Want your stolen wheels back? Take two photos of your bicycle
WATERLOO REGION — Sunny days are upon us and so are bike thieves.
In an effort to ensure stolen bicycles are returned to their rightful owners, Waterloo Regional Police Service is kicking off its first Snap ’N Save program.
Police are asking bike owners to take two photographs; one of them with their bike and another of its serial number.
Each year, up to 1,000 bicycles are stolen in Waterloo Region, said police spokesperson Cherri Greeno.
Roughly 600 bikes are recovered, but often they are not re-
turned to their owners because they can’t prove they are the owner, she said.
Instead, bikes are sold at auction or donated to charity.
“Without the serial number, there is no way to connect the bike to the owner,” Greeno said.
This past weekend, officers dropped off Snap ’N Save paper hangers at stores selling bikes. Throughout the spring and summer, police will place the hangers on bikes they see locked up in parks or in downtown areas.
The paper hangers will be delivered to community centres and other agencies to remind bike owners to take photos of their bikes.
“We are relying on the community to Snap ’N Save in prevention of bike theft,” Greeno said.
Police say July is a busy month for thefts. More people are out on their bikes and thieves are waiting to take them.
A bike can be stolen in a flash, so police recommend cyclists lock their bikes, even if they plan to leave it unattended for only a few minutes.
Police also recommend bike owners record a general description of their bike and keep the information in a safe place.
The serial number usually can be found underneath the crank or engraved on the frame.