June 2007 News
Beat the bike thieves
Thousands of bicycles are stolen each week, but there is a very simple way that cyclists can be reunited with their property. To mark National Bike Week, Hackney is working with the Metropolitan police to get cyclists across London and the UK to register their bikes online to make sure that if they are stolen and recovered, they can find their way home. Every bicycle has a unique frame number and if this is entered into the www.immobilise.com database with a name and address, then reuniting bikes and their owners becomes very simple.
Hackney's elected Mayor Jules Pipe said:
"Every cyclist dreads getting their bike stolen, but what many people don't know is that the police are actually very good at getting them back. There are hundreds of recovered bikes in police stations across London, and some are worth a lot of money. However, if people don't register their bikes, there is often no way of tracing the owners. Cycling is enjoying a huge boost in popularity in London but that also means that bike theft is on the rise.
"As a cyclist I was really pleased to hear about the immobilise.com scheme. We really want to help the police beat the bike thieves which is why we are helping them to promote this scheme."
Mayor Jules Pipe and Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Steve Dann joined cyclists for breakfast in London Fields on Wednesday 20 June to encourage them to sign up to www.immobilise.com. Officers were on hand to show them where to find their frame numbers.
Chief Superintendent Steve Dann, Borough Commander Hackney, said:
"A few easy measures can help prevent cyclists falling victim to thieves. Cyclists should ensure that they use a secure, steel cycle lock correctly, and wherever possible lock their bike in a well-lit secure area or cycle rack covered by CCTV cameras, if possible.
"Make sure you know the name, model and serial number of your bike and store it somewhere safe in case you need to pass on the details to the police. Finally, by registering your bike on immobilise.com, police are able to reunite recovered cycles with their owners much more easily."
Hackney was voted Best Bike Borough at last year's London Transport Awards. Crime has dropped in Hackney by 28 per cent, with all crimes falling except bicycle theft.
Page updated: 20 Jun 2007