Canberrans are being reminded to ‘lock it or lose it’ as part of a community awareness campaign to reduce bicycle thefts in the ACT.
Launched by the Minister for Justice, Consumer Affairs and Road Safety, Shane Rattenbury and Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman ‘lock it, or lose it’ is the latest instalment of the Territory’s Outsmart the Offender property crime reduction campaign.
“We have a simple message for cyclists: lock your bike or risk losing it,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Use a heavy duty lock – or even two types of lock if possible – and secure your bike frame and wheel to a fixed object like a bike rack,” he said.
“A stolen bike can be devastating and often people don’t get them back.”
Mr Rattenbury said simply locking a bike was the first and easiest step to avoid losing it to a thief.
Mr Gentleman said bike theft was an opportunistic crime and offenders were on the lookout for easy targets like unsecured bikes.
“In 2019-20, 712 bicycles were reported stolen to ACT Policing and our police officers do a great job following up on these unfortunate reports,” he said.
“Be smart about where you choose to park your bike and don’t leave your bike unsecured, especially in hotspots like front yards, balconies and car bike racks,” Mr Gentleman said.
