Drop-in session aimed at keeping cyclists on their bikes

With more people being encouraged to cycle to work, cyclists in Northampton had the opportunity to pick up crime prevention advice from their local neighbourhood policing team this week.

Police Community Support Officer Paul Hurst organised the special drop-in session on Tuesday afternoon (April 27), for those working at Decathlon on the Brackmills Industrial Estate.

The event was arranged in response to an increase in thefts of pedal cycles near to the business in Thomas Dachser Way, with a total of 13 bicycles reported stolen since October 2019.

Paul and Northampton South West Neighbourhood Policing Team colleague, PCSO Becky Evans, registered 10 bicycles and distributed 40 Secured by Design locks, funded by the Brackmills Business Improvement District (BID).

They also handed out other crime prevention literature and ultra-violet permanent security marker pens to help cyclists keep their bicycles secure, supplied by the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Paul said: “For many people, their bike is much more than just a possession. It’s their transport to work, or how they stay fit, and losing it can be very upsetting as well as very expensive.

“Since January, we’ve been working in partnership with Brackmills BID to support local businesses implement additional security measures to help prevent the theft of bicycles in and around their premises.

“This has included ensuring gates are secured and locked during business hours, improved CCTV systems near to where bicycles are stored as well as arranged for street lighting and bollards to be repaired.

“We also carried out more high-visibility patrols of those areas targeted by thieves, and since the end of January, we’ve not had any further reports of thefts but it’s important we keep this momentum going.

“Events such as this enables us to provide cyclists with the right security tools and crime prevention information to help them protect their bikes and make them less attractive to opportunistic criminals.

“The longer it takes and the harder it would be to steal, the less likely they are to target it.”

The Force also recommends logging details of bicycles on BikeRegister, the police-approved national cycle database. Find out more at www.bikeregister.com or for general crime prevention advice visit www.northants.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/

All suspicious vehicles or activity should be reported to police on 101, or online at www.northants.police.uk/reportonline. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.