A total of 23 bikes have been recovered and returned to their owners in Tower Hamlets in east London, thanks to some detective work from two Met PCSOs and an keen-eyed ASB officer at a local estate.
The first set of bikes was discovered by PCSO Lynn Peck and her colleague PCSO Karen Bell from the Metropolitan Police’s Roads and Transport Policing Command. Both officers regularly check unclaimed bikes placed in the police store at Bethnal Green station for BikeRegister markings and they recently recovered four cycles and reunited them with their owners. They have recovered another four bikes over the past year in the same way.
The second set of recoveries involved 15 stolen bikes from Urban Adventure Base, an outdoor education facility in east London. The bikes had been stolen early one morning and placed in a secure lock-up on the nearby Colebrook House estate. ASB Officer Andrew Phillips noticed on a routine inspection that glass on a CCTV camera had been broken and an unusual-looking padlock had been placed on a lock-up.
Andrew contacted local police who unlocked the unit and found the 15 stolen bikes with BikeRegister stickers on them that were thus traceable back to Urban Adventure.
Daniel Murray, Outdoor Education Manager at Urban Adventure, said: “It was great to have such a speedy recovery. It’s a great example of the community working together in a positive way.”
The suspected bike thieves were later identified via CCTV footage and police were able to raid a property on the estate uncovering more stolen goods and drugs. This resulted in an arrest.
Pictured: PCSO Lynn Peck and Karen Bell being presented with a recognition programme certificate from BikeRegister for their work by Sgt Sue Smith.
