Not everyone can have a naked Nicky Campbell to chase off bike thieves, so we’ve put together this page with what we hope is lots of useful information to help keep your pride and joy falling into someone else’s hands.
In 2010 we reported 2,296 bikes stolen in the borough between 2007 and 2010, by 2012, this had increased to 4,181 between 2010 and 2012, an average of 4.5 bikes per day. We would encourage everyone to have their bicycle marked to increase the likliehood of having it returned if it is stolen:
- Advice on your Choice of lock
- Guidance on How to lock your bike
- Take down the details of your bike (particularly the frame number) and take a photo of it – Bike details template
- Get it security marked by the Police – find an event near you
- Register your bike – On the police run www.bikeregister.com or Immobilise
- Report your bike when stolen – Call 0300 123 1212 or follow the link to report the crime (its vital to report stolen bikes, both to improve chances of recovery, but also to make sure theft statistics are accurate).
- Check out London Cycling Campaign’s ‘Beat the Thief Campaign’ which provides good advice in the areas above – LCC Cycle Security
- Don’t leave a bike rack on the roof of a car parked outside your house – it highlights bike owning properties to thieves
- Be careful how you use sites such as Strava or Garmin Connect to record your rides – you could be leading the thief right to your bike!
Secure Bike Parking
Secure bike parking is now available at Teddington Railway Station and Twickenham Railway Station. To register, pop into the ticket office with a £25 deposit, fill in a form and you’ll get an access card. Have a look at our audit of all 13 stations across the borough for details on cycle parking provision.
And finally…
This excellent guest piece from Colin Lusk sums up exactly the pain of losing that loved one!