Advice guide - Securing your bike

Bicycles are often targeted by thieves because they are left poorly secured or not secured at all. It takes just a few seconds for the opportunist thief to steal a bike that is left unsecured.

Around 3,000 bikes are stolen in Nottinghamshire every year.

Follow the advice on this page to protect your bike from being stolen and to increase the chances of it being returned to you if it is stolen.

Securing your bike

• Lock your bike tightly so that your bike is difficult to move when parked.
• Ensure you lock both wheels and the frame to a cycle stand or another immoveable object.
• Always park your bike where it can be clearly seen. Use designated parking areas or secure cycle storage.
• Make it impossible to a thief to smash the lock open. Fill the ‘D’ part of your lock with as much of the bike as possible. Never leave the lock lying on the ground where it could easily be smashed.
• Ensure that you remove any items that can be taken without using tools, for example, wheels, lights, pump, panniers, seat post and saddle.

Protecting your bike

• Get your bike insured. Ask your insurer to extend your home contents insurance to cover your bicycle. Ensure it covers you for thefts outside the home. If your bicycle is particularly valuable, you may need to insure it separately.
• Register your bike with Immobilise. Immobilise is a national property database that enables police to reunite stolen items with their rightful owners. Register your bike for free at the Immobilise website
• Mark your bike. There are a number of bike marking products are available. Always ensure you use a marking scheme that is approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), and preferably use a visible marking product. Bike Register kits and Selectamark are examples.
• Bike Passport. If your bike was stolen, could you describe it? Many people forget details about their bikes that could help Police reunite them with theirs if it is stolen and later recovered. Consider creating a bike passport containing details of your bike. See the example in our guide mentioned below.

For further and more detailed advice please refer to our securing your bike guide.

To speak to our Crime Prevention Unit about protecting your property and reducing your chances of becoming a victim of crime, email crime.prevention@nottinghamshire.pnn.police.uk