Has your bike been stolen? There’s an app for that
Posted October 26, 2015 3:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A new initiative aimed at reducing bike theft is being launched in Vancouver. It will also help reconnect owners with their stolen bikes.
The 529 Garage Vancouver Bike Registry is a smartphone app that helps connect a network of cyclists while also assisting local law enforcement with real-time alerts according to founder J Allard.
“It is integrated with a camera and it is integrated with a GPS. We want to know where you are. It is simple to take a photo. You can take a photo of your serial number and punch it in. We have integrated help that will help people find where their serial numbers are.”
VPD Deputy Chief Constable Warren Lemcke explains the registration reporting and recovery system will allow officers to quickly recognize a potentially stolen bicycle. “It will also allow our staff to efficiently track down the owner of a stolen bike and get it back into the hands of its rightful owner.”
“We believe that bike owners who properly lock their bikes, record their bikes information and register their bikes have the best chance of preventing their bikes from being stolen and if taken the best chance of getting their bikes back. Log it, lock it or lose it,” he adds.
The VPD, along with the Vancouver Police Foundation have committed to registering 10,000 Vancouver bikes for free in the first three years of the program with the hopes of more funding in the future to eventually register all local bikes.
