Hundreds of student bikes marked to deter thieves

Hundreds of university students across Cambridge have taken advantage of free bike marking and crime prevention advice to deter and prevent bicycle thefts.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary provided the bike-marking services to 590 students at 17 colleges across the city as well as Anglia Ruskin University.

With the help and support of CamCycle, 590 students registered with the national BikeRegister database. Two tamper-proof stickers are attached to a bicycle’s frame, and the make, model and a photograph pf the bike are recorded along with the details of the registered keeper, which are uploaded to the database.

The stickers act as a deterrent and make it easier for the police to reunite cyclists with their bikes should they be stolen by matching a QR code on a bicycle with information from the database.

BikeRegister is recognised as the National Cycle Database and is used by all police forces to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

PC Rob Tindall, from Cambridge Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Our bike-marking events always prove popular with students, who for many, rely on bikes to get them across the city during their studies.

“We marked 100 more bikes this year compared to last year and we’re please to see so many students taking up the opportunity to protect their property.

“Having your bike stole is an upsetting experience, especially when they are often someone’s pride and joy and expensive to replace.”

In addition to getting their bike security marked and registered, cyclists are encouraged to use a suitable D-lock, park it securely at recognised cycle parking that is well-lit and covered by CCTV.

Additional bike-marking events are taking place this week between 4pm and 7pm:

4^th November - Huntingdon Train Station

5^th November – Cambridge Main Train Station

6^th November – March Train Station

7^th November – Ely Train Station