Bicycle theft is a growing problem across the UK, and in recognition of this, the Asset and Property Marking Section of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has launched a helpful guide for cyclists to emphasise the importance of marking their bikes with forensic solutions in order to deter thieves.
Bicycle theft is a huge problem in the United Kingdom, with the National Crime Survey for 2010/11 suggesting that there were over 500,000 bicycle thefts, many of which went unreported. To add to this, the Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending September 2012, confirmed that these incidents are still on the rise, noting a 2% increase.
Written in partnership with Project Cycle Ops, which is comprised of the Metropolitan Police Service, British Transport Police, City of London Police and Transport for London, the new guide provides advice on the wide-ranging benefits of bicycle marking.
Bicycles can be uniquely marked using a forensic solution with a corresponding number or code that can then be registered on a master database. This way, if police come into contact with a bicycle that has been marked and then stolen, they are able to search for it on the central database and return it to its rightful owner. Not to mention, if a bike has been obviously marked, thieves may be less likely to tamper with it in the first place.
Geoff Knupfer, Chairman of the BSIA’s Asset and Property Marking section, said: “Bicycle theft is an intolerable crime and bicycle owners should be aware of the preventative measures they can take in order to put a stop to these thefts, sooner rather than later. Members of the BSIA’s Asset and Property Marking section are specialists in this area, and have produced this guide to illustrate the variety of solutions available to tackle this problem.”
The guide explains in more detail the nature of property marking and includes real-life examples of where these solutions have helped to deter and detect bicycle thefts, provided by members of the BSIA’s Asset and Property Marking Section. The guide is free of charge and can be downloaded here: Property Marking – Bike Theft Guide
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