BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Over 500,000 bikes are now registered on the national police approved cycle database BikeRegister.
BikeRegister security marking is used by every police force in the UK as a key cycle crime reduction initiative, the brand says. Since its launch, BikeRegister believes it has reduced instances of cycle theft as well as enabled hundreds of cyclists to be reunited with their bikes after they have been stolen.
BikeRegister security marking involves permanently and visibly marking a bike with a unique ID code to prove ownership and placing the details of the bike on a secure national database, accessible to the Police 24/7.
James Brown, managing director of BikeRegister, said: "Police recover literally thousands of bikes every year which they cannot identify or trace back to an owner. Bikes need to have a unique ID number which the BikeRegister system offers. It has been proved that marked bikes are not as attractive to thieves as unmarked ones. Thieves know they will have more trouble selling on a marked bike and that if caught in possession of it, police can check who it really belongs to, and arrest them.
"We are delighted to achieve the milestone of 500,000 bike registrations and thank our police and retail partners for helping us make this possible. BikeRegister is now focused on making bicycle marking and registration compulsory, in order to stamp out the cycle theft pandemic spreading through the UK."
Each kit contains deterrent warning stickers – an essential part of the security marking process, accoridng to BikeRegister. BikeRegister also alerts police to the fact that the bike is marked and registered. If a bike is stolen and then recovered, police can check the marking and log onto the database to quickly verify the true owner and reunite them with their bike. As part of the scheme, each bike owner is issued with a personal logbook as proof of ownership.
