Are You Doing Everything Possible To Keep Your Cycle Secure?

As part of Humberside Police’s Operation Impact Christmas activity, members of the public are being encouraged ensure that any new bicycles Santa may bring are protected from thieves.

Bikes are always popular presents, from that memorable first bike to the latest top-spec machine for the enthusiastic amateur.

But make sure that if a bike is on your Christmas list, you also ensure Santa brings good quality locks. It’s recommended you spend at least 10 per cent of the value of your bike.

Another obligatory accessory is a good quality helmet. It could save your life.

If you are storing your cycles in a shed or garage, make sure the building is suitably secured with a strong lock, consider fitting an alarm and ensure cycles are locked and anchored to the walls and/or floor – and ideally to other valuables – making them difficult to remove.

There are also simple steps you can take to ensure that you don’t make your bike a target.

These include:

• Don’t leave them on display when you get back from a ride and you’re cleaning them down.
• Remove cycle carriers from your car when they’re not in use.
• Think twice about posting ‘track My Ride’ app results or pictures of your bike on social media sites, especially if your home address can also be viewed.
• Most Track My Ride apps have settings which stop within a given distance of your home address.
• Check your security settings and set at least a 1000m exclusion zone around your house.

Cycles can easily be added onto www.immobilise.com which can then assist the force in identifying a cycle as stolen/lost, bring offenders to justice and stop the cycle being sold via second hand stores.

The system can also allow you to upload a picture, which can then be used as part of appeals to locate stolen cycles.