Cyclists in Newark are being invited to attend a free bike marking session to help protect their property from thieves.

The free service will take place between 10am and 2pm at Newark Royal Market on Sunday, 4 October, as part of a joint project between Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Paddy Tipping, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to boost safety in key areas of the town.

The PCC, working in partnership with the councils and Newark police, secured £550k from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund, which is being channelled into crime prevention measures in the central Newark, Chatham Court, Lovers Lane and Northgate areas to improve the prevention and detection of crimes such as burglary, vehicle crime and bicycle theft.

The bike marking event, which will be attended by the PCC, police officers and district council Public Protection officers, is the first in a series planned as part of a multi-agency response to deter would-be thieves and reduce crime in the area.

The sessions will be COVID-secure and social distancing will be in place at all times.

As part of the scheme, police officers are also visiting bicycle shops across Newark to encourage owners to check and mark new and used bikes as a further deterrent.

Paddy Tipping said: “We are determined to increase the safety of those who live and work in Newark through the Safer Streets initiative. We know bike theft and other acquisitive crimes cause misery for their victims and heighten fear of crime across our communities – these sessions are just one way we are working together to reduce the risk and improve the quality of life of local residents.

“Bicycles are one of the most commonly stolen items. Bike marking not only deters opportunists but also helps police officers reunite victims with their stolen property in the event it is later recovered.”

David Lloyd, leader of the district council, added: “We take cycle theft very seriously and these free bike marking events are just one of a number of our proactive initiatives as part of the Safer Streets Project.

“Security marking your bike is a simple and effective scheme that combined with bike-locking and security awareness goes a long way to tackle this type of crime. It acts as a deterrent to opportunist thieves and could help to protect yourself from becoming a victim of theft.

“If a bike is stolen, it will also help to trace and re-unite bikes with their rightful owners and I really encourage members of the public to get involved and attend the event.”

The bike marking exercise involves imprinting a unique tamper-proof code on the bicycle before details are registered on the Bike Register database along with a photograph of the bike, frame number and the owner’s details.

The scheme is used by police forces across the UK, with more than 970,000 bicycles currently registered. If a bicycle which is marked is subsequently stolen, a stolen marker can be added to the unique code and when checked, this will flag the property as stolen to help identify an offender and ensure the bike is returned to its rightful owner.

Police officers have access to the database and can check bicycles immediately.

Further bike marking events are planned in Newark and details will be announced in the coming weeks.

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