Crime pays! Money used to fund bike security to battle criminals
Money seized from criminals gets used to fit ground anchors
‘It just took a few emails to get it started’ OLLIE HULME
Somerset biker, Ollie Hulme, wanted his local council to do more to prevent motorcycle theft, so he put his money where his mouth is and got the ball rolling himself. Well, actually, he put the ill-gotten gains of criminals where his mouth is because the Avon & Somerset Police Community Trust were making the money available for projects to help reduce crime. “There were gangs stealing anything that wasn’t securely locked up and boasting about it on social media,” explained Ollie, who is a freelance motorcycle journalist. “Classics, adventure bikes, sportsbikes, scooters and mopeds were all getting nicked. They usually ended up wrecked, dumped in ditches or burned out.
“A lot of people complain that the authorities won’t do anything to stop bike thefts, but it just took me a few emails. I thought the anchors would come in handy for bike tourists and for locals wanting to secure their machines. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
In his application, Ollie pointed out that in their official guidance to bikers, Burnhamon-Sea Police advise locking your bike to an ‘immovable object such as a ground anchor or street furniture’ but that no such provision was made in the town’s carparks. He also worked to price up the job of fitting the devices, citing a recent initiative in Dulwich, London, that cost £500 per anchor.
A spokesman for Burnhamon-Sea Town Council said: “There are now public ground anchors fitted in spaces used for motorbike parking. “Knowing that the area, especially Burnham, is a popular destination for motorcyclists, the town council, with Sedgemoor District Council approval, applied to the Police Community Trust for a grant of £1000 towards installing four heavyduty, retractable ground anchors in the parking bays, with two anchors in each site.”