On yer bike, thieves!

Tuesday 04 March 2014

“Eye catching” posters are going up in car parks and on cycle racks around town in a bid by police to cut the number of bike thefts.

Although the number of bikes being stolen has halved since 2010, the police say the 150 stolen last year is still too many for a small Island so they have launched a crackdown codenamed: "Operation Locknut".

They say there has been a marked reduction in bike thefts in other jurisdictions who have used the posters but they want everyone on the Island to security mark their bikes as well to make life harder for thieves.

Officers will be holding a number of bike marking events and community surgeries where people can bring their bike and get them security marked and registered for free on an online bicycle identification site. The site, bikeregister.com, aims to reduce cycle theft, identify stolen bikes and reunite them with their owners.

Inspector Tim Barnes said: “Our aim is to get as many pedal cycles as possible security-marked and registered online, making life increasingly difficult for thieves. The process takes five minutes and means if the worst should happen we can stand a better chance of reuniting you with your bike.

“As well as this we will be around to chat about how best to lock your bike, where to lock it and how to report your bike stolen if it does happen.”

Officers will be at Grande Marché on Rue La Masurier on Sunday 9 March from 1-5 pm and at West Park on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 March from 7.30am until 9 am and from 4.30 until 6 pm for cyclists on their daily commute.

They will also be offering security marking in parishes and at schools and people can also pop into the Enquiry Desk at Police Headquarters to get their bikes marked.