Some Bike Crime Facts

· Most stolen bikes in Southend Borough are taken from gardens or from the street.

· If your bicycle is stolen you only have a 7% chance of having it recovered and returned to you!

· The average price of a new bike is about £110!!

· Using an inexpensive chain and padlock to secure your unattended bike is not a deterrent to determined thieves. A D lock has a greater deterrent value.

· Having your bike visibly postcoded can be a deterrent although having your bike tagged can positively discourage theft

DON’T BE A VICTIM!

 Frequently Asked Questions 

How can I reduce the chances of my bike being stolen? 

Firstly, by making it unattractive to thieves 

How do I do that?  

Firstly, you need to invest in a quality D lock for your bike. When you leave it unattended, secure it to something substantial such as a lamppost.

Secondly you need to give the bike a unique identity.

How do I manage that? 

We recommend two ways of giving your bike a unique identity. You can have your bike coded on the   bottom bracket with your postcode and house number.

OR

You can have a tag fitted to your bike, which has a unique code that can be read with a special scanner. 

This can be installed by participating   Cycle Watch dealers or by contacting Neighbourhood Watch on

Southend 464199

or by e-mail

to southendnhw@aol.com

Once tagged, the unique reference code will be stored on a national database operated by Trovan. Any bicycle offered for sale at a Cycle Watch store will be scanned and checked on the database.