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Spike in bicycle thefts

Spike in bicycle thefts

By Nadia Dimattina

Police urge residents to be aware of the increasing theft of bikes being reported in the Southbank area.

Leading Sen-Constable Glenn McFarlane, a crime prevention officer for Victoria Police, said there had been a spike in bicycle thefts in residential car parks and storage rooms.

“The last month has seen an increasing trend of bicycle thefts from public places and residential properties,” he said.

Sen-Constable McFarlane said the spike was a result of residents not being cautious when leaving their bikes unattended.

“Some of these bicycles have been secured with no lock or a poor quality lock,” he said.

Sen-Constable McFarlane recommended securing bikes with good quality locks such as “D” or “U”-type locks.

“Chains, wire cable and other poor quality type locks can easily be cut by cutting tools,” he said.

Police ask residents and visitors alike when out in the Southbank area to be vigilant of persons acting suspiciously – that is using some type of cutting device to break through a lock or locking mechanism to steal a bicycle.

Sen-Constable McFarlane said it was important to keep a record of your bike details in case it was stolen.

“Record details such as the brand, type, colour, serial number (under the pedal crank case) and also take a photograph of the bicycle and keep the picture in a safe place,” Sen-Constable McFarlane said.

For further information on how to protect your bicycle follow the link www.police.vic.gov.au/crimeprevention  to the Bicycle Security Brochure under the “Home and Property” section.

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