Bicycle Association publishes guide to cycle security and tackling theft

The Bicycle Association (BA) has published its latest in a series of BA Guides To: The BA Guide to Cycle Security and Tackling Theft.

The BA Guides are a series of concise documents aiming to offer definitive information on matters of interest to the UK cycle industry.

This comprehensive guide covers:

• The problems that cycle theft causes;
• How the industry can help to tackle the issue;
• What to cover with customers in-store

Although crime figures for 2021 suggested a decline in cycle thefts, many believe official police figures to be underreported.

The National Crime Survey has reported 275,000 thefts in the year to March 2020.

With many victims failing to report the theft of their bike it is likely that more than 300,000 bicycles are stolen in the UK each year. The industry recognises that theft is a major problem and is determined to tackle it.

Stephen Holt, retail trade manager at The Bicycle Association, said: “We are pleased to present this new guide, which outlines what retailers can do to help tackle the ongoing issue of cycle theft.”

A study conducted in 2016 identified that 25% of participants who were victims of bicycle theft “gave up cycling” and 66% “cycled less”.

There are an estimated 30 million plus bikes in use today in the UK. As an industry, more than one million adult bikes are sold each year.

Read more: New Cycle to Work scheme Gogeta launches with ‘lowest commission in the industry’ 

The BA is working to raise the issue of good bike security with its customers, and to do more when new bikes are purchased, focussing on three key areas: locks, registration and marking, and insurance.

The BA says it recognises the challenges of adding to the list of priorities at the point of sale, but believes there is a number of potential benefits to be had leading to a reduction in bike theft across the UK.

For more information, or to download the guide, click here