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Yeah, I do waffle on a bit!

Sadly, cycle crime does not fall under the Metropolitan Police or MOPAC priorities and as such does not receive specific funding. This means that it falls to neighbourhood and response team officers who are often unable to dedicate the time to investigate or the staff/skills to respond to the meeting place due to workloads and commitments.
With regard the evidence, each case is obviously different and I've personally had 2 occasions where the victim swore blind the bike for sale was theirs, I've set up a meet, inspected the bike and found them to be a different bike (frame number). Of course, I've looked at the photos of the bike for sale and also formed the opinion that the bike could be theirs, considered the timing/location of the sale and researched the seller as far as is possible. A lot of what we did was possible down to the relationships built up with platforms such as Gumtree which takes endless meetings and information sharing protocols which most officers just will not have the time to do.

My advice always has to be, leave meeting any seller to the police. I simply can't advise anything else. The legislation however for the police arranging to act as a buyer is covered under RIPA (google it) and carries a high degree of specialisation to use.

If you do arrange to meet the seller, tell the officer investigating the offence, they may be able to sort something out but they will probably tell you the same thing - don't meet the seller.

I do believe that we all have a part to play in reducing this sort of crime, be it as a buyer refusing to buy suspicious bikes, an owner effectively locking and marking the bike or as a victim taking some proactive steps to look for CCTV or visit forums such as this. Of course, the Police (whom we all pay for with our various taxes) are ultimately charged with preventing and investigating crime but with the changing landscape of modern life and crime, not all offences are equal.

Hi Amol,

So far, looks like you've done everything right so far. Sadly, the cycle task force no longer exists and I've moved on to other things, but am happy to offer advice where I can. I can't however, tread all over someone else's investigation as I wouldn't be able to take it on in my current role.

Bike register is excellent, but only so long as it is checked by someone down the line.

Sadly, as is so often the case these days, the guys investigating these offences are stretched pretty thin so anything you can do to contribute to the investigation would be good. I would assume there is CCTV at the venue and I would suggest that if you are passing, have a look to see if there is a camera and if so, does it cover where you locked you bike. If so, grab a name and phone number for the person who would be able to view/show the CCTV to the police and make them aware of the time and date it was stolen. This will help to preserve the footage if it is on a 28 day loop or similar and also assist the OIC by cutting down some leg work.

Of course, catching the thief is unlikely to recover your bike as they tend to be turned around pretty quick. Keep an eye on all the usual sites like gumtree/ebay/shpock/facebook and remember that it's not uncommon for people to buy a bike from say Brick Lane and then re-sell it within a few days so the person who has your bike may not be the person who has it for sale.

Make sure the officer who is investigating your crime has the reference number for Bike Register because this can be a good way of seeing who has been checking your bike frame number against the register.

Finally, please be aware that some of these guys do carry weapons and will often turn up in groups to sell the bikes on so I have to advise against arranging a meet. Leave that to the police. However, I clearly can't stop you but please be careful.

If you have any questions you need answering, please let me know.

Morning Swistak,

Did you report the burglary?
Have you passed all the information mentioned above to the officer who is investigating your theft?
How long has it been since the bike was stolen and since this person contacted you?

(feel free to PM me rather than start a long conversation here but for the benefit of other forum users:)

Take screen shots of every interaction with the person who called (you will need to provide the exact time you were called as well as your telephone number and mobile phone provider) this will enable a request to be sent to the phone company to release details of the telephone number/subscriber who called you, however, as with many things, it's never as simple as it sounds.

I can't go into too much detail as to what can or cannot be requested but it's the first thing I would do if I were to be assigned this crime.

It is (in my opinion) likely that the person who called you bought the bike in good faith (or why would he call at all) but now has gotten cold feet as to contacting you again. The legislation around property (TORT) law is complex, but it does provide a defense of acting in good faith and this would result in the requirement for you to take the person to civil court. Sadly, it's another area in which the victims of crime are let down. It's a fine line to walk to protect people from malicious claims and to support real victims. After all, the person who paid cash for your bike is likely to be a victim of the person from whom he bought the bike.
I have persuaded people to return bikes, though this really oversteps my role and the official line is to advise them to take out a civil action if there is insufficient evidence to bring charges and we will provide details of the other party once requested through the proper channels.

Just in case I haven't mentioned it before (and unrelated to your case)

Please make a note of your frame number, register it with as many property marking sites as possible. Take photographs of your bike after any significant modifications (perhaps not if you change a bottom bracket) and don't skimp on locks. With regard the frame number, I compare it in part to reporting your car stolen. If I were working in the front office of my local police station (Stoke Newington when I joined) and someone came in to report their car stolen and described it as, "a blue one, with gears" I'm not sure I'd be confident we would ever identify it in a month of Sundays and I'd ask them to return with some more details. Bikes are no different. With no frame number, it would take an officer with a knowledge of component parts to identify a bike (RIP the cycle task force) which cannot be expected of a non cyclist beyond the make and model.

Hey guys, I don't read the forum very often but I do get an email if I'm mentioned (perhaps I'll appear if I've mentioned 3 times...?).

Indeed, the cycle task force has been disbanded and responsibility for cycle theft falls to individual boroughs (or Basic Command Units as they are called these days - I can't keep up). This does mean however that there is no overall strategy or specialist knowledge/drive to tackle the problem.

If anyone does need advice, I'm still happy to be contacted which is why I maintain my account here. I won't be able to get back to you immediately but if it's non urgent, drop me a PM here or mention me in a post and I'll see it.

Ta, Kieran.

Bit of a corporate answer but:

I often read stories where the victims of theft/fraud confront the suspects and sometimes manage to retrieve their possessions. I would urge people to think twice before contacting/confronting these people as it can have tragic consequences but to contact the police with the information.

That said, I do recognise the strain the Police service are under and can only apologise that the service which is needed cannot always be provided but no bike is worth serious injury or death.

Hi all,

Firstly let me apologise for A: my absence and B; not explaining the reason for it sooner.

Unfortunately, the Cycle Crime Taskforce was disbanded formally late last year as the priorities for TFL funded units (like ours) shifted from offences such as pick pocketing and theft of cycles toward serious youth violence and safeguarding of children and vulnerable people.

This was a frustrating development for the team here, many of whom have spent the last few years investigating cycle theft and attempting to assist in its prevention. We spent some time lobbying for our remit to be reverted to cover cycle crime, but it remains with those mentioned above.
As I'm sure you will understand, I have my own opinion which will remain my own.

If your bicycle has been stolen, this will be reported and investigated by one of your local teams.

Hi Theoazb,

Have you reported this to your local Police station (either online, in person or by phoning 101)?

I can't seem to see the photos for some reason, probably my settings here at Belgravia. Once you've reported it and have a crime reference number, send this number along with the photographs of your bikes to me at

Kieran.d.ferguson@met.police.u_k (remove the underscore in the UK - it stops some of the webtrawling spam merchants).

Once I have that, I'll put the photos on a report which is linked to the crime report.

Do you have the frame numbers? If so, register your bike as stolen on http://www.bikeregister.com/report

Ta, Kieran.

Hi Theozab, any news on that bikeregister number?

If so, could you send me a message with the frame number and the 'bumpy blue' bike register number and I'll look into who it's registered to.

Ta, Kieran Ferguson 2224T

Hi Wqvm, late reply, sorry.

Here in the Met (along with other forces I'm sure) we do offer free bike marking at events (sadly only at these events and not at any police station front counter).

Visit http://www.bikeregister.com/events and enter your postcode.

With regard to making more effort, it's a sad fact of the times in which we live that resources are finite and getting reduced as time goes on. The most frustrating part (for me) is just how few people bother to make a note of their frame numbers or go on to register them on sites such as bikeregister.com I don't have the figures to hand, but there are thousands of bikes reported stolen each year and only a tiny number are traced back to their owners.

Recently my colleagues came across a chap who had 8 or so mid to high value bikes (£800 - £4000) and we have only been able to trace owners for around 3 of them. This is despite contacting the manufacturers and trying to establish which shops the bikes were shipped to. As things stand, unless we can prove the other 5 bikes are stolen, they will probably be returned to the suspect.

You are right to be cautious, given the nature of the offence, I would expect any thief to be carrying bolt croppers/screw drivers/cutters etc and many of them wouldn't hesitate to use them to make good their escape. If we tackle a thief in 'action' (so to speak) we carry enough equipment and are present in sufficient numbers that we are usually able to detain them safely. Also, think trapped rat.....

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

NurseHolliday, more than 17 days ago I'm afraid.

Recovered from North London.

We have recently recovered a Trek Madone carbon framed bike for which we have been unable to find an owner. If you believe this bike is yours, please contact me on cycletaskforce@met.pnn.police.uk or Kieran.d.ferguson@met.pnn.police.uk

Unfortunately, the Cycle Crime Taskforce was disbanded formally late last year as the priorities for TFL funded units (like ours) shifted from offences such as pick pocketing and theft of cycles toward serious violence and safeguarding of children and vulnerable people.

If your bicycle has been stolen, this will be reported and investigated by one of your local teams.

Please ensure you have reported the theft by either phoning 101, visiting you local police station or on line at https://online.met.police.uk/

Hi, I'm hoping someone could assist with identifying the bike frame in the attached picture.
There is no frame number on it sadly and I have no idea who the manufacturer is or if this is a custom paint job?
This frame was recovered along with several mid and high value bikes from an address in London recently and we'd love to trace an owner.
Answers on a postcard please...... or perhaps here.

Cheers, Kieran Ferguson 2224T - Met Police RTPC Proactive unit