By Josh Hall

program making a difference

Bike thefts down 36% this year

Nov 19, 2020 | 4:47 PM

Bike thefts in Red Deer are down, according to the Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre.

The centre, in conjunction with The City of Red Deer and Red Deer RCMP, launched the 529 Garage Bike Registry in June 2019.

Comparing January to August (2020 to 2019), reported bike thefts decreased 36 per cent.

The Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre says the 529 Garage registry deserves credit, with bike owners signing up and then affixing a special decal on their bicycle.

“The value of these coded, tamper-resistant decals shouldn’t be understated. When a would-be thief sees the shield, they know it is registered and therefore not an easy target,” says Janise Somer, Program and Communications Coordinator at the Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre.

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The program has helped return eight bikes back to their rightful owners.

However, that number only represents a portion of actual bikes retrieved because it doesn’t take into account the many times people forget to log that info into the app, or that stolen bikes weren’t registered.

As of this month, more than 1,100 bikes are registered with more than 88 per cent bearing a decal.

“We hope to see enrolment continue to climb, as we believe that as more bikes are registered, this will be a greater deterrent to bike theft,” Somer adds.

Registration is quick and free, with decals available at the CACPC office for $5.

If your bike is stolen, you can send out an alert to the 529 Garage community to be on the lookout.

More information is at www.project529.com/reddeer or contact the Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre at 403-986-9904.