Police report bike operation success

The Westminster Safer Transport Team has carried out a number of partnership operations with their colleagues from the Safer Transport Command Cycle Task force and their local Safer Neighbourhood Teams to tackle bike theft in their borough.

As part of their bid to tackle bike theft, the team recently ran a two-day operation in Pimlico, where Cycle Task force (CTF) officers were on patrol throughout the area in a bid to arrest anyone involved in bike theft and deter those who may be tempted to steal a bike.

During the operation the team achieved a large quantity of ‘stop and accounts’, averaging ten stop and searches per day. One man was arrested for handling stolen goods, namely a bike, and the team gave crime prevention and bike safety advice to members of the community and property-marked around 20 bikes. Most significantly, there were no bike thefts in any of the wards where the operation was taking place.

The team also visited Paddington Station as part of a joint initiative involving the CTF, SNT and British Transport Police. All cyclists who attended the event were encouraged to take part in the ‘Exchanging Places’ educational session, which promotes safer cycling.

Around 100 bikes were security marked with help from the CTF and a number of bikes were given a mini-MOT from a Bike Doctor. One of the bikes that was checked belonged to Hyde Park Councillor Heather Acton, who was invited to attend by the team. As a result of the MOT, it was found that Heather's bike needed a new inner tube, which was then fixed for free.

PC William Hodgkinson , co-ordinating the officers, said: "Operations such as this are really important. They show bike thieves we are serious about tackling the problem and are prepared to invest time and effort into making it as difficult as possible for them to come into the area for the purpose of stealing a bicycle."

PC Darren Bowles, from the Cycle Task Force said: "The Cycle Task Force is committed to dealing robustly with cycle crime and where possible to remove the incentive for those engaged in criminal activity around bikes. The use of decoy bikes and uniformed cycle patrols was an integral part of this operation and contributed directly to the successes of this operation. By working alongside our colleagues in the Safer Neighbourhood Teams we are able to provide a targeted, visible response to cycle crime and engage directly with the local communities we serve."

For details of future cycle marking/registration sessions, please see www.met.police.uk/transport/cycle_marking.html