Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

A CRIME-FIGHTING initiative has been launched in a bid to put the brakes on cycle theft – after bikes worth more than £100,000 were stolen in Charnwood in the last financial year.

Charnwood Borough Council’s Community Safety Unit is working in partnership with Leicestershire Police, Loughborough Students Union and the University Security Service to tackle the problem.

Cycling is something that all Councils are trying to promote as an efficient and green form of transport but theft is a major deterrent. If not protected, bikes can particularly be prey to drug addicts funding their habits.

The Crime Disorder Reduction Partnership – which Charnwood Borough Council is a partner of – has contributed £4,500 to help fund the scheme that offers cyclists advice and crime prevention equipment at discounted rates.

Data Tags are on sale at bike retail shops in the Borough, carrier bags will contain tips on how to avoid being a victim of crime and students will be able to hire D-Locks to keep their cycles safe.

Police officers will also be targeting three areas of Loughborough – the town centre, Storer Road and the University – and stopping cyclists to offer tips on how to prevent bikes from being stolen.

Cllr Sandie Forrest, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Community Safety, welcomed the initiatives saying: “Cycle theft is big business for criminals as it is an opportunist crime, it can be easy to commit and there is often a low chance of being caught.

“It’s a problem that happens across the country but hopefully these initiatives will be a major weapon in the battle to reduce the amount of bikes that are stolen in Charnwood.”

Data Tags, which are considered to be one of the most effective methods of preventing cycles from being stolen, are being sold at bike retailers in the area for £5 - £10 off the recommended retail price.

The tags have a unique code that links to the cyclist’s details on a database – meaning if a stolen bike is recovered it can be quickly reunited with its rightful owner.

Students can also pay a £10 deposit to hire a D-Lock in a scheme being monitored by Campus Watch – while the messages on the carrier bags include ‘lock it or lose it’ and ‘don’t let thieves steal your wheels’.

Cllr Forrest added: “Bikes should never be left in isolated places and always be locked if you’re leaving it – even if it’s just for a few minutes.

“A lot of bikes are also stolen from the owner’s property so garages and sheds should always be well secured to deter criminals.”