Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Moderator:

Welcome to the latest expert chat on www.crimereduction.gov.uk. The session will start at 12.

Moderator:

Welcome everyone. We have some experts on the panel this afternoon. They will introduce themselves and welcome your questions to get the session started.

MarkC:

Hi I'm Mark representing the Home Office interest and have done some research work of the nature of the crime and managed the production of the Steer Clear of Cycle Theft leaflet.

Sarah:

Hello, I'm Sarah from Hampshire Constabulary. I work within the Southampton area and deal with initiatives around Safer Streets and keeping students safe.

Garry:

Hi, I'm Garry from GOSW in Bristol. I work on the Safer Stronger Communities team; my focus is on PSA1 crimes. I have been involved with a research project on Cycle theft in Bristol.

Gurpreet:

Hi I am my name is Gurpreet and I work with the Police and Partnership Standards Unit.

EdD:

Does anyone have innovative ideas for reducing cycle theft?

Stubbsy:

Hi, I'm currently performance manager West BCU Lincolnshire. We're experiencing an increase in bike theft and interested in learning about any best practice out there.

Sue:

What interventions have proved successful when dealing with TOPC in university areas?

Jane:

Work should be done with manufacturers, although it is difficult to stop this crime. Some type of compulsory registration scheme would help so at least we could return the recovered bikes.

Sarah:

Jane: I like your idea of some form of compulsory registration scheme. You may wish to refer bike owners to their local Crime Prevention Officer who can give details of any registration schemes within their area.

Faye-tal:

I suppose that will help with identifying that a bike is stolen, but how up to date people (especially students who move every year) will keep it is debatable.

Jane M:

We have just launched an information website: www.yorkagainstcycletheft.co.uk

PatD:

We do all the usual - bike post coding at events and have purchased a trap bike - set in less than first gear with a tracker in the saddle. So if an offender takes it, he/she can be easily caught.

Jane:

We had a successful initiative with a school in Manchester. They introduced a compulsory registration scheme for all young people taking their bikes to school. Since that time there have been no theft, but it was a fairly labour intensive approach run by the Community Safety officer. He has had to re-visit the school on a fairly regular basis to ensure they keep the scheme going.

rallyboy:

Are the interventions impacting on crime levels?

Jane M:

For us in York it is early days. We have tagged 7,000 cycles but very few have been stolen and it has not given a good return on investment.

rallyboy:

Hi I'm Tim- North Wales Adviser, Welsh Assembly Govt. The fact that few have been stolen in York surely must be positive. What levels of media coverage supported the campaign?

MarkC:

Jane M: Are these bikes clearly marked as tagged? If so the benefit may be crime prevention.

Jane M:

We have concluded that those who bother to get them tagged also secure them in other ways. So yes, there is success in crime prevention terms. Our main problem is shed burglaries where cycles are stolen.

Guest_51702:

We had a degree of success last year in reducing shed breaks by blitzing hotspot roads with shed alarms and making sure that the project was well publicised. The shed alarms are not expensive but I think are quite a successful deterrent to anyone breaking into a domestic shed, particularly overnight when the property may be occupied.

MarkC:

Jane M: As well as shed alarms we encourage home owners to lock the bikes to an immovable object in the shed or consider installing a wall or ground anchor. Much of prevention work is about educating the public and encouraging a change of attitude.

Sarah:

Targeting hotspots for shed breaks can be an effective way of preventing bike thefts. Although shed alarms can be effective, it is also worth remembering to remind bike owners to securely lock their bike within the shed.

MarkC:

rallyboy: Jane M's work indicates a successful intervention but also highlights the point that it is not always a single factor that results in a successful intervention.

Jane M:

Garry: What have been the successes in Bristol?

Garry:

Hi Jane: We identified that most of the people caught for cycle theft were known from previous car crime initiatives. It would seem that it is useful to concentrate on known prolific individuals.

A V Lowe:

BT Police has worked very well with SW Trains on meeting with cyclists at various stations and providing data tag kits etc. This year's programme seemed very successful with almost half the bikes parked at Woking being tagged and the cyclists meeting the Police and rail operator to discuss issues. Only at Marylebone does a really effective management regime exist - all users register and bikes have id to identify them

Seanl:

Hi, Sean Lynch from Islington. I have recently coordinated a ‘week of action.' We have seen big reduction in cycle theft from 11% over BCS target to 10.5% reduction.

Amanda425:

Hi, I'm Amanda, also from Lincolnshire; I work on one of our Neighbourhood policing teams.

stenn84:

Hi I'm PCSO Nick Stenner (Temp Cycles Officer) from Lincolnshire Police.

Jamesb2184:

I'm PCSO James Birch from Boston in Lincolnshire.

Guest_51702:

Sean: What exactly did you do to achieve such a large reduction? Also, how long ago was the week of action and do you know yet whether the reductions will be sustained?

Seanl:

51702: The million dollar question. We coordinated week of action with national cycle week (17th - 24th of June). Since then ownership with safer neighbourhood Policing teams and Partnership Unit, with sporadic local decoy operations, targeted data tagging events, big media strategy and campaign.

rallyboy:

Superb reductions in Islington. Where there specific types of bikes historically targeted- i.e. high value mountain bikes etc?

Seanl:

rallyboy: The usual types came up in crime pattern analysis - trek, claude butler and similar bikes. Most of our cycles taken are over £300

Guest_51702:

Have you also found that there has been an increase in detections for the thefts that have occurred in Islington as a result of more stolen bikes being identifiable?

Seanl:

To combat theft of cycles from burglaries Islington police are using tracking technology, monitoring the cycle taking via CCTV and then following the cycle to an address to catch handlers etc.

Russell:

Did anyone see that bit of effective practice in the Sun on Wednesday relating to the reduction of bike thefts?

Jamesb2184:

No Russell, please tell me more...

Russell:

Police/PCSOs/Wardens etc working together in a town centre, collecting all unsecured bikes, leaving notes asking the owners to collect their bike from the police station.

Stubbsy:

Russell: Which force area conducted the town centre op you mentioned?

Russell:

Stubbsy: Contact Chaz in effective practice he has the information.

EdD:

The police in Worcester have been removing unlocked bikes; however I don't think this will promote cycling.

Amanda425:

Seanl: Has tagging increased the return rate of found cycles to losers?

Seanl:

We have combined data tagging and pro-active decoy operations in three defined hotspots. Data tagging has been a big hit at Islington. When cycles are sold on/transferred the seller can update the data tagging monitoring company with the new owner's details, much like a registration document.

Amanda425:

We are trying to introduce a cycle passport scheme locally; does anyone else use this type of thing?

Brian:

Amanda425: What do you mean by this scheme and what is its purpose?

Amanda425:

We are encouraging cycle owners to complete a cycle descriptive form with a colour photograph and to get bikes stamped/marked to assist in reuniting found cycles with losers.

Ian C:

Hi room, my first online forum and what a gr8 idea! Has anyone got any pros & cons in relation to data tags? Our D.I has just secured a sizable amount of funding to obtain several 1000's. Any issues re distribution etc?

Seanl:

Islington has devised a cycle passport scheme in tandem (no pun intended) with data tagging. We are seeing short-term benefits already. I have a PDF that could be shared.

A V Lowe:

Cycle passports are limited - properly planned security and management is the solution. Most sites have no clue who owns a bike and have no regime to remove damaged, vandalised or abandoned bikes - these block spaces for bona fide users and send a message that the location is not safe to park at.

Jamesb2184:

What exactly is the data tagging? How much does it cost? Where can I get some more info on it?

Amanda425:

How expensive is the data tagging?

stenn84:

Is data tagging cost effective?

Seanl:

Amanda 425: Data tags start at about £4.50 each. Islington use supplier called Trovan. All data tags are added to www.immobilise.com website. They provide 24/7 hotline for officers to call when checking cycles with data tag reader.

Amanda425:

To Seanl: The tags are very reasonably priced, how much do the data tag readers cost?

Seanl:

Amanda425: £300 each

Jane:

Trovan mini data reader is 153 + vat. In York, data readers have been given to second hand outlets and repair shops.

Adam C:

How much would it cost for a bike to have a tracker system - this would be a deterrent for a potential thief.

Seanl:

AdamC: Tracker systems don't come cheap. They sometimes come with technical difficulties too. They retail between two to three thousand pounds for two trackers and associated equipment.

Jane:

Tracker systems cost thousands and only the police can use them.

A V Lowe:

Another other option - which Paris might be an interesting testing ground for is to see whether public transport bicycles - hired like a taxi to make a local journey will mitigate cycle theft, as

• fewer people will bring their own bikes into town
• hired bikes tend to be moving with riders - up to 12 hires per day for most schemes
• hire bikes are practical and basic - will do the job required - and like taxis and buses have little attraction for thieves as there is a very limited resale market

Jane:

We tried bike hire in Manchester and nobody wanted them.

rallyboy:

Hire bike would equally not be high cost options that are clearly targeted.

Gurpreet:

What kind of things can you buy or do to help stop people from stealing your bike?

Jamesb2184:

We have also done press releases to raise awareness of how to sensibly lock up cycles and are in discussions with the local council to provide more suitable locations to lock up cycles in defined hotspots.

Jane:

I think we all know that there have not really been any great initiatives. CDRP's across the country and indeed the world have tried everything. Funding is limited and agencies are not very joined up with regards to this crime. It might be good to develop a consensus of what is best practice and all work to the same set of rules, thus all giving out the same message to the cyclist, i.e. lock it or lose it, register it, use official sites, be aware of garden/shed security etc.

A V Lowe:

Southampton University and several local employers used secure compounds for parking (10 to 15 bike stands per compound) and access by swipe card/proximity card. Theft was practically eliminated, with a full audit trail on coming & going for those authorised for access get in. It can be stand alone and is an extension of authorisation for the staff/student ID cards. The great thing about electronic keys is that you don't need to change locks if security is compromised by loss of a key and one person can have a personal portfolio of the compounds they can use around the campus.

Jamesb2184:

We're looking to trial in the schools kids making a note of every bit of their bike, make, model, gears etc and a photo of it so it's easily identifiable if stolen and then found.

Jane:

In Manchester we are just about to distribute electronic tags in hot spot areas 3,000 in total, really we hope that this will just remind cyclist of the dangers of theft and get them to start looking after their property. Following the distribution of our tags we then hope to encourage bike groups and large employers such as the council and the NHS to start promoting and supplying tags to their staff. we also hope to work with PCSO's to encourage the use of tag scanners during pace searches and encourage property shops to use the scanners and check the on-line line databases such as immobilise.

rallyboy:

Were the offenders apprehended known to the Police and were there any substantial links to substance misusers/ known drug offenders?

Jamesb2184:

Also are the tags easily removed by the thieves once stolen?

Jane:

Unfortunately there are very few drunks and smokers around our hotspot during peak crime times however awareness we feel is the key to reducing this crime so might be worth putting stickers/flyers on ashtrays etc. We have limited MO on offenders as cycle theft is not a priority. We use immobilise.com in part because it is supported by the police, but also because it is free and now merged with our electronic tags supplier.

MarkC:

In terms of education, it doesn't harm to get them early. What was DfES and DfT ran an exercise earlier in the year in schools promoting cycling and they included advice on crime prevention. CDRPs should tie into their local education authorities, to determine the opportunities for crime prevention education in schools. This could also be tied in to local transport strategies i.e. encouraging cycling to school to ease the school run congestion.

Jane:

Sorry I sound like a preacher, but we tie heavily with education and we have link officers etc. Unfortunately many schools don't have the time or the inclination to get involved. The universities are worse

Sarah:

A scheme that has been tried at one of our local universities was to purchase a selection of Sold Secure bike locks. We then set up displays on bike security, including a number of cut locks and sold the 'D' Locks at cost price. This type of initiative could be targeted toward other audiences i.e. commuters

Brian:

For everyone's benefit Brian has joined the chat and is a DI with the BTP and is also the Force Crime Reduction Officer. BTP have recently been involved with various train operators in South & North London in a scheme which tags cycles and also other crime reduction advice & help using local CROs and PCSOs. This has gone down very well with rail staff and passengers alike.

A V Lowe:

Brian - good to note - say hello to Jerry Isterling and prompt your press people to tell us about the levels of take-up the recent campaign delivered - maybe we can get other train operators to do likewise North of London and beyond.

Brian:

Thanks for your kind comments. I will say hello for you. We are doing the scheme in the North London Area and like the good practice from the south this has been very well received. I will at some stage be getting both areas together to see the outcomes, but I would anticipate it to reduce thefts at the locations chosen. We are building up to the likes of Cambridge & Oxford but as you will appreciate both of these are going to be very resource intensive.

A V Lowe:

Good to hear this - there may be local CTC groups and members who can join you at the sessions you are planning who have been working to improve their own local stations with security and convenience for the cycle parking. Do make sure the programme gets good advance publicity on dates etc.

rallyboy:

In Wrexham, an initiative has just begun whereby hotspot areas for burglary and the subsequent thefts, often cycles have been targeted. Digital photos of targeted goods are taken and down loaded onto disc for the occupant to maintain as a record -useful in terms of identifying stolen goods that are recovered, especially bikes

A V Lowe:

Smokecloak or the dye-stain equivalent used on secure cash boxes may be an interesting option, as it's very difficult to hide a bike belching forth lurid orange or purple smoke. Alternative theatrical devices are now likely to arouse serious issues if used, but huge volumes of smoke.............

Brian:

Amanda et al: One of the issues bothering me is that we have a plethora of different 'unique marking systems out there from UV pens through to electronic tagging. The only problem is that many manufacturers have some form of unique tracker which is only able to trace their product. What are the feelings for some kind of standardised tracker/tracer which is able to ID all types of tag whatever that they be?

Jane:

All electronic readers read all electronic tags so any brand is ok

A V Lowe:

Figures suggest that over 50% of reported bike thefts are from home or directly outside - why is so little done for home bike parking and why do building managers for flats and hostels see parked bikes as a problem to be moved -on rather than an indication of a great need to park bikes somewhere secure?

Seanl:

To A V Lowe - we hae linked in with local housing corporations to raise awareness. We are targeting housing offices with literature and mailouts. We have about 200 burglaries involving cycles every year.

Garry:

Hi A V Lowe, I know in Bristol that the Council Have an accredited Landlord scheme, which includes looking at secure cycle parking for students.

A V Lowe:

Those with residential details should check-out www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk/homebikepark - since doing this Trevor has worked with several locations installing internal parking in buildings - we developed a neat system using the Orion Wega or Gamma units and flexible rail mounting systems.

MarkC:

A V Lowe - This a valid point especially as with the anticipated regeneration projects and the house building programmes due to come on line we are looking at higher density housing and fewer car parking spaces. The Home Office has a Design against Crime team which looks at places as well as products. This is something that could be raised with authority planning teams who are in a position to influence builders and councils generally are encouraging alternative forms of transport to reduce congestion.

A V Lowe:

Garages are a key target for residential - one couple had their garage open to prepare bikes for a holiday and whilst away the rest of their cycle stable was taken. They concluded that the contents were observed through the open door for litter collection. I had my best ever bike stolen in a similar way when it was being kept in the same place inside a building. I did suspect I was being monitored and then my guard slipped for five minutes and it went (a unique machine built specially for me in 1980).

A V Lowe:

Glasgow has delivered on-street parking steadily over the past 10 years and monitored the current programme since 2001. On-street stands are located close to destinations and one location has seen a 1000% increase in use over a period of 5 years.

Seanl:

I know that GOL have highlighted the need to monitor cycle bays more closely, either through CCTV or wardens. A lot of our thefts are from busy commuter areas. We are now encouraging cycle stands near to bars/restaurants as we feel smokers outside venues are a great deterrent for cycle thieves (if not too drunk).

EdD:

Are the any examples in UK of compounds set up where you pay to park and come back to your expensive bike that is looked after by a business - like a cloak room ticket arrangement?

Jane:

Up to 30% of bike stolen in Manchester are left insecure! Would you leave your car unlocked? I think this is an education issue both for owners of bikes and agencies such as the police who deal with the thefts.

A V Lowe:

Dutch Railways sets a rate (about 75p/day) for its 80 franchised cycle parks at stations, Finsbury Park and Russell Square (RCP) has automated stands which charge £1/day - Car Park Under Channel 4 Offices has rentable lockers(CPC) York Station has valet parking offered by car hire/bike hire/left luggage concession on Platform 3.

Tanya:

Hi I'm Tanya, a crime prevention officer in Portsmouth. We have a scheme where some cycle shops are 'accredited' for cycle marking. These shops mark cycles, but not for profit. This is advertised city wide and a PCSO is the lead. We find that if cycles are marked in an obvious place, they are far less likely to be stolen. Our two main problems are the fact that owners do not lock their bikes or use cheap locks and we don't have much of an idea of where they're taken to.

Stenn84:

Don't we need a co-ordinated approach with cycle manufactures as many don't even bother with serial numbers anymore! Maybe a national scheme much the same as vehicle registration & make it compulsory.

Seanl:

Stenn84: I accept this. We are all fire fighting the main issue. The question is how to make bikes identifiable and traceable, as you have stated. The insurance industry needs to be on board pushing cycle suppliers/manufacturers. In the meantime, we too look at different funding streams and make bids accordingly.

Jamesb2184:

One of the main problems we have is people stealing cycles, then breaking them down into parts, rebuilding a bike from various parts and selling them on at auction

MarkC:

If the bikes are being rebuilt the frame number should still represent a constant check if it has been registered as stolen. A key aim is to encourage greater registration and reporting of thefts. Without individual parts marking the second-hand spares market will always be a difficult thing to manage, however, if intelligence is available that someone is handling stolen goods another option that shouldn't be ruled out is tools provided by the Proceeds of Crime Act i.e. identifying whether an individual's lifestyle doesn't match their income.

Jane:

I think on problem is bike groups and bike users do not promote cycle security at a recent meeting of the cycle forum where most guests were professional cyclist or advocates such as the bike week team only two knew where their bike frame number was and none of the groups had flyers or web info on security.

rallyboy:

A re-deployable CCTV could be an option here at relatively low cost. We experience problems over who picks up the costs for re- deployment though.

Jane:

In Manchester we work extremely closely with CCTV and they will target hotspot sights however this crime takes about 30 seconds so operators have had very little success in actually seeing offences occur.

Amanda425:

How helpful are Local Authorities in relocating cycle bays to CCTV areas? We have a problem in Lincoln whereby the main cycle bay is not covered by our CCTV

Seanl:

Amanda425: You need to get into your partnership unit who should pursue this for you. You should have a police officer based within the local authority? First POC!

stenn84:

Data readers are one idea, the problem is funding! If all we do is get funding then the problem will keep re-occurring! We need a sustainable idea as the smaller forces cannot afford even the cheapest ideas.

Jane:

Even large CDRPS such as Manchester struggle with funding, however bike groups could tap into community funds and buy discounted products through CDRPs or the police

Jane:

If you want info on cycle security or funding who do you go to as a CDRP practitioner? Which one organisation in any CDRP is responsible for driving forwards initiatives? This problems needs to be taken seriously and targeted strategically country wide.

rallyboy:

Would suggest all strategic partners have some level of responsibility given their inclusion in the wider CSP /CDRP, however, whilst this is a problem and CSPs/CDRPs are measured on this how high does it sit in their priorities?

Jane:

Transport policy teams, bike week teams etc. must include security in their strategies

Stubbsy:

In Lincolnshire West BCU over recent weeks a 'Trick Cycle' has been deployed to hot spot areas, fitted with a tracking device. This has very recently resulted in the theft of the cycle. The suspect was arrested within hours and the cycle recovered. Although it's too early to predict any long term affects, it is hoped this approach will yield results.

Stubbsy:

The tracker equipment used on our trick cycle cost approx £1400 to install. While it is still early days, we do expect a reasonable return on investment. However, the tracker would not be financially viable for private use as a deterrent.

rallyboy:

stubbsy: Would be really interested to hear outcomes on this trick cycle in due course.

Jane:

I think York have already used trick cycle, speak to Sergeant Rick Ball.

Seanl:

We deploy tracker device to tackle burglary issue primarily. It is clearly less labour intensive than plotting up on a decoy cycle, saving variable costs. Decoy cycle has proved to be very effective. We have had a nibble about 90% of time, with several police officers and local authority staff involved in each operation. Taking of cycles is organised crime, so the word soon gets around that a member of a particular group/community has been arrested. This in itself has a considerable impact.

Brian:

BTP have also used this method of tracker cycle at various locations and have had success every time.

Stenn84:

How about alarms, how effective have they been?

Jane:

Too big too heavy! Who would react to an alarm?

A V Lowe:

Once the bike is inside the van the alarm is effectively silenced.

Stenn84:

They already have small bike alarms! Not too big at all, look on the net there are plenty out there!

Jane:

if you hear a car alarm or house what do most people do? Nothing, so I doubt they would have any impact on cycle theft.

Sarah:

Such bike alarms could prove successful in areas that have security personnel who are likely to be more reactive to the alarm than general members of the public. Such locations could be train station, university campuses etc...

Stenn84:

Like a public car park for instance.

Jane:

I don't want to be negative but universities and train stations are often our hotspots as with vehicle crime in car parks staff have limited time and training, so I doubt they would react to a bike alarm

Stenn84:

Car park attendants will be vigilant and it's cost effective, if the public paid a pound to use spaces set aside in car parks. Let's remember that not everything is free and the public also have a duty.

Jane:

Paying sites don't work; many London boroughs have used them. Car park staff are not vigilant, as they are only paid to man the entrances and exits car

James2184:

But people won't pay a pound if they can lock it to a lamppost for free! Particularly not if it's an old bike. You may get a small number of takers who have more expensive bikes, but majority of people's bikes are for getting them from A to B.

Ian C:

Is there any likelihood of publicity on how a cycle should be secured? Most of our local thefts are either by cutting cable locks or simply leaving the wheel that is locked to the stand and removing the frame.

Sarah:

There are some very good leaflets that have been produced regarding cycle security. It is worth asking at your local police station. Further you may find some information on the web, try your local force's site or the Home Office.

MarkC:

Local press publicity of successful operations, especially where convictions have been achieved have also been proven with other crime types to have a deterrent effect. The more we can get across to those at risk of offending that they will get caught the more hopefully we can divert from engaging in crime. Again taking away the profits from crime using POCA adds to this effect, especially as changes have been made so that any goods that have been purchased from the profits of crime such as jewellery and cars can also be seized.

A V Lowe:

In current security climate also worth pointing out that bags left on bikes are as dangerous as bags abandoned on the street. For major cycle parking areas it may be worth posting conditions of use the same way as in car parks, noting that bike left for extended periods may be removed (remembering of course that some commuter bikes may sit all weekend without moving). Best trick for this is to use a parcels label around the tyre to see if the bike is being used.

Jane:

Retailers in many CDRPS do give out leaflets and info. Sold Secure e.g. can offer advice on locks - believe me everything has been tried

rallyboy:

Education here is critical- owners need to be taking responsibility here too.

lantern rouge:

Perhaps we should be putting the onus back on the cycle rack users whereby they are educated in how to correctly secure their bike i.e. not by just one wheel. This could be done by retailers at point of sale or there was a short film at one of the Bike off presentations where an American chap was going around rating how cycles had been secured. Perhaps similar initiatives could be considered at heavily used stations etc. and suitably advise or indeed shame people into being more responsible.

rallyboy:

It comes back to the basic ethos that if you take transport from offenders, this substantially reduces other crime

Brian:

BTP have already printed these information leaflets through the St Martins Design School in London. If you want I can forward details to you or anyone else.

rallyboy:

Brian: Details gratefully accepted

amanda425:

Brian: Yes please to the details of the info leaflets

James2184:

Yes please for details of leaflets also!

Sarah:

Be wary using items such as parcel labels on bikes to check if it is being used. This could prove to be a useful tool to potential thieves to identify vulnerable cycles.

Jane:

There are hundreds of leaflets out there. Incidentally our MO suggest only 30% leaflets are ever read

Stubbsy:

Likewise for leaflet details please.

Moderator:

To save sending multiple details out, we'll post them on www.crimereduction.gov.uk along with the transcript of this chat [Editor's note: These leaflets pending. Link to be added here shortly].

A V Lowe:

Yes, that is why the parcel label is more discreet than the photocopied sheets often used and taped to the frame it can be in a dark colour and almost invisible on a parked bike if carefully wrapped around the tyre

Garry:

As to putting labels on left cycles, you could put one on every cycle, some saying please secure your bike better , or your bike is at risk from theft if not secured etc, and others saying well done on securing your cycle. If they look the same, then potential thief would not be able to differentiate them.

Jane:

In Manchester we hang a label from handle bars with garden and street security info on it and unlike flyers you do not need permission from Town Hall to do this. Incidentally I get the YOT clients to thread my leaflets on elastic band and hang them for me - they also give me great MO when we work together.

A V Lowe:

Cambridge Cycle Theft Reduction Project (which I worked on about 5 years ago) went for information on the bike stands themselves. In Birmingham all blocks of bike stands have a poster frame which can carry such information as well as making the bike parking visible from a distance. This is especially important to visually impaired people, who can easily walk into thin stainless steel stands. Cambridge did have a problem in the wording used though. Camden use this I think. Who are YOT's when they are at home and what is your MO?

Jane:

YOT (Youth Offending Team), MO (Information)

Garry:

Publicity of local success in catching bike thefts should also include a piece on how to secure your cycle. It's a two-way message, one to put off thieves and another for the public to feel they can stop this happening to them.

Jane:

The odd bike left on a shefield stand is really not the issue in Manchester as 50% of those having a bike stolen never buy another. Criminals are mugging people from bikes, school kids are being mugged for bikes. Nationally millions of pounds are being lost to theft and crime prevention in relation to bike theft

MarkC:

Has Manchester undertaken a problem profile to address the use of bikes by muggers and also specifically the mugging of school children for their bikes? Is there any indication where the stolen bikes are going because if 50% of victims don't buy another bike it would seem that Manchester is heading for a glut of bikes in the second-hand market?

Jane:

Government perhaps need a champion who drives forward a country wide joined up best practice initiative, with lots of advertising, education, compulsory registration etc

rallyboy:

Excellent idea, I guess the issue is long-term sustainability though. It is with sadness that the VCRAT team disbanded recently albeit having made huge reductions. Car crime has not gone away, but access for CSPs/CDRPs to resources that can impact have been lost- Guess it's all about current priority.