Margate police advise residents after rash of bike thefts: After a rash of bike thefts, police on Friday advised residents on the best locks, as well as keeping photos of their bikes and writing down their serial numbers.
Several of the bikes stolen were left unlocked, but others had a cable lock, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.
“The best locks to deter these types of thefts are U-locks,” police said. “Those locks are hard steel and not easily defeated. There are many brands available, and most come with a mount so they can be easily attached to the bike.”
While U-locks aren’t perfect, they’re “generally significant enough to deter any theft,” police said, adding many cable locks are easily cut with small pliers or, if they’re old, can be pried apart.
“Also, we encourage everybody to keep photos of your bike and to have the serial number written down,” police said. “When a bike is stolen and we have the serial number, we enter it in a database that other departments can check against. Without that information, there isn’t much we can do to specifically identify one bike from another.”
People are also reading…
The department also has a bike registration program, in which officers will record information about the bike and assign it a number in their records, according to the post. Residents just need to bring the bike to the department, and an available officer can assist with paperwork.
Police are actively investigating the thefts and urged residents who see anything suspicious to call the department at 609-822-1151
Contact: 609-272-7241 mbilinski@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressMollyB
