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look after your bike!
Bicycles are vulnerable to
theft. They are very mobile, and of a high enough in value to be worth stealing, yet
often too low in value to be worth equipping with expensive security devices.
The thief can make them hard to identify and easy to disguise.
Here are some tips to stop
you losing yours.
Home security
Over half the thefts of
cycles take place from the owners property.
These include thefts from
sheds, garages
& gardens.
Is the
place you keep your bike secure?
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Consider locking you bike to an anchor point or
a heavy and difficult to move object.
-
Cast
iron drainpipes are easily smashed and a good quality lock is essential.
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Insurance companies will not pay out unless you can prove you bike was locked
up.
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Keep
your bike covered or out of sight.
Sheds,
easily
broken into not just for bikes, consider a cheap freestanding alarm. A shed bar
and good quality padlock is essential. You should also bar the windows.
Garages,
Again most are easily broken into, a good shed bar and padlock on the side door
Bar the windows, fit a ground anchor to the up and over front
door.
Gardens,
You
must consider a good quality anchor point and lock your bikes to it with the
best quality lock you can buy.
Put the
bike on the house insurance
Parking Outside
Always lock your bike when
leaving it, even if only for a short time!
Choose a place to lock your
bike where there are lots of people and a high level of natural surveillance.
Don’t hide it in an isolated place.
Lock your bike to proper
cycle stand or robust street furniture (making sure you don’t cause an
obstruction).
Make sure you lock the bike
through the frame, and if the bike has quick release wheels secure them with
the lock.
Make sure your lock is above
the ground, this makes it more difficult to force.
Locks
There are three main types of
locks, D lock, cable lock & chain and
padlock.
They should as a rough guide
cost 20% of the value of the bike
Buy the best you can, look
for the sold secure sign, as these locks have been tested.
See
www.soldsecure.com for further information
Always carry some form of
lock when using the bike.
Security marking
Security marking and
registration can act as a deterrent to theft and return stolen bikes to their
owner. Registration can also help identify stolen bikes being sold second hand
or show to the new owner that it isn’t stolen.
Always record the serial
number on your bike.
There are various products
that you can mark you bike with eg. SmartWater, Selectamark, Data tag. Etc.
The bike can also be electronically tagged inside the frame, which will give
details of the owner when checked with an electronic scanner by the police.
Make sure you mark your bike
with a tamper proof label showing that it’s marked to dissuade the thief.
Remember everyone spends a
lot of money to buy their bikes, think about paying that little bit extra and
take
that little bit of extra care to keep it.
For any further information
contact your local Crime Prevention Officer
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