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wqvm
If you are reading this post, chances are you have had your bike stolen either recently or at some point in the past.
Could I ask, nay, implore that if you still have your bike, you go now and make a record of your frame number and take a couple of photographs of your bike. When you change a component or two, take another photograph. The frame number will be the best piece of information you can supply to the police as it is by far the easiest and most effective way we will be able to link the bike back to you.
The photographs will also assist in proving provenance should there be some question as to ownership.
If your bike has been stolen, consider contacting the shop from where it was purchased. Some will keep a record of frame numbers against customer details.
Not all bikes have frame numbers, but most do. Once you have that number, visit http://www.bikeregister.com and create a free account where you can upload details and photos of your bike. There are other commercial sites and they are all useful - such as;
https://www.alpha-dot.co.uk
https://www.immobilise.com/about
https://www.selectadna.co.uk/dna-asset-marking/dnabike
The Bikeregister scheme have a sticker and a marking kit which we (along with British Transport Police and City of London Police) offer for free if you attend one of our marking events. Follow the link below to find events in your area:
http://www.bikeregister.com/events
The sticker and marking kit are a little obtrusive but easier to find and read for officers on the street who are able to confirm who is registered as the owner of the bike there an then at the roadside. The Alpha Dot scheme is different in that the marking is very discreet and less likely to be obliterated by the thief but also not as easy for the officer on the street to find and impossible to read without the correct equipment. We do not offer this service for free but it can be purchased at many bike shops or on the internet and I would suggest that is would be well worth having both to cover all bases.
We have thousands of bikes in back yards of Police Stations across the Met for which we are unable to trace owners. Some of this is caused by poor descriptions of the stolen bikes (it was blue. Yeah, and it had 2 wheels) some because of the property system we use but almost all because the frame number was not provided to the police when it was reported stolen.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me (about cycle crime related stuff of course).
Kieran Ferguson PC 2224T
Roads and Transport Policing Command.
Proactive unit – team 5.
Belgravia Police Station,
202-206 Buckingham Palace Road,
London.
SW1Q 9SX
Kieran.d.ferguson@met.police.uk