Check That Bike! Campaign FAQ
So as part of my campaign I’ve been campaigning for the release of stolen bike frame numbers through the use of open data principles. There are a few frequently asked questions so I thought I’d make a post to address them. Don't the police have access to a national database of stolen bike police reports? No such database exists not even for a police force, a stolen bike police report is logged onto a database that is only searched within that police forces area. This means that thieves can steal a bike from one county and moved to another county by the van load to essentially become untraceable. Several people seem to be under the belief that BikeRegister, Immobilise, NMPR or various other registers offer such a database but this simply isn’t the case. Not many cyclists record their frame number? This is unfortunately true but my opinion is that by making a national database of stolen bike frame number available to both the public and the police, you show just how useful a frame number can be and bring the public’s awareness to its existence. As the service becomes more popular, more people record their frame numbers, as more people do that the data quality improves, you can then rinse and repeat this process until a majority are recording frame numbers. How people go about recording that frame number doesn’t exactly matter much but I am planning to release a service that will drastically change the market, with various new features that will either be free to use or near to cost price (in the case of ways...
Do the police take bike theft seriously?
What follows is just my opinion based on two years of working to tackle bike theft and helping victims get their bikes back. It is not meant to be seen as an attack on any force and is simply a summary based on what I’ve learnt. I want to say before I get started that there are some fantastic individuals in police forces who genuinely have the right idea. I’ve met officers that have dedicated themselves to reducing bike theft (in one case for the last 5 years of their career), the Met even have a dedicated taskforce who deal with bike crime although they are often over stretched in my personal experience. What I say below shouldn’t reflect on these individuals who are IMO overworked and under thanked, it is instead made to address policing in general. So just why do I believe bike theft isn’t taken seriously? Personal Experience I started Stolen Bikes UK after my own bike was taken in a burglary, the responding officer (the one who searched my house with me, when I came home to my door broken in) could not have been nicer and more helpful. The bike was stolen with a bright fluorescent large biking rucksack, so surely easy enough to spot on CCTV. However under 48 hours later my case was closed by a detective, the reasoning? They asked the nearest local business if they have CCTV which they didn’t. I live in a city centre flat, yes the nearest business doesn’t have CCTV but every street is covered by CCTV due to my proximity to a prison, a young...
Participants needed for study into bicycle theft
We’ve been contacted by one of our readers to ask for help in recruiting participants for a study into bicycle theft. Ryan Dunn, a post-graduate anthropology student at University College London, would like to interview recent victims of bicycle theft for his Master’s degree research project. During the interview you will be asked questions about the relationship you had with your lost bicycle, the manner in which the bicycle contributed to your self-identity, and how you were affected by its theft. Each interview should take between 20-30 minutes, and can be done via phone, Skype or in person at University College London. Interviews will be confidential, and all participants will have their names changed if included in the final report. If you have been a victim of bicycle theft in the past six months, and are interested in participating or have any questions then please contact Ryan Dunn at ryan.dunn.13@ucl.ac.uk,...Read moreBurglars and bike thieves will always be looking to offload their loot on sites like Gumtree and eBay. We urge the public to take precautions when purchasing a cycle from social media sites. Always ask for proof of purchase and meet in a public place.
Securing Your Bike
If you’ve just got a new bike it’s really important that you take some of the below tips to heart with most new bikes being stolen within 2 years and a vast majority of those never being recovered there is a very real chance that if you don’t take action your bike will end up on the front page of this website or others like it. Record your bikes details So you’ve just got your new bike, it’s nice and shiny and it’s sunny outside, time to go for ride? Stop! There are a few vital details you can record that dramatically increase the chances of recovering your bike should it ever be stolen. Read more about recording your bikes details Lock your bike… PROPERLY! Welcome to the arms race! Unfortunately no lock on the market can resist a determined bike thief so the object of locking your bike properly is simply to make the thief look elsewhere for easier pray. Get the right lock See those cable locks? walk right past them and go for a Dlock which are much harder to defeat without the use of power tools. I personally recommend the Kryptonite New Yorker, which comes with a anti-theft guarantee. Location, location, location Try to find dedicated bike racks in busy areas that are covered by CCTV, the more bikes using it the better. Use your lock correctly If you don’t use your lock correctly you may as well have not bothered. Ensure that you at the very least include a major part of the frame, try to include one wheel as well, and if you...
Registering Your Bike
With most new bike sold being stolen within 24 months, it’s really important to take down a few essential details of your bike that will drastically improve the odds of your bike being returned should the worst happen. The minimum of details you should take are Make and Model of Bike Frame Number (usually found near your pedals, often on the bottom of the frame). Any scratches, marks or parts that makes your bike unique If possible take a photo as well There are several services (listed below), which assist you with taking all the relevant details. Alternatively if you wish to do it yourself, you can just write down the details or simply email the details to yourself for safe keeping. Immobilise Immobilise is a property register, widely adopted by police forces in the UK. Whilst it’s business practices are morally questionable, it’s wide adoption means that it’s well worth using to register your bike. BikeShepherd (seems inactive now) Bike Shepherd< is a easy to use bicycle specific register, whilst it hasn't been adopted by any police forces. It was at the time of writing the only bicycle register that also publicizes your bike should it go missing (excluding ourselves). BikeRegister For various reasons I can’t go into, I don’t recommend Bike Register to...
Nominate us for a BikeBiz Award
I’ve been operating Stolen-Bikes.co.uk (and its sister site findthatbike.co.uk) for just over a year and in that time I’ve seen many bikes returned to their rightful owners (and hopefully many more to come, if yours is recovered please let me know the story as I’m always happy to hear them). I’m not a multimillion pound company, just a bike theft victim who holds a grudge, so I’m even happier with the results that I’ve been told about (although I’m not finished sticking it to bike thieves just yet). I’m sending this email out because I’m currently competing for a top Bicycle Industry Award, I believe that it would be a massive boost for the websites and also help me talk with retailers and manufacturers about why they should take bike crime seriously and what they can do to help combat bike theft once and for all. To this end you can help me win the award! To nominate the Stolen Bikes UK for this award all you need to do is email bikeawards@intentmedia.co.uk with one or two sentences explaining why you think we should win it. Nominations need to be in by July 2nd. This is a massive industry award, so I’ll be up against huge brands, every nomination counts! I’m competing in the BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA category (the only one that’s really relevant), please include this in your email as well as a link to our website so they know who your nominating. Okay but what exactly have you done with social media? I setup stolen bikes last year in May after my own bicycle was...An appeal to local bike shop owners
Please, please…. please stop selling cheap chain/cable locks! In a recent June issue of a magazine aimed at the UK bike industry (shall remain nameless) I was horrified to see that these locks continue to be sold despite not being fit for purpose no matter how you look at it (there not even suitable as cafe locks). Seriously, these locks just leave cyclists feeling that their bike is safe outside when in reality as the below video demonstrates they may as well not have bothered using it. With one cable lock holding up for a grand total of 1 second under the strain of a £3 pair of pliers. Now here are some reasons you should care… You can use the opportunity to upsell a better (Sold Secure Gold Rated) lock Police forces usually suggest cyclists look to spend at least £40 or 20% of the value of their bike on a decent Dlock If you sold a cyclist a cheap cable lock that gets broken, then they will associate the negative experience with your shop Your helping solve a problem that effects 415,000 cyclists every single year Many bike theft victims give up cycling, meaning one less potential customer in your area It’s important to remember that cyclists come to local bike shops often for the better service and advice, by selling these locks that aren’t fit for purpose your undermining that sentiment and missing a chance to give out some excellent security advice that results in you selling a more expensive lock....
Police forces fail to investigate up to 90% of bicycle thefts (Press Release)
Figures released under Freedom of Information laws reveal scale of the problem Victims turn to Stolen-bikes.co.uk for help locating their missing bicycles Thousands of bicycle thefts reported to the police are not being investigated because officers believe they are unlikely to be solved. New figures have revealed that tens of thousands of bicycle thefts are ‘screened out’ as soon as the report has been filed, to save resources. One force revealed that it marked as many as nine in ten of such cases as ‘not for further investigation’. Those neglected include cases where the bike owner has already identified incriminating CCTV footage, or found adverts which offer the stolen bicycle for sale. Sajna Talukdar, a project manager at the Home Office, was one such victim. Her bike, which she had bought for a series of charity fundraising races, was stolen from outside her home in east London in April. She said: “I can’t express how distressing the experience has been, especially the police’s lack of action. “My bike was never investigated and even when I was able to locate the CCTV cameras for police to look through, the police did nothing. They have not called me back and nor has victim support contacted me. “Even the notes taken did not reflect the further details I gave about the monitoring device installed, the various markings/stickers on the bike and unique transfer marks from my red side wall and damage on one pedal.” She has since been forced to withdraw from several races. Figures released under the freedom of information act reveal Sajna’s experience to be far from unusual. Her local force, the...
£2.5k Stolen Bike Recovered
Below is the short version of an email I received from a very happy cyclist, it’s always good to get these emails as much of what I do comes out of my own pocket. Hello John, Just thought I’d let you know that I’ve recovered my ‘Sunday best’ race bike with the help of your site. To cut a long story short: I had a Cannondale Supersix road bike stolen from a metal bike shed on 11th April worth ~£2.5k with upgraded wheels etc. Reported it stolen etc to the police. Google’d ‘how to get a stolen bike back’ followed some of the really helpful suggestions including using your website. Spotted it on ebay last Friday after receiving the email from your site. Knew it was mine instantly as it had non-standard tyres and wheels etc. Called the police back and found the sellers address etc from the internet. The police executed a search warrant and recovered my bike!! Really made my week. I collect it back off the police this week. Have a look at the attached email for more details. Just wanted to say thanks and to let you know that your website works and really user friendly! Thanks again, If you do get your bike recovered please don’t hesitate to email your story to john@stolen-bikes.co.uk, even if it wasn’t one of my sites that helped...