Police campaign to tackle bike theft in Caithness
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Police Scotland has partnered with a national security company to help tackle bike thefts as part of the ongoing Pedal Protect campaign.
Selectamark Security Systems PLC, which owns BikeRegister, has previously provided the service with a number of their SelectaDNA tagging spray kits, which were used successfully in Edinburgh to address the issue of crimes being committed on motorcycles.
In addition SelectaDNA property marking kits were deployed as part of Operation Kapel, which took place within the Gorbals area of Glasgow and reduced housebreaking by 100 per cent.
Prior to the launch of Pedal Protect, each local policing division within Police Scotland received a free BikeRegister starter kit from Selectamark to establish if they would be of use to the campaign.
Now, divisions have begun ordering various quantities of these kits to distribute to communities across the country free of charge.
The kit contains two highly durable and tamper-resistant QR barcode labels, which can be scanned with a smart phone to identify your bike on the BikeRegister website, and determine whether it is stolen.
Each kit marks one bike and serves as a visible deterrent, as well as providing police with an enhanced investigative tool in the event a cycle is stolen and subsequently recovered.
Pedal Protect was launched on March 26 and aims to reduce a national rise in bike thefts throughout Scotland by providing a range of crime prevention and security advice, as well as offering services such as bike marking and registering at various locations.
In addition, policing teams will continue to carry out evidence gathering and enforcement activity to bring bike thieves to justice and reunite stolen cycles with their rightful owners.
Superintendent Matt Paden, Police Scotland’s acquisitive crime lead, said: “Registering your bike on the BikeRegister is of vital importance to ensuring that, in the event, your cycle is taken, that we have all opportunities at our disposal to get it back to you.
"I’d encourage all members of the cycling community to visit www.bikeregister.com for more information on the BikeRegister or to request your own personal membership kit.”
