Police campaign targets cycles to cut toll of thefts across city

The initiative, being launched next month, aims to help cut the number of bicycle thefts and is the latest move in a campaign to restore the city to its status as the cycling capital of Britain.

The stickers will be applied to the handlebars of bicycles in the city centre by neighbourhood police, community support officers and community wardens, and will give a security rating from A to E.

Riders will be referred to the Humberside Police website to find out how they scored and get tips on bicycle security.

But an "A" rating will not necessarily represent the best score so the stickers do not encourage thieves.

The main focus of the campaign is to slash the number of bicycle thefts in the city, which had been averaging about 8,000 a year. Most are stolen from sheds or garages and about 1,000 of the total are stolen from the street, and police believe reducing the number of street thefts will help encourage more people to take to two wheels.

Insp Bill Grieve, who leads a cycle theft strategy group for Humberside Police, said: "In the inter-war years Hull was described as the UK's Cycling City. I would like to see this in the future as it would result in a better environment and a healthier population.

"To achieve this people must feel they can use their cycles with out fear of them being taken by thieves and as a result of this strategy I hope we can go some way towards this.

"It is important that the public assist us in this goal by protecting their cycles by using crime prevention advice, but also by informing authorities about cycle thieves living in their communities who think nothing of taking other people's property.

"Together with our partners and help from the public we can make Hull a true cycle city again and a great place to live, work and visit."

Latest figures show the force is already making inroads.

On-street cycle thefts fell from by 11 per cent between April 1 and August 31 compared with the same period last year.

The figure is more impressive when compared to the other "cycling cities" – Kingston upon Thames, Cambridge, Bristol, York, Oxford, Richmond, Brighton, Portsmouth and Nottingham – where cycle thefts increased everywhere except Portsmouth, which recorded a 30 per cent reduction.

Insp Grieve said the campaign also aimed to make cyclists more security conscious.

"It's about trying to help people to help themselves. We'll never solve the problem by catching the criminals but if we can do more to prevent the crime in the first place they will not be seen as an easy target."

Surveillance has been stepped up in six hotspots where bicycles are most at risk, and riders are being reminded that free and secure storage areas are available in George Street, Lowgate and Prospect Street.

Bicycles can also be parked for free in a secure area at Princes Quay Shopping Centre.

Riders are being encouraged to have their bikes marked with identifying codes at a series of events and have them registered on the website www.immobilise.com.

They are also being urged to improve the quality of cycle locks if necessary – and spend between 10 and 15 per cent of the value of a bike on a lock.

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