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07 Feb 2012
Almost 100 cyclists have had their bicycles security
marked for free in Widnes.
PCSO
Paul
Mines hosted a special crime reduction event, in conjunction with
the Safer Halton Partnership, in Victoria Park on Saturday and
Sunday.
Around 70 bikes were security marked in total over the course of
the weekend.
All the bikes that were brought along to the event were
permanently marked with a unique
identification code - this helps the police to
trace the owner if the bicycle ever gets stolen.
The details of the owner of each of the bikes were then registered
on a national database.
Officers from Widnes Neighbourhood
Policing Unit were also on hand to offer cyclists valuable
crime reduction advice.
This included:
- Keeping bicycles locked away and out of sight
when not in use - ideally in a shed or garage that is fitted with
heavy duty locks.
- Investing in a good quality bike lock for when
the bike is in use and left for a short period of time.
- Do not attach the bicycle to something which
could easily be moved or cut and try to leave it in a well-lit area
where there are a lot of people around.
- Report any suspicious activity in your area to
police immediately.
PCSO
Mines
said:
The response from the local community has been really
encouraging and this latest event was a great
success. We managed to security mark 12 bikes on Saturday,
despite the really bad weather, and 58 on Sunday.
It is encouraging to see so many cyclists of all ages taking
steps to keep their prized possession safe and secure.
Bicycle marking not only acts as a deterrent to would-be
thieves, it is also a way of identifying a bike if it is stolen and
later recovered.
We do recover many bikes, which we suspect are
stolen, but are often unable to trace the owners as there are no
security markings on them and this makes it very difficult for us
to trace who it belongs to as there is very little to go on.
Over the course of the weekend we were told of some
success stories from members of the public
relating to bicycles being recovered due to fact they were security
marked − this is really encouraging to hear.
Widnes Neighbourhood Policing Unit is committed to
tackling this type of crime. Officers are doing all they
can to tackle the issue but we need the continued support of
residents and would encourage as many people as possible to get
their bicycle security marked.
- PCSO Paul Mines, Widnes Neighbourhood Policing Unit
The Widnes Neighbourhood Policing Team can be contacted on
0845 458 6383. Anyone with any information about
bike theft in Widnes is urged to call Cheshire Police on
101. Information can also be left anonymously, via
Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.
