Eastleigh police have teamed up with Halfords, Rideride bike workshop and Eastleigh Community Safety Partnership to raise awareness of bike theft and safe cycling, through promotional events at the towns colleges.
On average 3 bikes are stolen each week across Eastleigh. Those stolen are either left insecure or locked with a weak lock. College campus’s have traditionally been an area where thieves have struck so we want to raise the profile of cycle security and also promote safe and legal cycling.
Officers from Eastleigh Safer Neighbourhoods team and the Bike Doctor from Rideride bike workshop will be on site at Eastleigh College, Friday 24 February between 11am – 2pm. We’ll be offering free bike safety checks, free cycle security coding and showing students the most secure methods of locking their bikes. For those who get their bike coded we have a number of vouchers to purchase D locks at a reduced price, courtesy of Halfords.
Cycle marking involves us entering the details of your bike into our cycle database, and marking it with a tamper-proof unique code that helps us identify it in the future. The advantage of getting your bicycle security marked is that should it be lost or stolen, the police have a better chance of being able to return it to you! Recently in Eastleigh a bike stolen from Shirley was seen being ridden, officers recovered the bike, it has been returned to the owner and the thief arrested. Following a house search in Southampton a bike stolen from Barton Peveril college was found, returned to its owner and suspect arrested.
As well as cycle security we’ll be reinforcing and promoting safe, legal and considerate cycling. For example, highlighting the dangers of cycling without lights or on footways and being aware of other road users. The Safer Neighbourhoods team are planning a similar event at Barton Peveril College.
Not a Eastleigh College student? Well cyclists can also attend one of our public beat meetings to get their bikes coded, we’ll be at the Railway-man Statue, Leigh Rd, Saturday 25 February between 10am and 3pm.
Reducing bike theft is a priority for the Eastleigh Safer Neighbourhoods team. My officers are targeting known criminals, patrolling areas where thefts have occurred and using their stop and search powers if they suspect someone has stolen property on them. Help us by giving us any information you have about bike theft Contact Eastleigh police or anonymously via Crimestoppers. Here is some useful advice from EBC on reducing bicycle crime. You can also follow our tweets from the beat on twitter @EastleighPolice.
Sgt Chris Spellerberg, Eastleigh police.
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I found a Mountain Bike abandoned in my alleyway a couple of days ago.
Not the first time I’ve found one out there -- makes me wonder if there is someone who gets fed up with walking home from school so ‘borrows’ the nearest unlocked treader.
Still, if you are missing a Townsend ‘Phobos’ bike in a distinctive colour then get in touch with Eastleigh Police Station.
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Bike theft is one of the most preventable crimes that only needs some thought and common sense. Unfortunatley, when it comes to many of the younger members of society,it a bit more difficult particulary when they are rushing home to be fed.
A good hardened steel chain and robust padlock will deter any prospective bike thief. When storing bikes at home, even in a garage or shed, chain your bike / bikes together or to something heavy such as a lawn mower or wheel barrow.
Making it difficult for the thief is the best way to deter your prized property from going missing
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