Police gave me this (Security Marking Kit)

[Psyclist]

So basically I missed a marking event at my local police station, so I sent an email to them asking of the next event. The crime prevention officer kindly dropped off this marking kit at my door which is being tested by the police. The officer is going to ask for my thoughts on it later in time.
Note, the marking numbers are blanked for security reasons.
The company actually uses these for gardening equipment, but they're testing on bikes too.

 

[Biker Joe]

Anything that helps to identify a bike must be a good thing.
I like the fact that the fluid etches the code and telephone number into the frame.
Can't be bad!
Good result.

 

[Biker Joe]

Note, the marking numbers are blanked for security reasons.

Spoil sport

 

[Psyclist]

Anything that helps to identify a bike must be a good thing.
I like the fact that the fluid etches the code and telephone number into the frame.
Can't be bad!
Good result.

Yup, that's how it works. I'm going to put it on the new bike tomorrow when I bring it home. I'll also get another two kits from other marking companies and put them on the down tube in different places. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Amanda P]

Great.

But it doesn't stop the bike being stolen, only helps you get your bike back if it's recovered. Now, if we can just get police forces to actually take bike thefts seriously, investigate them and recover a few bikes, we'd be getting somewhere. Lots of police forces hand out stuff like this, or postcode bikes, from time to time, but do little or nothing to prevent bike thefts or investigate them when they're reported. It's not one of those crimes that scores highly on those questionnaires we get asking what we'd like the police to do, unfortunately.

 

[Lanzecki]

Etched.... Tested on Ali and Toast&glue I hope.

Good idea though.

 

[georginas dad]

just a thought....
can you security etch a carbon frame ??

 

[Psyclist]

Etched.... Tested on Ali and Toast&glue I hope.

Good idea though.

Tested for definite. The officer explained everything to me. It works

just a thought....
can you security etch a carbon frame ??

I have no idea to be fully honest. But I emailed the company earlier about how to apply it to the bike, so when they reply, I'll ask them for you.

Great.

But it doesn't stop the bike being stolen, only helps you get your bike back if it's recovered. Now, if we can just get police forces to actually take bike thefts seriously, investigate them and recover a few bikes, we'd be getting somewhere. Lots of police forces hand out stuff like this, or postcode bikes, from time to time, but do little or nothing to prevent bike thefts or investigate them when they're reported. It's not one of those crimes that scores highly on those questionnaires we get asking what we'd like the police to do, unfortunately.

Yes, it's a shame really, but it was still good of him to drive over and drop it off at my door. In all hope, my bike won't be stolen, as I am wise to bike thieves tricks, but if it is, I'll have to hope it's found and recovered.

I'm also getting a chemical etching kit for motorbikes, and sticking them on my parts, although, people never suspect bike parts to be stolen, unless the thief is selling them dirt cheap. More applicable to shocks and forks on mountain bikes.

 

[Amanda P]

I'm also getting a chemical etching kit for motorbikes, and sticking them on my parts,

The thought is making my eyes water...

 

[MontyVeda]

Great.

But it doesn't stop the bike being stolen, only helps you get your bike back if it's recovered. Now, if we can just get police forces to actually take bike thefts seriously, investigate them and recover a few bikes, we'd be getting somewhere. Lots of police forces hand out stuff like this, or postcode bikes, from time to time, but do little or nothing to prevent bike thefts or investigate them when they're reported. It's not one of those crimes that scores highly on those questionnaires we get asking what we'd like the police to do, unfortunately.

a few years ago, a friend of mine had a phone call from the police, saying they'd recovered his stolen bike and was he 'in' so they could deliver it. He didn't even realise his shed had been broken into or that his bike had been stolen!

The two reasons he got his bike back was because one eagle eyed copper noticed a 'good' bike in a not so good house when investigating the whereabouts of a runaway girl, and checked up on it.

The other reason is that my friend had his bike registered with the rozzas.

They can be far more pro-active than you're giving them credit for.

 

[Lanzecki]

I had a Kona Lava dome (loved that bike) stolen in the very Early 90's. Never recovered. I then had a GT Karakoram stolen from my house a year later. I'd learnt my lesson by then and had registered the GT with the police. They called my Home to tell me they'd recover it while I was on the way there to register the theft. While the registration system was voluntary and old for my local police (at the time) many of the police had a list of registered bikes.

They'd stopped a known toe-rag and known the bikes was stolen as it was too "good" for him and onle of the police had a list of serial numbers on the register.

While a registration scheme will not stop a bike from being stolen it'll help the police to reunite owner with his steed. How else do they know? Stuck the sticker on top of the cross bar and even the usual illiterate monkey will understand.

 

[Amanda P]

I don't deny that marking bikes is a good idea. And it's great to hear stories of bikes being returned. But I suspect there are many, many more stories of bikes that are stolen and never reappear, marked or not, because bike theft is rarely investigated.

My much loved custom tourer was stolen in Cardiff in 1990. Despite it being marked in several ways, and being very distinctive (it was custom), it wasn't recovered. When I saw it locked up elsewhere, lightly modified, and called the police, no action was taken. None.

 

[Psyclist]

The thought is making my eyes water...

Need a tissue??

They're non visible to the eye and are effective. I'll be having 105 on the bike in the future so no doubt thieves would try and sell it off as parts (as I've seen this done before) If they sell them, they'll be dirt cheap and obviously stolen, so I can spot them easily. Same as the wheels.

 

[Psyclist]

just a thought....
can you security etch a carbon frame ??

Just got a reply, no it doesn't work on carbon unfortunately.