance of being reunited with it.

“If you are a victim of bike theft and you suspect your bike is being sold, do not arrange to meet the seller, contact the police, quoting your crime reference number.

“Bike thieves should be aware that we will use the full powers of the law and range of tactics to track them down and bring them before the courts.”

For further press information and images contact: Angela Singleton, Press Officer for Selectamark. Mobile: +44 (0)7905 623 819. Email: [email protected]

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

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