http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Slamming+brakes+stolen+bikes/8781652/stor y.html

Slamming the brakes on stolen bikes

Some cities, and even the University of Saskatchewan's Campus Safety, have experimented with bait bikes, equipped with GPS to track down thieves. (AP file Photo)

As bike thefts in Saskatoon skyrocket this summer, some cities across the world are taking a more creative approach to deter cycle thieves.

According to Saskatoon police, reports of stolen bicycles jumped 80 per cent this year between June 1 and July 31, compared to the same time frame last year - to 149 from 83.

Reported bike thefts during the same two-month period on the University of Saskatchewan campus also doubled - to 10 from five.

City police are repeating the usual message, warning bicyclists to always lock up their bikes and make note of their ride's serial number. Fenced areas devoted solely to private bicycle parking can be found scattered throughout the city.

Bike lockers can also be rented on the University of Saskatchewan grounds, and Campus Safety has experimented with bait bikes - rides equipped with GPS to track thefts - in the past.

Cities around the world have used these same methods to deter bike thieves, but some aren't satisfied with the same old tricks.

Researchers at Newcastle University in the U.K. recently targeted thief psychology with a simple poster, staring down potential stealers.

The posters, each featuring a pair of watchful eyes and equipped with the warning, 'Cycle Thieves: We are watching you,' were placed around campus, and led to a 62 per cent reduction in bike thefts over two years in areas where posters could be found.

"It's amazing that just a picture would have a bigger effect than a camera recording people," Melissa Bateson, an ethology professor at Newcastle University and one of the study's authors, told the Toronto Star in April.

Police in Cambridge, Mass. instituted a similar strategy in one of the city's most frequently cycled areas.

Two cardboard cut-outs of a Massachusetts transit police officer were placed in the bicycle cages at the Alewife Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway and bus station, where hundreds of people use the racks daily and bikes are frequently stolen.

Police only saw one reported bike theft between July 5, when the cut-outs were placed in the cages, and Aug. 4, according to Deputy Chief Robert Lenehan. Last year, six bikes were stolen from the area over the same time period.

"All you see is this imposing figure of a police officer," Lenehan told the StarPhoenix.

He said the number of reported bike thefts also decreased by 56 per cent in the Alewife station over a oneyear period from July 2012 to July 2013 with the introduction of more patrol officers. He said there is no single best method to reduce bike thefts.

"You can never arrest yourself out of a crime problem," Lenehan said. "There is no one magical way out of it. If the cut-out is deterring two or three bike thefts a month, or even two or three bike thefts each quarter, it's still part of the overall approach to try to drive down the crime."

MBTA transit police were even able to stop a Craigslist bike thief a few years ago by following him online.

The thief was snapping photos of bicycles locked up on the street and posting the photos to Craigslist, a popular classifieds website. When users on the site wanted to buy a bike, the man stole it.

"You have to be aware.

Every time you think you've locked the doors, you find out there is a window open somewhere," Lenehan said.

Thanks

Dave

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