Police hold bike marking session to combat bicycle thefts

Nottinghamshire Police held another successful bike-marking event as part of an ongoing drive to prevent and reduce bicycle theft.

Queen’s Medical Centre staff and University of Nottingham students were able to get their bicycles marked for free and then registered with the national BikeRegister database.

Tamper-proof stickers were attached to bike frames, making it easier for the police to reunite people with their bikes should they be stolen, whilst also deterring thieves.

BikeRegister is recognised as the National Cycle Database and is used by all UK police forces to search for stolen and recovered bicycles.

Research indicates that cyclists are up to 83 per cent less likely to have their bike targeted and stolen if it is visibly BikeRegister marked.

The successful bike-marking event was held outside the QMC's Ear Nose and Throat Treatment Centre on Thursday (21 November).

Neighbourhood officer PC Sarah Barnes said: “The event went really well. We had around 20 people, a good mix of QMC staff and University of Nottingham students, who approached us to have their bikes marked.

“We are continuing to work hard to prevent and reduce bike thefts and have increased patrols in affected areas to show would-be criminals that we will not tolerate this sort of criminality.

“I hope our ongoing activity reassures people that we are continuing to work hard with our partners to prevent and reduce bike thefts and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

Crime prevention officer Tom Ford, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub, added: “Anyone who has ever had their bike stolen knows how upsetting and disruptive it can be.

“As well as the obvious inconvenience and upset caused by a theft, cycles are often owners’ main form of transport to and from work, college, or university.

“That’s why we take this type of crime seriously and work closely with our partners to provide these free bike-marking events to proactively deter thieves.

“To help us combat this issue, we would encourage all cyclists to lock their bikes with a suitable D-lock, park it securely at recognised cycle parking that is well-lit and covered by CCTV, and get their bikes security marked and registered as a visible deterrent.”

More details about the BikeRegister scheme can be found here: The National Cycle Database | BikeRegister