Norbiton Police has warned bicycle owners to take care to protect their property after a bike was stolen from an unsecured shed in Cobham Road, Kingston.

A crime alert was issued following a residential shed burglary at 7pm on June 26, in which an unknown suspect stole a bike. The victim had reportedly left their shed unlocked.

Norbiton Police shared advice from the Metropolitan Police on how to protect bikes from theft.

Tips include:

1. Double lock it. Using two locks slows thieves down and makes your bike less of a target. Use two quality locks, at least one of which is a D-lock. Thieves are less likely to carry multiple tools, so use two different types of lock if possible.
2. Lock the frame and both wheels to a secure cycle stand.
3. Secure your bike as close to the stand as possible to give any thieves little or no room to manoeuvre.
4. Take removable parts with you, such as wheels, lights, baskets or the saddle. Or use locking skewers or nuts which can increase security by securing the bike's components to the frame permanently.
5. Park securely at recognised cycle parking. It should be well lit and covered by CCTV.
6. Register your frame number on a national bike registration database approved by Secured by Design. The frame number is usually found underneath the bike between the pedals or where the back wheel slots in. If your bike is ever stolen and recovered by the police, it can be traced back to you.
7. Get your bike security marked. It's a highly effective, visible deterrent to bike thieves. They know that if they are caught with a registered bike, the owner can be traced, and they will be arrested. Security marking products can be found at Secured by Design.
8. Take the same care to lock your bike securely at home as you would on the street. Avoid advertising that you have a bike at home, for example, by removing car roof racks, and creating 'privacy zones' on apps like Strava to avoid disclosing your location.
9. Ask for proof of ownership and check the bike frame number on national bike registration databases approved by Secured by Design.
10. If your bike has been stolen, contact police as soon as possible by calling 101 or reporting online. Provide your frame number, cycle database number, a photo and any other details and make sure you update the status on the cycle database where you registered it. The sooner it is reported, the sooner police can act to help prevent it being sold on.

For more information, visit the Metropolitan Police website.

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