Petition to Police - Stop Bike Theft Dead

[mossj88]

So I've been running my websites for about a year and a half, read the personal accounts of over 1000 individual thefts and for those lucky enough to recover them had a quick discussion with them too to establish what they did that got their bike back.

One of the things that I have noticed is that the sale in stolen bikes is very open, thieves don't really put any effort into disguising the fact and the reason for this is the Police refuse to get involved unless the victim of the theft comes forward.

If they were to allow the public searching of frame numbers (like Canada does already), then it would drastically increase the risk of selling a stolen bike, people would become more aware of what they are buying and eventually we would come to a situation like we currently have with used cars where it's considered the norm to run a basic check of the history.

How can you help

• Sign the petition, calling on police to allow searching of frame numbers
• Share the petition far and wide with your friends, followers, pages and groups.

 

[mossj88]

Not really, if you don't record your frame number (which can be done for free on a number of websites) then you lessen the chance of seeing your bike again. Just because it would help police get your bike back, doesn't mean you have to provide the information required. Registration is already covered by a number of companies at no cost for the government.

Frame numbers of stolen bikes are already hosted on individual police forces databases, and they already release details of crimes from the same database through a public facing API. So minimal extra cost there too.

I did approached Immobilise before I setup CheckThatBike.co.uk and invited them to participate, they did consider it seriously but declined and told me I could pay per search on their API (at around £1 a search).. So that's a no go. They DO NOT release the data for free to anyone retailers or the public, to be clear they make there profit from charging for this type of data so they would have no intention of ever doing it for free.

If people wish to setup their own database that's fine but the point is the police have every possible frame number of a bike that has been reported stolen, there is no fragmentation, no missing numbers, it's all there in a single place. If you buying a bike, you can check one place, not half a dozen that you would have to currently (and even then you'd miss the people who haven't published the theft on the web).

The current way of working is each police force has a preferred bike register they work with usually it's Immobilise or BikeRegister but it can be others. When a bike comes in they check it against their force database, then against their preferred bike registers (and possibly also Immobilise in some cases).

Clearly this is a fragmented approach that means if someone stolen your bike in Cambridge, you could report it with the full serial number to the police and another police force could recover your bike and still not be able to find you (and then eventually they would sell it).

 

[fossala]

I disagree with force register of products. Why should I be made to have my products on a database? Thanks, but no thanks.

 

[mossj88]

I disagree with force register of products. Why should I be made to have my products on a database? Thanks, but no thanks.

Sorry I don't think I said that... The government does not currently run any bike registration schemes as far as I am aware. They are far more common in the private sector or with cycling friendly employers.

 

[mossj88]

Then what are you suggesting that is any different from from the situation we already have?

Here's a before and after, put simply the easier it is to check a bikes frame number, the more apparent it becomes that it's important to write down your frame number. The more people that write down the frame number, the more bikes the police recover and give back to their rightful owner, the more bikes that get back to their original owners, the more people the police are able to prosecute for bike theft, the more people prosecuted for bike theft.. etc etc

Buying a used bike

The Current Situation

Bob is buying a used bike, but doesn't want to pick up one that's stolen. Bob has to check a multitude of different websites including forums and registers, and even then he can't guarantee the police don't have a record of that frame number. He could perhaps phone them on 101, and ask them to check but even if the officers decide to be helpful (most of the time they won't) they will only check their forces database.​

​

End result, Bob could of bought a stolen bike and lined the pocket of Joe the bike thief. Bob found it very difficult to check the bikes frame number, and in the end settled for checking a few places and decides it's a waste of time to write it down.​

The 'Fixed' Situation

Bob is buying a used bike, but doesn't want to pick up one that's stolen. Bob has to check one place, and gets an instant answer.​

​

End result, Bob stands much less of a chance of having bought a stolen bike. Bob knows his frame number is important so writes it down just encase his new bike gets stolen knowing how easy it is to check a bikes frame number.​

​

TLR - Currently whilst writing down your frame number has an impact on recovering your bike, it doesn't have the impact it should/could.

 

[Spinney]

That's probably why the OP said

End result, Bob stands much less of a chance of having bought a stolen bike.

 

[simon.r]

I think in principle what you're proposing sounds like a good idea, but I'm struggling with your web site. These statements contradict each other / don't make sense:

"If you’ve just got a new bike it’s really important that you take some of the below tips to heart with 1 in 4 new bikes being stolen within 2 years..."

"With most new bike sold being stolen within 24 months..."

"Unfortunately if you were to go out and buy a new bike, the law of averages would say that it will be stolen within 23 months."

And my carbon framed bike doesn't have a frame number...

 

[mossj88]

Thanks for that found and corrected, I ran two of my statistics together by accident (only 1 in 4 bike thefts get reported to the police and the 23 months thing). I have to work on these sites after my full time job, so it's a struggle to keep my concentration at 1am in the morning.

In regards to your carbon frame, can you get the bottom bracket stamped? Alternatively you could use a registration kit in the same place. It's well worth putting the effort in now.

 

[classic33]

I had a tracker fitted into the frame of a Pashley Classic 33. It went up for sale on ebay, I went to view posing as an interested buyer. Taking my device for reading the tracker. Checking the trike frame number, the alarm sounds. I'm asked what that was & he wasn't impressed when I identified myself as the owner, informing him it was reported stolen property.
His local police informed as were mine, to whom the theft had been reported. Tracked through Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales & finally to a industrial estate just outside the Port of Holyhead. So six police forces informed & the details passed onto them & they chose to do nothing.
So unless the police have access to the equipment required to do the scanning as well as the time to check each and every bike that comes in
&
each force makes the same checks
then registering your bike details on a website doesn't mean you'll be reunited with your property again.

 

[mossj88]

..stuff...

Which is exactly what I'm trying to do, this would defragment the police forces regional database, creating a central place to check a frame number. (no websites, reported it to the police, given them a frame number? great it's on there then).

No messing about with trackers that can only be read with scanners or stickers that cost £10 a pop, frame numbers are on most bikes (and can be stamped on those without).

 

[classic33]

Which is exactly what I'm trying to do, this would defragment the police forces regional database, creating a central place to check a frame number. (no websites, reported it to the police, given them a frame number? great it's on there then).

No messing about with trackers that can only be read with scanners or stickers that cost £10 a pop, frame numbers are on most bikes (and can be stamped on those without).

You seem to be increasing the amount of confusion that could be caused. Opening yet another database of bike frame numbers.
I was able to track mine without leaving the house. I know it was placed into a large modern industrial estate, the signal was lost when the battery died. But unless you get more than part-time property officers then the problem of checking all the bikes by hand & eye alone will remain a long, slow process. And for any database to be searched this information would be required by those doing the checking online.

 

[mossj88]

You seem to be increasing the amount of confusion that could be caused. Opening yet another database of bike frame numbers.

I think your missing the point, the police database has all the stolen bike frame numbers in... every single last one. Why would you have your frame number and then not provide it to the police when your bikes stolen? One place to check for, no confusion.

Give me a scenario where this is a bad thing, as I'm not getting where your coming from.

 

[classic33]

I think your missing the point, the police database has all the stolen bike frame numbers in... every single last one. One place to check for, no confusion.

Give me a scenario where this is a bad thing, as I'm not getting where your coming from.

Each force as far as I'm aware maintain their own database of frame numbers. Some will not even share them with neighbouring forces.
My Pashley Classic 33, the same as these, isn't cheap. And it does tend to stand out a bit when being ridden.
http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/classic-no-33.html Is a Price On Application
http://velo-ideale.com/product.php?pid=304 is$ 2350.00

The same details had to be given to each force, when it was being moved through their area. They never passed the details on, nor requested them from the other forces. With motor vehicles they often rely on external databases & other bodies to confirm the details they hold are in fact correct.

 

[mossj88]

...stuff...

Absolutely correct, they don't share the information but each police force does hold it within their own databases in a special field. What I am asking is that every police force under the UK Home Office, extends their use of the API too allow searching of frame numbers against their individual databases.

This would result in the ability to enter a frame number and check each and every police force database at once.

 

[classic33]

And who is going to check each & every bike that comes in to every police station, for the frame number before entering that number onto the sytem. Local force has one part-time property officer in my area, who is based centrally at one station. Not all bikes are kept at the only station he works at though.

Why not something like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardasiochana/sets/72157625091734993/
If you feel the bike may be yours, you supply them with the frame number & other details, for them to check.

The other thing to consider is how did the police come by the bike. Was it handed in, by a third party who made a note of all the details that may be required to claim the bike. I know I have.