Police Bike Tagging in Loughborough
Posted on March 3, 2008, 1:10 pm
P. Klein
People living in parts of Loughborough that are identified as ‘hot spot' areas for bike thefts are being offered free electronic tagging devices.
Crime analysis shows that areas with a high student population have higher incidents of bike theft than other areas. This has a serious impact on the lives of students, many of whom rely on their bikes for transport. The cost of replacing a bike, particularly if it is not insured, can also be prohibitively high.
The police in Loughborough have teamed up with Charnwood Borough Council to launch a jointly funded campaign to reduce the number of bike thefts and return recovered bikes to their rightful owners. Teams, made up of representatives from both organisations, are visiting houses in hot spot areas and offering to tag the resident's bikes.
The electronic tag is inserted into the frame of the bike and cannot be removed. Each tag has a unique serial number and details of this number, and the registered owner, are held on a national database. The tag can be read by portable readers which are kept by the police. A warning label is displayed on the bike frame.
At the time of fitting, details of the make, model and description of the bike are noted down and given to the owner to create a unique ‘cycle passport'."
Inspector Mark Cuddihy from Loughborough Policing Unit said; "If a bike is stolen and then recovered it is often difficult for us to identify who that bike belongs to. Tagging bikes is a great way of ensuring that it can be returned to its rightful owner and it also acts as a deterrent because the tag cannot be removed so it is always traceable. In a recent 28 day period we had 26 bikes stolen so I would urge people to do everything they can to keep their bikes secure."
Since April 2007 to the present day there have been 301 bike thefts reported to the police in Loughborough which is a 20% reduction on the same period the year before. (77 less offences)
Crime prevention tips include;
Always use a good quality lock such as a ‘D' lock or combination lock. Look for the ‘Sold Secure Limited' approved models.
When you leave your bike always make sure you lock it to something secure and immovable and take removable parts (saddle, quick-release wheels, lights etc.) with you or lock them to the bike.
Lock your bike even if you keep it in your back garden or shed.
Dave Burge the Community Safety Officer for Charnwood Borough Council said; "Statistics show that you are 10 times less likely to have your bike stolen if it is tagged which is why we chose to adopt this scheme. Areas around the UK already using tagging devices have recorded exceptional levels of success, driving down the theft of pedal cycles dramatically in some places so we hope to do the same here. As well as visiting addresses in known hot spot areas we are planning to hold some bike tagging days where bike owners can bring their bikes along and have them tagged."
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