Penticton RCMP are taking action against bike theft in the city as Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth 'wrestles' with the issue in this submitted photo.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP

PENTICTON - Penticton RCMP are providing assistance to city residents trying to protect their bikes from theft.

Police spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says Penticton RCMP Community Policing and their volunteers will be holding a bicycle registration beside the Community Policing Office near the Peach at 185 Lakeshore Drive West on April 8.

Penticton RCMP are also launching Project 529 on the weekend of April 8 and 9. The initiative provides a method for owners to:

• register a bike
• transfer registration of a bike when sold
• report a bike stolen to the 529 network
• maintain registration information in the event of theft or damage
• search a database to ensure a bike being purchased hasn’t been reported missing
• view a “hot sheet” of bikes missing in the area
• print registration cards and missing posters
• connect to fellow cyclists

Local bike shops will be joining police and volunteers Saturday, April 8 from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Residents may bring their bikes to learn more about the program and have their bikes registered. For more information check out the Project 529 website.

Wrigglesworth says Penticton police have received reports of 24 bikes stolen already in 2017, 10 more than during the same period last year, which saw a near doubling of bicycles reported stolen, from 124 in 2015 to 220 in 2016.

Bike theft is frustrating for victims and for police, he says, especially when serial numbers aren’t recorded, making positive identification difficult.

Wrigglesworth reminds cyclists to take a photo of their bike and ensure they have a copy of the serial number, located on the bottom bracket shell by the pedals.

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