Officers in St Albans are keen to trace the owner of a stolen bike that has been recovered.

The black mountain bike was recovered on Thursday, September 7, from an address in the city.

"We are releasing an image of the bicycle in the hope that we can get it back to its owner. If you believe this may be your bike, please get in touch with me via email at lee.hammond@herts.police.uk," said Sergeant Lee Hammond, investigating.

Herts police have issued the following advice to prevent your bike from being stolen:

  • 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.
  • Lock the lot - lock the frame and both wheels to a secure cycle stand.
  • Take removable parts with you - take parts that are easy to remove 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.
  • Park securely - lock your bike at recognised secure cycle parking. It should be well lit and covered by CCTV.
  • Register it - register your frame number for free on a cycle database such as www.bikeregister.com. Alternative companies can be found on www.securedbydesign.com. 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.
  • Mark it - 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. Bikeregister provide a list of police bike marking events.
  • Remember safety begins at home - 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. 
  • Check ownership - ask for proof of ownership and check the bike frame number on a cycle database (such as www.bikeregister.com/bike-checker). Alternative companies can be found on www.securedbydesign.com. 
  • Act fast - if your bike has been stolen, contact us as soon as possible by calling 101 or reporting to herts.police.uk/report. Give us 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 we know, the sooner we can act, which might stop it being sold on.