BikeRegister reaches half a million registrations
BikeRegister security marking is used by every police force in the UK as a key cycle crime reduction initiative. Since its launch, BikeRegister has not only reduced instances of cycle theft but it has also 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.
Each BikeRegister kit contains deterrent warning stickers, which are a simple but essential part of the security marking process. Not only does BikeRegister deter thieves, it 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.
Registering and marking a bike, helps police and cycle retailers identify and verify the legitimate owner of bikes that have been stolen or are being resold. This, in turn, can dramatically reduce the market for stolen bikes.
The rise in popularity of online sales sites has meant that BikeRegister has become a valuable resource, allowing second-hand bike shops to quickly check the details of any bike they are considering purchasing to see if there is a record of it being stolen. This can be easily done by checking the BikeChecker facility on the website and inserting the frame number or BikeRegister ID code.
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."
Bike ownership should be recorded on BikeRegister as some bikes do not have a frame number at all and on the more popular makes/models the same frame number is often used multiple times and therefore does not give the bike a unique identification number.
James Brown concluded: "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."
