Bicycle Security

Keep your bike locked and secure
Follow these steps to protect your bike, and if stolen, increase the chances of having it returned. As soon as you buy a bike you should:

• Buy a decent lock - preferably two
• Expect to pay at least £40 for a decent lock. Quality D-Locks are most secure.

When locking up your cycle you should follow these pointers to keep it secure:

• Lock 'tight' so that your cycle is hard to move around when parked
• Lock both wheels and the frame to a cycle stand or other immoveable object
• Secure your lock so it does not touch the ground

Visit the London Cycling Campaign website for types of lock and Sold Secure for certified locks: lcc.org.uk/articles/types-of-lock.

Get insurance
An easy way to do this is to extend your home contents insurance to cover your bicycle - but make sure it covers you for thefts outside the home too. If your bicycle is particularly valuable you may need to insure it separately. There are plenty of providers available, so shop around.

Security mark it
A number of bike marking schemes are available. Always ensure you use an ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) approved marking scheme, such as BikeRegister kits - the Met Police preferred bike marking product.

You can get your bike marked and registered by going to Kingston Police Station, or by emailing STT.Kingston@met.police.uk

Follow the Three R’s:
Record
Keep a record of the frame number, make and any other marks that can identify your bike if it stolen.

Register
Register your bike details onto online property databases such as BikeRegister.com. This will help the police return any recovered bikes to the rightful owners

Report
If your bike is stolen in London, please report this to the Metropolitan Police Service by calling 101 or online here In an emergency dial 112 or 999.

Create an email search on findthatbike.co.uk;  Enter in your bikes make/model, and it will search listing sites for any matches, and send any matching adverts to your email daily.  If you are a victim of bike theft and you suspect your bike is being sold, do not arrange to meet the seller, contact the police, quoting your crime reference number.