Brand your bike against thieves
CYCLE shops in West Norfolk are joining an initiative to register bikes to their new owners at the point of sale in a bid to combat thieves.
Hunstanton Town Mayor Richard Bird is one of those backing the move at his cycle shop Fat Birds Don’t Fly in the town’s Lynn Road.
Others signed up include A.E. Wallis in High Street, Heacham, Surf 55 in Wootton Road, Gaywood, and Richardson’s in London Road, Lynn.
Police community safety officer PC Steve Gower said there had been a good take-up from cycle shops in promoting the scheme and those taking part were displaying partnership posters.
“Many retailers have agreed to individually mark cycles as they assemble them and then, at the point of sale, register the cycle to the new owner,” he said.
“By using this initiative, bikes are made virtually worthless to a thief because they can’t be easily resold. A further advantage of this system is that a patrolling officer or Police Community Support Officer can access the database and establish a cycle’s owner.”
Mr Bird, who has been involved with bikes for 50 years, said: “Seventy thousand bikes are stolen every year and not recovered in this country. I want to see every bike registered on the national computer and almost an MoT system brought in for them.”
The initiative has been timed to meet the Christmas surge in cycle sales, with parents thinking of buying bikes as presents urged to ensure they have been marked and registered.
Taking such measures makes a bike less attractive to thieves and ensures it can be returned to the owner if it is stolen and recovered.
People can join an online national database – www.bikeregister.com – which is approved by the police and enables them to easily trace ownership of recovered stolen or lost bikes. Members can get a logbook, database registration and indelible and visible property-marking stencils.
PC Gower urged all owners to properly mark their cycles, register them and protect them.
He said: “Other tips people can follow include using a high-quality lock whenever you leave your bike. Also keep it secured to an immovable and solid object in a well-lit location where people will be passing by regularly. Another tip is to keep a photo of your cycle and make a note of any distinctive features it has.”
l Cycle shops interested in taking part in the scheme, and anyone wanting more information on bike security, can contact PC Gower at Lynn Police Station on 0845 456 4567.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 26 May 2012
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