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RCMP offer tips to help prevent bike theft

Aug 8, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Bicycle theft has been a concern again this year in the Battlefords.

While the summer months are a great time to go for a bike ride around the block and enjoy the scenery while getting some exercise, RCMP say it’s important to remember to take safety precautions to ensure your property is not easily targeted for theft.

Staff Sgt. Darcy Woolfitt told battlefordsNOW he recommends securing bicycles in a locked shed or garage when they’re not being ridden. Simply taking the extra time to put your bike somewhere out of sight can greatly help reduce the likelihood of potential thefts.

Bicycles are not the only vulnerable targets for theft however, as valuable items left unattended in vehicles are also cause for concern, Woolfitt said.

“If a vehicle’s left open and there’s spare change or a wallet or a purse left in the vehicle, or any other valuables, we do have people that will take whatever’s laying around,” he said.

Keeping valuables in a safe place and making sure to lock your vehicle’s doors can go a long way towards deterring theft, he said.

Many bicycles turn up after they have been stolen, Woolfitt said, and the owners have 90 days to claim them.

“We do get reports weekly of found property – bicycles – and they are picked up by the community safety officers and they’re logged in,” Woolfitt said. “They’re kept in a secure location.”

After the 90-day holding period, he said the bikes become found property by the RCMP and are auctioned off at the Battlefords Kiwanis Bicycle Auction in May.

 

martin.martinson@jpbg.ca

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