WCYT

BikeRegister has been chosen as both the preferred cycle register and bike marking product for London by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Operated by security company Selectamark, BikeRegister is the UK’s leading online registration initiative aiming to reduce bike theft and assist in owner recovery.
With the significant on-going investment in cycling, the rate level of cycling continues to increase in the Capital. To sustain this trend, it’s vital that cyclists are able to do more to protect themselves against cycle theft. According to MPS statistics, 45,000 bikes were stolen across all London boroughs in the last two years. In the past year the Metropolitan Police Service’s Cycle Task Force have marked over 12,000 bikes in London using BikeRegister products.
There has already been a 5% reduction in cycle theft to April 2011 compared to the previous 12 months.
BikeRegister will now supply the MPS with its bike marking kits and secure online registration service (www.bikeregister.com).
One of the main deciding factors for BikeRegister winning the contract as the MPS’s preferred bike marking product and cycle register was the fact that patrolling officers were easily able to identify a BikeRegister mark without the need for any specialist equipment, making immediate action against suspected bike thieves possible.
Other reasons were the fact that BikeRegister’s database has the Insurance and Police approved LPS 1224: Issue 3 accreditation, ensuring that customer data is not used for other purposes, and also that the BikeRegister system allows Police to uniquely mark bikes with a permanent security mark which cannot be removed.
Finally, the MPS were impressed with the fact that regardless of whether a bike is registered for free online or with the Silver package that also includes permanent marking, BikeRegister allows customers to download a personal logbook.
Selectamark’s Managing Director Andrew Knights added: “BikeRegister is a proven system for reducing cycle theft and is being successfully used by police forces throughout the UK. In London, we are confident that it will not only assist the Cycle Task Force in reducing bike theft but it will also facilitate their day-to-day work on the streets.”

Estate gets SelectDNA protection
RESIDENTS on a new-build estate in south-east London are protecting their personal possessions from burglary by the use of SelectaDNA property marking.
The DNA marking kits are being offered to people moving into new apartments at Kidbrooke Village, by officers from Eltham Safer Neighbourhood Team, part of Greenwich Borough Police.
SelectaDNA comes in a kit containing a bottle of DNA solution that can be easily applied to any items of value. The unique DNA code in the solution links each item to an individual address, meaning that if an item is stolen and later found by police it can be traced directly back to the owner.
PC Richard Greef, who has been going door-to-door at Kidbrooke Village offering the kits to residents and demonstrating how they work, says the scheme is being introduced as a deterrent to burglary.
He said: “I have used SelectaDNA before in a previous crime prevention scheme and was impressed with how effective it was as a deterrent. Residents are marking valuable personal possessions such as TVs, phones, laptops and lawnmowers.”
The deterrent window stickers supplied with each kit are an important part of the marking process and they have been known to deter 8 out of 10 break-ins.
PC Greef said: “We are offering the kits to residents with the proviso that they use the window stickers. Neighbours will ask each other about SelectaDNA and the word will spread around the estate.”
  Kidbrooke Village is a major housing development that will take 20 years to complete and will eventually house more than 4,000 residents. The estate is being built to house former residents of the nearby Ferrier Estate, which is set to be demolished.
The Ferrier Estate is currently unoccupied and the site is being guarded from metal theft by the use of another forensic marking product called SelectaDNA Grease, which can be painted onto lead roofs and copper piping.
The grease transfers to hands and clothing if someone attempts to steal the marked metal, and the invisible forensic markers in the grease show up under UV light and can link a thief back to the scene of the crime.

Greasing up to deter metal thieves
POLICE in Sunderland are using SelectaDNA Grease to give metal thieves the slip. Over the past few months there has been a rise in thefts and attempted thefts of metal across the city.
Officers have been carrying out a number of operations to target those responsible including working with scrap metal dealers and stopping vehicles being used to transport metal.
Police have also been using SelectaDNA Grease, a special product containing forensic markers which can be painted onto metal. Anyone touching it will be left with the grease on their hands and clothing, helping police to identify offenders as it links them directly to the crime scene.
Acting Neighbourhood Inspector Kevin Jones said: "SelectaDNA is unique. Anyone who comes into contact with anything which has been coated in the grease will find it on their hands and clothing. It's impossible to remove, so when we find those who are responsible they can be linked to the theft."
The officers are also recommending the use of SelectaDNA grease to local residents and businesses to protect lead roofs and copper piping. They have also been helping local churches to apply the product to their roofing following a spate of metal thefts from public buildings.

New marking kit is just divine
POLICE are offering forensic marking product SelectaDNA to church wardens across Northumberland to help stop thieves targeting their buildings.
Crime Prevention Advisors from Northumbria Police together with officers from the local neighbourhood policing teams have been meeting with staff from nearby churches and offering them security advice and DNA forensic marking kits to help secure church premises.
Sandra Killeen, Northumberland Area Command, Crime Prevention Advisor said: "Churches are an important part of our communities and we are keen to work with them as closely as we can to ensure they are as safe and secure as possible.
"As well as advice, we have marked all metal piping and equipment with SelectaDNA – this gives it a unique reference number which is kept on a secure database. If the boiler and pipes are stolen it can be traced back to the individual church and instantly links the criminal to the crime scene.”
The Crime Prevention Team have recently been working with St John's Church in Bedlington, where they visited churchwarden Eve Bain and gave her practical advice on keeping the church safe.
Mrs Bain said: "By working with the police and implementing the crime prevention advice they give us we can to make it harder for criminals to break into the church or cause damage.The forensic marking is a really good way of the police being able to identify any stolen property and safeguard our church against future crime.”