Stolen bikes in Bristol

PC Frank

Hello everyone,
I am a new user on this forum and wanted to introduce myself to you all.

My name is Frank and I am a police officer working with the Community Safety Team at Newfoundland Road Police Station.

One of my roles is to reduce bike theft in Bristol city over the next two years in tandem (haha) with the timetable for cycling city.

I wanted to join this forum so that users would have an opportunity to contact me directly and discuss the issue of bike theft.

Now for the contriversal part.......are you ready........(deep breath).......I am not a cyclist.

However, I do know something about crime reduction and I am concerned about the level of theft in the city and want to help prevent people becoming victim's of crime.

I hope that my presence on this forum will be of benefit to you. I won't always be able to provide the result you desire, and I won't always be able to tell you everything the police is doing (some of it is a bit secret squirrel). But I wil do my best to assist and advise you.

Cheers,

Frank

PC 1422 Frank Simonds
Crime Prevention Design Advisor
Bristol Community Safety Team
Newfoundland Road Police Station

alfablue

Hi Frank

Thanks for coming on here, pleased to know there are PC's out there working on this.

dru

Hi Frank,

Welcome aboard.

Lets get this thread rocking and roliing by asking you what would be your top 3 tips for theft prevension and recovery success for bikes?

nicktheluddite

Nice to see you on board Frank - would you like to come for a easy short ride to help you understand a bit about the cyclist brain?

Have you got any tips for bike crime hotspots to avoid in the centre of town?

I presume you're checking out things like this forum? <http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12636449&gt;

Nick

bing gordon

you've not a "quango" going with the drugs thing as well have ya ?? "talk to frank" , ,no seriously , ita about time the police tackled bike crime head on considering the cost of a half decent groupset cost more than tthe car im driving !!.



keep up the good work.

PC Frank

Dru wrote:

Hi Frank,

Welcome aboard.

Lets get this thread rocking and roliing by asking you what would be your top 3 tips for theft prevension and recovery success for bikes?

There are loads of tips for reducing the chances of your bike being stolen and I would struggle to narrow down three, but....

1) Register your bike for free at www. immobilise.com - if the police find a registered bike, theycan reunite it with the owner.

2) For maximum protection use two locks of different types (a D-lock and robust chain and padlock is ideal) - thieves are less likely to carry the tools to break both locks and if they do it will take them longer.

3) Use each lock to catch the wheels, frame and stand - fill up as much of the space within the D-lockas possible with the bike.

PC Frank

nicktheluddite wrote:

Nice to see you on board Frank - would you like to come for a easy short ride to help you understand a bit about the cyclist brain?

Have you got any tips for bike crime hotspots to avoid in the centre of town?

I presume you're checking out things like this forum? <http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12636449&gt;

Nick

Nick,
Hotspots (that is geographical areas which have higher rates of a particular crime) can change with time. However some general tips to remember when deciding where to park your bike:

- Always lock- it only takes seconds to steal an unsecured bike.

- Lock in a well-lit public area with lots of people passing.

- Don't lock your bike in the same place everyday - vary the locations so that theives don't know where to find it.

- Read all the signs in the area and, if necessary, check with police before locking - don't park illegally.

- Lock in a location with other bikes - there can be safety in numbers.

- Lock to a fixed immovable object that the bike cannot be lifted over and cannot be broken, cut or removedusing tools (such as chain link fencing, grilles, gates or trees) - check the object is securely fastened to the ground.

- Where availalble lock to a Sheffield "loop" stand. Never use "wheel bender" stands where you have to lock the wheel to the stand.

- Don't just lock the frame to the wheel - a thief can easily pick up a bike and walk away.

Principalm

Thanks for the advice PC Frank, much appreciated.

I hope the Met Police start taking bike theft a bit more seriously than crime report admin. I am also aware that they have a lot to do.

Also, what is the point of being the world's most CC TV'd nation if none of them are watching (or recording clear enough images) the one time you need them?