BikeRegister surpasses 1 million bike security registrations
National Cycle Security database and bike marking business BikeRegister has listed its one millionth bike this month, shortly following a new partnership with insurance business Bikmo.
Owned by family-run company Selectamark Security Systems plc, the registration platform is used by all UK Police Forces to search for stolen and recovered bikes – a service it offers to the police at zero cost.
Over 1,000 searches are made online each day by the police, retailers and members of the public. As a result, BikeRegister has helped return thousands of stolen bikes to their owners, and in September 2020, 66 stolen bikes were returned to their owners that month alone.
Supt Cleland said: “This week we reached an historic milestone with the one millionth bicycle registered on BikeRegister. Registration means that even if a bicycle is stolen there’s an opportunity for it to be recovered and returned to the owner.
“There’s also a good chance that bikes registered with BikeRegister are less likely to be stolen because thieves look for the easiest opportunity. If you’ve yet to register your bicycle, then why not do it right now. Don’t forget to get the best lock you can afford and use it whether at home or away.”
For the consumer, registering is free and takes just a few minutes to do. It means that a bike can still be recovered in the event of it being stolen. As an aside to the consumer, the product is also well suited to bike retailers at the point of sale.
Sold via bike shops and online, BikeRegister also offers three discreet security marking kits that further reduce the chances of becoming a victim of cycle theft. Not all frame numbers are unique, so choosing one of the kits will provide a bike with its own unique reference number.
BikeRegister also hold an annual Cycle Crime Conference, which is the only national security event focusing on cycle crime. At the conference, key members from the police, government, security and cycle industry address delegates on the latest ideas to tackle cycle theft. The next event will take place in May, working around the Covid guidelines of the time.
In France the Government has jus passed into law the mandatory registration of new bicycles via a marking system, something for which there appears to be an appetite in the UK; the current Government mentioned such a scheme in its Gear Change document.
BikeRegister MD James Brown concluded: “We are extremely proud of achieving this significant ‘one million’ registration milestone. This has been made possible thanks to the hard work of our fantastic BikeRegister team and police forces up and down the country.. We are now calling for all cycle retailers to join the movement. By registering all bicycles, e-bikes and even e-scooters at point-of-sale, they can make it impossible for thieves to operate in this space.”