Two men aged 50 and 31, from the Bootle area, were arrested in the early hours of Sunday 30th May, following a burglary at the MeCycle shop on Station Road in Ainsdale. Patrols on duty in Southport responded and all three bikes stolen were recovered, between the Formby bypass and Broomscroft Road, along with two offenders.
These arrests follow the arrest by British Transport Police (BTP) of a Southport local man on Sunday 23rd May, for handling stolen goods, after a high value electric bike was found. The bike had been stolen from a bike shop on Preston Railway Station and the offender responsible for the burglary was arrested in Lancaster.
Another male suspect for thefts of bikes from garages in the area is currently in custody on another matter
Police are currently investigating other burglaries of sheds/garages in Southport where bikes and other items have been stolen and will continue to work with BTP and Lancashire Constabulary during these investigations.
There is however, clearly a need for local residents and bike owners in particular, to take more preventative measures to reduce the risks of becoming victims of this type of crime.
LOCK bikes with the strongest chain or ‘D’ lock you can afford, every time you leave them and even when inside a locked shed/garage.
REGISTER bike frame numbers for free on the Bike Register database at https://crowd.in/VByQXA
Knowing your bike’s frame number and registering your bike is really important in helping us to identify which specific bike may be yours. Registering your bike won’t stop it from being stolen; Only a sturdy lock will reduce that risk, but it will help it get returned to its rightful owner.
Most frame numbers can be found on the frame underneath the bottom bracket of bikes (under the pedals). Or you may have it on paperwork from when you purchased the bike. If you haven’t already registered the bike’s frame number, do it now at the link to the Bike Register database.
We will be re-starting bike registration events once full Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, but until then, register your bike’s frame number FOR FREE on the Bike Register database.
SECURITY MARK your bike with a property marking system such as Smartwater or Selecta DNA
LOCK your shed/garage with the best quality locking system you can afford and consider adding a shed alarm if there are items of value inside.
BE CAREFUL OF SHARING INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA. This could be in the form of photos posted to the public or cycling apps which show route maps in public. If you use these type of apps, start and stop them a distance from your home address, or edit your settings to ‘friends only’.
Don’t wait until you have become a victim of theft or burglary. Take action now and help reduce the risk to your own property.
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