BIKE THEFTS IN CHESTER OUTER AREA – PLEASE BE AWARE!

In what has become an alarming crime statistic in our area, members of our Neighbourhood Enforcement Team along with their Outer patrol colleagues are looking at various ways to combat bike thefts.

PC Dan REYNOLDS has been assigned as the lead in our unit with regards to investigating this crime trend.

I have attached a copy of the news article recently submitted in the Chester Chronicle by local crime reporter – Rachel FLINT.

Rachel has spoken with Dan over this type of theft and her article covers some very interesting statistics as well as some crime prevention advice that should prove useful to local residents.

 

Police are working with bike suppliers and customers to try and stop opportunist thieves in their tracks

Aug 16 2012 by Rachel Flint, Chester Chronicle

ASPIRING athletes, commuters and keep-fit enthusiasts are being targeted by have-a-go thieves who are stealing their bikes in less than 42 seconds.

Over the past 30 days more than £12,000 worth of bikes have been stolen from sheds, garages, driveways and bike racks, as opportunist thieves pick at cheap locks and take abandoned bikes from outside shops while their owners are distracted.

Now, just days after the nation sat gripped watching as Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton raced to gold during the London 2012 Olympic Games, Cheshire police are vowing to help cyclists secure their bikes against the thieves.

Over the coming weeks officers aim to visit the homes of new bike owners to check where they are being stored, what sort of locks they are using and to hand out safety advice to stop their bikes being targeted by criminals.

Speaking from Blacon Police Station, where hundreds of unclaimed bikes are stacked up waiting to be sold at auction, PC Dan Reynolds said: “People used to spend around £100-£150 buying a new bike, now they are spending anything between £500-£1,000 but they are still keeping them in a shed with a £3 padlock.

“One of the problems is also that when someone has their bike stolen they often don’t ring the police as they don’t think it is important enough. And if they do they don’t have the information to help us to track their bike.”

PC Reynolds explained that since Operation Lane was started 12 months ago officers had been proactive in spotting and catching the thieves, but had been unable to stop cyclists locking up their bikes in insecure places with £50,000 worth of bikes going missing over the past six months.

Now police are joining forces with bike stores across the city to help inform new cyclists and get them to register their details as they buy their bike, so that if it is stolen police will be able to recover it more efficiently.

PC Reynolds said that the operation would see:

Cyclists given bike passports to fill in with the information about their bike and a space for a photograph which could be handed to police if the bike was stolen.

Police working with retailers to give advice to new bike owners.

Officers and PCSOs visiting homes to check whether bikes are being stored in a secure place and helping cyclists to avoid being the target of crime.

Cyclists being encouraged to register their bike on the national property database or www.immobilise.com to help the police track it down if it is stolen.

PC Reynolds said that it could take a thief less than a few seconds to undo a cheap lock and that anything that cyclists could do to deter thieves would help stamp out crime in the city.

 

Weekly Update

Chester Outer South – Lache / Westminster Park / Curzon Park / Handbridge / Saltney

 

Curzon Close           Theft of pedal cycle. Btn 09:00 to 10:00 on 03/09.

Unknown offender(s) approach insecure Peugeot

ladies pedal cycle stolen on driveway and steal same.

Handbridge               Following a report of a male sighted on CCTV acting

suspiciously, officers from the Outer NPT attended &

arrested him after he was found to be in possession of

heroin. The male has subsequently been charged

                                   and will be appearing in court at a later date.

Boundary Lane         Theft from motor vehicle. Btn 02:30 to 08:30 on

08/09. Unknown offender(s) gain entry to apparently

secure Renault Clio vehicle  before stealing electric

guitar and pedal cycle