A free, voluntary bike registry that will help police recover and return stolen bicycles will be considered by Red Deer city council this spring.
Last fall, Coun. Buck Buchanan asked city administrators to look into starting a registry to reduce the number of bike thefts in the community.
Anywhere from 100 to 300-plus bikes are stolen in Red Deer annually — a number that’s hard to pin down as many people do not report bike thefts to police or bylaws officers, noted Buchanan. He believes most people don’t have their bike serial numbers or model information written down.
Although many bikes are locked up, their chains are still cut by thieves, Buchanan added — so having a registry could at least help reunite owners with their stolen property.
In a report to city council this week, Paul Goranson, the city’s director of protective services, said administrators examined several bike registry models and are recommending the implementation of the 529 Garage system for Red Deer.
This free and voluntary registry would connect bike enthusiasts, allow co-ordination with crime prevention groups and police, and involve the co-operation of bike shops that could sell customers on the benefits of the free registration system.
Registrants can download an app to find out about various registration events, and police can use it to check recovered bikes against information on a database. This would not only help law enforcement officers return recovered intact bikes, but to track down bicycles that are broken down and reassembled from various stolen parts.
The report to council indicates 529 Garage would cost the city $2,000 a year to run and feature a mobile North American-wide database.
Through a wide-reaching community engagement process, public awareness would be raised about the prevalence of bike thefts in the community, with the goal of reducing crime, stated Goranson in the report.
Buchanan was absent from Monday’s council meeting, so the majority on council opted to postpone the discussion until this spring. The bike registration proposal will return before the end of June.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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