Operation Lockout improving bike security

10.19.46am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 26th Aug 2009

• HUNDREDS of bike owners across Richmond upon Thames have had their cycles made extra secure in the last two months, thanks to the Operation Lockout partnership between police and Richmond Council.

More than 500 bikes have been security marked since June, dozens more than hoped for at the start of the year. Police have also reunited more than 35 stolen bikes with their owners this year, new figures show.

Cllr Stephen Knight, Richmond Council's Deputy Leader, said: "Having your bike marked is quick, unobtrusive, and one of the best ways to help you get it back if it is pinched, and I'm glad to see so many cyclists have already come forward to have their frames marked. When bikes are found, they can only be given back if there is proof of ownership and this is the ideal way to do it."

The bike marking service is offered to all cycle owners free of charge through Operation Lockout. A small permanent etching of a unique reference and a phone number is made on the underside of the frame and the information recorded on a secure database. The bike's owner is also given a logbook to record changes of ownership and other work, in the same way as a car. The reference can be checked with a call to the database handlers to find out whether the person riding the bike is the owner, or has permission to use it. If not, police can take immediate action.

Chf Insp Dave Henfrey, from Richmond upon Thames Police, added: "Thieves should be aware that if they're pulled over for having what officers believe is a stolen bike, then a quick check of the unique reference, which increasing numbers of bike owners are having put on their cycles, will see them being arrested and taken before the magistrates."

Since Operation Lockout was launched in 2006, 5,500 bikes have been marked, and from January to this week, 1,500 have been recorded. The cost of all the marking has been met from the Council's Community Safety Partnership budget, which is funded by central Government, not Council Tax. Residents wanting to have their bike marked can contact any police Safer Neighbourhood Team or visit the Operation Lockout roadshows which are taking place during the summer.