Chelmsford: Police launch crackdown on bike thefts (From Maldon and Burnham Standard)

Chelmsford: Police launch crackdown on bike thefts

10:15am Tuesday 16th October 2012 in Local News

Police in Chelmsford are launching a new initiative to keep cyclists and their pedal cycles safe.

The new initiative, named ‘Cycle Watch’, will be launched this week with officers and partners engaging with shoppers at a mobile police station in the middle of Chelmsford Town Centre High Street, between 10am and 4 pm, running for three days from Thursday, October 18, through to Saturday October 20, 2012.

The initiative will be inviting cyclists to be involved in a cycle watch group.

Members of the group will be actively encouraged to be the extra eyes and ears of the police whilst out and about, reporting any suspicious activity and assisting the police in preventing cycle thefts.

In return, members will receive regular emails on cycle security and a free security sticky label which wraps around the frame, ensuring the bikes are post-coded in the event the cycle becomes lost or stolen.

Sgt Jan Bloomfield from the Community Safety Partnership unit said: "This new cycle watch initiative has been created by our Essex Watch Liaison Officer, Brenda Cross, we hope to bring together people who regularly use this ever increasing form of transport, to share common concerns and enhance safety and security.”