Police update after spate of bike thefts in Southport

Users of social media will be aware that bike thefts have increased again. Investigations are continuing into five separate thefts of bikes in the Southport area this week alone, with most of these stolen around the seafront area.

The sad fact is that it can take seconds to steal a bike and minutes to make it disappear. We strongly recommend that bike owners take every step possible to make it more difficult for offenders and help reduce the risk of becoming a victim of this type of crime.

 So what can be done to protect your bike?

1: LOCK YOUR BIKE. Every time you leave it anywhere and even when you put it in your shed/garage.

2: ALWAYS LOCK YOUR BIKE TO A STURDY POST OR RAILING. Bikes left with the wheels locked can still be picked up and go in a van. Bikes left unlocked outside shops are those most likely to be stolen.

3: DON’T USE CHEAP CABLE LOCKS. These can be easily cut through. (see picture). Steel 'D' locks like those pictured are heavy to carry but can't be cut through.
When buying a lock you should be looking to spend 10% of the cost of your bike on the sturdiest lock that you can afford. So, if your bike cost £400, look to spend £40 to keep it secure. It’s worth the investment.

4: BUY A SHED ALARM. These don’t need to be hugely expensive. Just something that will alert you to someone getting into your shed or garage at the time and allowing you to dial 999. In many cases, bikes are stolen from sheds days before people report them to the police and by that time, they are long gone.

5: REGISTER YOUR BIKE’S FRAME NUMBER: This can be done for FREE on the BIKE REGISTER database at https://orlo.uk/4hGjo

Registering your bike won’t stop it from being stolen. Only a sturdy lock will do that. But it will help us to get bikes that are located, back to the rightful owners. This really helps when multiple bikes of the same make and colour are stolen.

Investigations are underway to identify and arrest offenders responsible for bike thefts. Please take these steps to reduce the risk to your own bike.