Metropolitan Police Service endorses new cycle register for London

June 16, 2011 - PRLog -- BikeRegister is delighted to announce that it has been chosen as both the preferred cycle register and bike marking product for London by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

Operated by Selectamark, BikeRegister is the UK’s leading online registration initiative aiming to reduce bike theft and assist in owner recovery.

With the significant on-going investment in cycling, the rate level of cycling continues to increase in the Capital. To sustain this trend, it’s vital that cyclists are able to do more to protect themselves against cycle theft.

According to MPS statistics, 45,000 bikes were stolen across all London boroughs in the last two years.

In the past year the Metropolitan Police Service’s Cycle Task Force have marked over 12,000 bikes in London using BikeRegister products.

There has already been a 5% reduction in cycle theft to April 2011 compared to the previous 12 months.

BikeRegister will now supply the MPS with its bike marking kits and secure online registration service (www.bikeregister.com).

One of the main deciding factors for BikeRegister winning the contract as the MPS’s preferred bike marking product and cycle register was the fact that patrolling officers were easily able to identify a BikeRegister mark without the need for any specialist equipment, making immediate action against suspected bike thieves possible.

Other reasons were the fact that BikeRegister’s database has the Insurance and Police approved LPS 1224: Issue 3 accreditation, ensuring that customer data is not used for other purposes, and also that the BikeRegister system allows Police to uniquely mark bikes with a permanent security mark which cannot be removed.

Finally, the MPS were impressed with the fact that regardless of whether a bike is registered for free online or with the Silver package that also includes permanent marking, BikeRegister allows customers to download a personal logbook.

Chief Superintendent Sultan Taylor, Cycle Task Force, MPS Safer Transport Command said:

“The Cycle Task Force encourages the 3Rs: Registration, Record and Report.

“By cyclists ensuring they have their bikes marked there is an improved chance that their bikes if stolen will be recovered and returned to them and the suspect brought to justice.”

Selectamark’s Managing Director Andrew Knights added: “BikeRegister is a proven system for reducing cycle theft and is being successfully used by police forces throughout the UK.

“In London, we are confident that it will not only assist the Cycle Task Force in reducing bike theft but it will also facilitate their day-to-day work on the streets.”

In order to continue improving bike security in London, TfL and MPS have formed a working group on cycle security. A member of Selectamark’s team has been invited to sit on the panel.

# # #

About BikeRegister
BikeRegister is an online cycle registration and bike marking initiative with the aim of preventing and deterring bike theft. Once you register with bikeregister.com, your bike will immediately be a less attractive target for thieves, and if stolen and recovered by the Police, it can easily be returned to you. Bikeregister.com also provides protection for buyers and sellers of secondhand bikes. The bikeregister.com Ownership Document is your Log Book and provides proof of ownership for you and any potential buyer. Those considering purchasing a secondhand bike can also check a frame number with the bikeregister.com database to confirm it hasn’t been reported stolen. Once registered, if your bike is stolen you can ’flag’ your bike as stolen on the database.