THE Warrington BID has launched a Christmas cycle marking campaign to combat bike thieves and encourage safer shopping following a spike in the number of bikes being stolen in the town centre.
THE BID is working with Cheshire Police and Warrington Buyers Club in a campaign to encourage people to protect their bicycles by registering with the national Bike Register Scheme.
On Saturday, December 14, between 11am and 3pm visitors to the Cycle House, an independent bike specialist at the Portland Trade Park, Buckley St, Warrington will be able to have their bike marked free of charge by Cheshire Police. Newly purchased or older bikes can be brought along to the shop where they will be stamped with details of the identity number and owner entered onto the Bike Register database.
Sgt Rob Horton from Warrington Police said: ‘Bikes are marked with a tamper resistant warning label with a unique QR code that can be scanned instantly with a smart phone to deter would-be thieves. Every police force in the UK uses this resource to search for stolen and recovered bikes which contains the details of over 875,000 registered to date.’
Harriet Roberts, Warrington BID Manager added: ‘Christmas is always a busy time for people purchasing bikes so it’s a good time to remind people about keeping their belongings safe. This scheme is a great example of the Police and BID Businesses working together for the community to make the town safer.’
The high profile campaign is being promoted with the chance to win a top of the range bike sponsored by Warrington BID, Warrington Buyers Club and the Cycle House. As well as an online competition on the Warrington Buyers Club social media channels, visitors to the Cycle Marking event on 14 December will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win a brand new GT.
