Buying a bike for Christmas, have you thought about a lock for it?

Dear Resident,

As we have passed the middle of November, I hope it isn't too early to mention Christmas, or what is being bought for Christmas, I also don't want to point out that it is only 5 weeks away!!!!

At this time of the year, people have either bought, or are buying bikes to give as Christmas presents, and with the average price to buy a bike now around £350+ and an e-bike around £1900+ it is not a cheap present to buy.

Whilst a lot of thought is given towards the cost of the bike itself, one thing that isn't often considered is the purchase of a suitable lock for the bike.

Across England and Wales there are over 77,000 bikes stolen annually, that is around one bike every seven minutes, and this is only the bikes that are reported stolen.

Bike thieves are normally opportunists, who will visit areas and identify bikes they want to steal using a variety of methods, such as cutting or grinding off locks. They will often attack the bikes that are left unlocked, or have the weakest locks, as they are the easiest to cut off, and take the shortest amount of time. A lock with a high level of security can also act as a deterrent and can prevent an attack.

So, what should you look for when looking at buying a bike lock.

The general rule of ‘you get what you pay for’ does fit. The £2 wire locks will provide a much lower level of security than a lock that costs £25. 

The rule of thumb is that you should consider spending around 10% of the cost of the bike on a lock, although I would advise you buy the best lock that you can afford, which may be more or less than that.

I have attached an information sheet that will advise which standard of lock would be best for the type of bike that has been bought.

Here are some tips on how to reduce the risk of a bike being stolen.

I hope this information helps you choose the right lock for the bike you are buying.

Further crime prevention advice can be found on the Secured by Design website here.

Please feel free to share this alert with family, friends, and on social media by clicking the share button below the alert.

Regards

Jamie

Crime Reduction

Humberside Police