Around the same time the Guelph Police launched a partnership with a registry app to recover stolen bicycles, officers in the department made an arrest and recovered 41 high-end bicycles, as well as a quantity of drugs and firearms.
“We have a huge problem with thefts of bicycles in the city of Guelph, as well as the province and across the country,” said Const. Josh Fraser of the Guelph Police.
The Garage 529 bicycle database is a new tool at the disposal of local police to allow victims of bike theft to recover their stolen property.
“Once their bikes are lost or stolen, the chances of getting them back is not great, but by using this system, they can register (the bicycles) and it’s a great tool for police to have to assist in returning bicycles,” said Fraser.
Currently, the Guelph Police are not able to search the database, that ability will be added in a later phase of the program. For now, Guelph Police are encouraging people to register on a localized Guelph page on Garage 529’s web site.
“It creates this massive database that eventually the Guelph Police will be able to access to help people recover their lost or stolen bicycles,” said Fraser.
One benefit of the database is that it can be accessed by police departments across North America.
In February, GuelphToday spoke to J Allard, CEO of Garage 529. He said 700,000 bicycles are currently registered in the database.
Cyclists can also purchase a Garage 529 sticker for their bike, which Allard likened to having an alarm service sticker on the front door your house.
In the February interview, Allard said bike theft is often linked to organized crime and noted a bicycle stolen in Guelph is probably being sold in another city.
During the interview on Friday, Fraser also said bikes are sometimes recovered by police departments in a city different than the one it was reported stolen in.
“Now we can go on, search it and determine who the bike belongs to and make arrangements to get it back,” said Fraser.
In addition to allowing more bikes to be put back in the hands of their rightful owners, Fraser said the database will also save a lot police time in the process.
Currently, Guelph Police has been letting the public know about the program through social media. Fraser said the department will be working with local bike shops in the near future and making brochures to ensure the public is aware of it.
Fraser expects the program to be successful.
“The likelihood of your bike being returned is much higher now,” he said.