Police Endorse Bike Marking As Cycle Crime Rises 18%

13 Mar 2018
Police Endorse Bike Marking As  Cycle Crime Rises 18%

Police statistics linked to the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales (Sept 2017) reveal that bike thefts are on the rise again.

While nationally the Police Recorded Crime Data indicates an 18% increase in cycle crime, BikeRegister is aware from speaking to its police partners that the increase is even higher in certain areas, particularly where forces don’t continue to invest in BikeRegister.

BikeRegister is the UK’s national bicycle register and is London’s official cycle database, used by TfL, City of London Police, British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police.

The Met recorded a 21% increase in bike crime over this performance year. PC Lee Honey, from the Met, said: “Criminals who steal two wheeled vehicles, including bicycles rely on riders who do not properly secure their bikes so it is so important that owners go to all the lengths they can to prevent the thefts of their bikes.”

“This includes making sure your cycle is properly secured by locking the frame and wheel at each end of the bike using two different good quality locks, also always lock your bike to a designated cycle stand. Also, riders should mark and register their bicycles which will greatly increase the chances of its identification and recovery should it get stolen.”

DI Bob Stokoe of British Transport Police (BTP) in London says they have experienced a 16% increase in cycle crime over this performance year, even though the number of cycle places available on the rail network has more than doubled since 2012. Nationally, BTP recorded an increase of 26%.

“Cycle marking remains the mainstay of BTP’s cycle crime prevention strategy and consequently we continue to work closely with BikeRegister in the fight against cycle crime,” says DI Stokoe. “We pro-actively target cycle thieves on the rail network and regularly recover cycles registered on the BikeRegister database, returning them to their grateful owners.”

DI Stokoe confirmed that one of the main reasons BTP uses BikeRegister for their bike marking surgeries is because every police force in the UK uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes. “If we were to use another method of marking and database then we would no longer be in conjunction with other forces which could cause difficulties in returning the bike to its rightful owner if a bike is stolen and recovered,” he said.

“We have had a very good joint working partnership for many years and have undertaken many joint projects and initiatives in conjunction with BikeRegister. All our media campaigns are tied in with BikeRegister, along with the Met, TfL and City of London Police. At present we have the ‘Lock it, Mark it’ campaign running with BikeRegister, the Met, TfL and the City of London Police.”

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

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

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