Bicycle security labels in Singapore - get your free label at a nearby NPP

Bicycle theft is a common occurrence in Singapore and vigilance is critical. This is yet another challenge faced by cyclists which needs to be addressed in order to promote cycling in Singapore - safe place to safely park your bicycle, particularly at work and at MRT stations.

Well, for bikes which are stolen but not dismantled, bicycle security labels, like these 3M Security Labels, may be helpful in a case of theft - police will have and can circulate details easily and the physical presence of a label may act as a deterrent to thieves.

In March 2011, the first bicycle security labels system was launched at Tampines Town Council by the National Crime Prevention Council (Singapore) and the Singapore Police Force (see the Today Online news report on this blog and NCPC's photos from the launch).

The NCPC 2011 annual report explains:

"Bearing the NCPC’s and the Singapore Police Force’s logos, each label contains a unique set of numbers for the easy identification of bicycles. The tamper proof labels are specially produced with security features so that they cannot be easily replicated.

It will also be useful as an identity reference for bicycle owners when lodging a report or filing for an independent registry such as the Tampines Town Council BIDS system. The Bicycle Security Labels are given out free of charge at all Neighbourhood Police Centres."

Most of us forgot about it because at the time, the labels and the BIDS (Online Bicycle Identification System) system were available only to residents at Tampines Town Council. The report did indicate that the scheme would be rolled out "to other constituencies in phases from May."

Well, many of us forgot all about this, so recently there has been a push to remind us.
This morning, NCPC's facebook page posted "Get your free Bicycle Security Label from your nearest NPC! This label comes with a unique serial number that helps you and the Police to identify your stolen bicycle."

I searched and found this Straits Times article from just a few days ago - "Security labels let you track your bicycle," by Jalelah Abu Baker. The Straits Times, 13 Dec 2011.They can help to deter theft and are available at any police centre

"Cyclist Edwin Low pedalled to a neighbourhood police post in Whampoa on Monday within hours of reading about an anti-theft measure.

He had read a post put up on the police's official Facebook page encouraging bicycle owners to stick a security label on their machines.

It took no more than five minutes, and he left knowing that his $13,000 bicycle would no longer be an easy target for thieves.

The rectangular label, which allows a bicycle to be tracked if stolen, was released in collaboration with the National Crime Prevention Council. It was made available to the public in June but it was only through the Facebook post that many cyclists and groups have now come to learn about it.

The number of bicycle thefts increased by 40 per cent to 454 in the first half this year, from 318 in the same period last year.

The police said owners can go to any neighbourhood police centre with their bicycle to collect the security label. The particulars of the owner and the label's serial number will be recorded.

A spokesman added: 'The label serves as a visual deterrent to thieves and comes with a unique serial number that helps owners and the police to identify their bicycle if it is stolen.'

The white adhesive label - described in the post as weather-resistant - has security features embedded which will allow the machine to be traced even if the label is tampered with.

Mr Low, 22, manager of bicycle shop Elite Custom, said the move would benefit cyclists who commute or pedal for recreation and do not have the luxury of safeguarding their bicycles in their homes.

But keeping it at home is not always foolproof security-wise as another avid cyclist, Mr Shawn Chung, found out on Monday morning.

His modified bicycle, which cost about $1,000, had gone missing from his terrace house in Katong.

He usually keeps it locked in a garage but had left it in the porch as he was tired after returning from an eight-hour cycling trip in Bintan.

However, he feels a security label is not of much use since even if the bicycle is tracked down, it would probably not be intact.

Said Mr Chung, 41, who is between jobs: 'My bike is probably already in pieces and the different parts will be sold separately. This is what generally happens.'

Still, Mr Steven Lim, president of the Safe Cycling Task Force, welcomed the label as a good step towards minimising the number of thefts as the culprits would not get away as easily.

But he noted that nothing beats vigilance on the part of the bicycle owner.

The police advise owners to keep their bicycles at home when they are not using them. They should be locked when left unattended, even if only for a short while.

Cyclists can go for a durable U-lock, which provides better security than cable locks, or a lock with an alarm feature.

Said the chairman of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), Mr Tan Kian Hoon: 'Bicycle-shop operators can also help by urging their customers to use the labels.

'With the entire community coming together, NCPC is confident that the problem of bicycle thefts in Singapore can be tackled effectively.'

jalmsab@sph.com.sg"

So, have you got your label yet? I'll go down to my neighbourhood police post (NPP) to get mine later.

"Battling bicycle thieves" - Tampines GRC launches high security labels for bicycles

"Battling bicycle thieves," by Ong Dai Lin. Today Online, 21 Mar 2011.

SINGAPORE - Bicycle thefts - the No 1 scourge of cyclists here - could soon become a thing of the past.

Tampines GRC yesterday became the first constituency to launch high security labels for bicycles - and the programme will be rolled out by the police and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) to other constituencies in phases from May.

NCPC chairman Tan Kian Hoon said: "The NCPC is always looking at different ways to stop preventable crimes. As the bicycle population increases in Singapore, it is timely that we have a more proactive approach to tackling bike theft. By giving bicycles a unique identity, it would make it harder for thieves to use their stolen bikes openly."

In 2009, 1,074 cases of bike theft were reported to the police, a spike of 399 cases from 2008, prompting the police to list this as an area of concern in their 2009 crime situation report. Last year, the number of bicycle theft cases fell sharply to 719 cases. Out of these cases, some 240 bicycle thieves were caught.

In March last year, Tampines officially became Singapore's first cycling town when amended by-laws took effect to allow Tampines Town Council to take enforcement action against reckless cyclists on footways.

Yesterday, it became the first to launch the bicycle security label programme, as part of its efforts to be a "model cycling town".

Under the initiative, residents who own bicycles can obtain tamper-proof labels which contain security features. They are also encouraged to register the labels in the online Bicycle Identification System administered by Tampines Town Council.

Said Tampines GRC Member of Parliament Irene Ng: 'With more residents owning bicycles and using it as a mode of transport, we thought it will benefit our residents to work with the police to launch the bicycle security labels in Tampines."

Holland Drive resident Edwin Ang, 36, could hardly wait for the project to be extended islandwide. His S$3,000 mountain bike was stolen from outside his flat despite having a lock on it.

Said the avid cyclist: "The tamper-proof labels and getting cyclists to register their security labels is a good idea - it will be easier for the police to track stolen bikes. Thieves might think twice about stealing a bike if they know they can be traced."

"Bicycle thieves get bolder" (Straits Times, 13 Oct 2010)

"Bicycle thieves get bolder, " by Amanda Tan. The Straits Times, 13 Oct 2010. They are climbing over gates to steal pricey bikes from homes.

"SOFTWARE engineer Josephine Koh woke up one morning to find three of her four bicycles missing from the porch of her semi-detached house in Telok Kurau.

They were worth more than $1,000 in total. There was no trace of the thief nor any sign of a break-in.

'They must have sneaked in from my neighbour's house. Their gate is usually not locked and the thieves could have climbed over the dividing wall and into our place,' said Madam Koh of the theft, which occurred last year.

Even as more people in Singapore get into the cycling and triathlon habit with bigger and better bicycles, bicycle thieves are getting bolder.

They are now zooming in on bicycles that can cost thousands of dollars. They no longer target bicycles left in the open but boldly enter private compounds to filch them.

Residents in the eastern part of Singapore seem to be particularly vulnerable. A spate of about 10 such cases in private estates there in the past two months has prompted the police to send out advisory letters to residents.

In the letters, sent out in the past two weeks, police say that the thieves have been gaining entry into homes by climbing over the gates and removing bicycles left unsecured on the porch.

In one case, two slim Chinese men, each about 1.62m tall, were spotted within the compound of a house, said the advisory. 'We believe the culprits are targeting expensive bicycles,' it added.

The police told The Straits Times yesterday that a 30-year-old man was caught last month after stealing a $7,000 bicycle from a house in Simei. He has since been charged.

Cycling has become more popular here, with dedicated cycling tracks in neighbourhoods such as Tampines. More people are also buying expensive bicycles - a high-end Cannondale model can cost $20,000 - for events such as triathlons.

Bicycle thefts have also increased sharply. Last year, 1,074 were stolen, up from 675 in 2008.

While the police assured residents in the east that they had stepped up patrols, they also advised home owners to keep their bicycles inside their houses and away from the view of passers-by. They could also lock their bicycles to fixed permanent structures and use strong locks.

Bicycle owners are also urged to make permanent identification marks on their bicycles and keep records like receipts and photographs.

A check at two private residential estates in Bedok yesterday showed that many home owners leave their shiny, expensive-looking bicycles on their front porches, with many left unsecured. A number of front gates were left wide open with no one in sight.

Some residents said they were taking more precautions with their bicycles after receiving the advisory.

Primary school teacher Chris De Souza, 62, said he used to leave his gate latched but unlocked. He has since started padlocking his gate.

He owns four bicycles that cost about $1,000 each, which he leaves in his backyard covered with a tarpaulin sheet.

Still, residents are not overly worried.

A 54-year-old housewife, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Baey, said: 'We'll just make sure we lock the gate but we will still leave the bicycles out here. It's quite safe here.'

Bicycle theft can be lucrative as such thefts are usually hard to trace, bicycle shop owners said. High-end bicycles sold second-hand can easily fetch $1,000 each, especially if they are in good condition and relatively new.

Bigger stores are usually wary of taking in second-hand bicycles as they cannot tell if they are stolen. But there are some tell-tale signs that suggest a bicycle was obtained dishonestly.

'Such people usually come in on the pretext that they are selling for someone else and will not have much knowledge about the bike or its value,' said Mr Walton Seah, owner of Attitude Bikes, which sells custom-made bicycles.

'I have encountered such people but I always say no. We just don't know where it came from.'"

tamanda@sph.com.sg

How to protect your bikeSome bicycle shop operators offer tips on how owners can protect their two-wheelers:

Choose the right place to park
Areas with high human traffic are more secure than quiet stairwells or under bridges, said Mr Gilbert Loo, 38, of bike shop Hup Leong Company. 'Thieves won't be so daring if there are people walking about, but if the bicycle is hidden away by the owner, it actually makes it easier for thieves to steal,' he added.

Use a secure bicycle lock
Bicycle locks can cost from a few dollars to nearly $100. Mr Francis Tay, 47, the owner of L&T Cycle, said he always recommends the Kryptonite brand of U-locks to customers because they are made from high-quality steel. 'It costs $60, but it's very hard and will hold up well against steel cutters,' he added.

Secure the bicycle frame and tyres
Bicycle wheels are easy to dismantle, so locking just one wheel and the frame may not be enough to deter a thief. The rear wheel of a bicycle should be locked to its frame with a chain or U-lock, and another chain should be used to secure the front wheel as well.

See also this previous post, "Is Kembangan bike theft central?" from Mar 2008.

Beware of bike theft?

The figures for "theft and related crimes" in 2009, in comparison to the same period for 2008, reflect a ?mere 2.5% increase [see SPF figures]. However, Today's reporter has chosen to highlight bicycles in his article.

BIcycle theft has long been known to Singapore cyclists with Kembangan receiving special mention in this blog and a a reference to a 2005 initiative to combat bicycle theft. So it's been going on for along time and as a result, cyclists like me never take my eyes off my bicycle, nor will I lock keep it outside my house in a car park.

This report, in deciding to highlight the issue once again, should help to keep us on guard!

"Lock up your bikes - theft is on the rise," by Leong Wee Keat. Today Online, 07 Aug 2009.

ONE cyclist removed his mountain-bike's saddle and seat-post. Another cyclist covered his bicycle with a piece of cloth. Both locked their prize rides outside their homes. And both had them stolen in the first six months of this year.

The number of thefts rose slightly in the first half, a fact the police attribute to the economic downturn. There were 10,280 cases, or 246 more than in the same period last year. The increase in petty thefts notably involved items such as bikes, handphones, accessories and toiletries being stolen for personal use or to be sold off for cash. Bicycles, for instance, were often nicked from common areas such as void decks, corridors and at MRT stations.

In fact, on online forums, it is common to see users posting photos of their missing rides and appealing for information. Some have claimed their stolen bicycles, or at least their parts, surfaced at second-hand bazaars.

How to deter bicycle thieves? The police advise, for instance, locking the bike to a fixed permanent structure such as an anchored rack, and not resting the locking device on the ground thieves could use a hammer to smash it.

One crime-fighting initiative, rolled out by the Bukit Timah Neighbourhood Police Centre, imprints a registration number on the bicycle's body using a tamper-proof tape. This has helped officers to determine ownership, deter theft and return the stolen property to its rightful owner.

But such petty thefts aside - and contrary to fears that the overall crime rate would rise along with desperation levels during a recession - the overall crime rate in the first six months actually fell by 1.3 per cent. Though the number of housebreaking incidences rose, the figure is still the second lowest recorded in 15 years for first-half statistics.

...

Is Kembangan bicycle theft central?

All this while I had assumed Pasir Ris was bicycle theft central. A recent letter and some comments suggest it might just be Kembangan!

A letter to Today by a Kelvin Kuan sparked a couple of other lettters by Today readers, one of whom said that even bicycles in houses aren't safe! And the comments to the blog post that reproduced the letter fill in other blanks around the story. So the 2005 initiative to combat bicycle thefts has not worked. Or at least not enough.

Even bicycles costing less than $100 are game.

One possibility is that cheap bikes may be stolen for their value in the heavy steel used to make the bike. After all, drain covers started disappearing in 2005, so bicycles are fair game too. My old bike, the very heavy "Champion Du Monde," was finally claimed by rocketing steel prices. It had languished in a corner of campus, as I looked a for a new owner interested in a free but heavy bicycle. Then steel prices went up, and it disappeared satisfyingly. The lock and chain were simply a bonus!

So the "flimsy locks" that used to sufficiently secure a bicycle outside an MRT are now definitely inadequate. There might be more determined hands at work these days. The trouble is, a good lock may cost more than a very cheap bike!

So we wait eagerly for a response from LTA or the SMRT regarding surveillance at bike parks next to MRT stations. Meanwhile we wonder - in in this day and age of heightened security, shouldn't the environs of an MRT station should be monitored. Weren't they a target once?

The Minister of Home Affairs responded to this question in parliament, no less, in 2005. This will work to our advantage. Helping to catch a petty thief every now and then will keep security services on their toes and help highlight problems in surveillance procedure and equipment. You know you have heard it all before: sorry, the machines were not working, they were not turned on, the media was erased, the light was too dim, etc. Installing equipment is only the first step and no substitute for an integrated programme.

So SMRT and the police should welcome the cases - better we practise with bicycle thieves now and be able react efficiently in the face of a more significant threat.

Else, you know, we might get complacent.

Bicycle parking bay needs camera surveillance

I think the bicycle parking bay needs camera surveillance!

Today, 17 Mar 2008
WHERE HAVE ALL MY BIKES GONE?
-----------------------------
Reader has lost 3 bicycles after parking them at Kembangan MRT station
Letter from Kelvin Kuan

"I live in the area around Telok Kurau and on most mornings, I ride my bicycle to the Kembangan MRT station to catch a train.

The first time I did that was about six months ago when I parked my $200 bike in the bicycle parking bay. When I came back later that day, it was missing. I made a police report but knew it was as good as gone - I told myself it was my fault for leaving an expensive bike there.

Then, I was given two bicycles by a friend - they were not in good condition but were still serviceable. I decided to use them to get to the station.

On one occasion, I had to park the two bikes together as I had forgotten to ride one home the previous night. I used two locks and chains, but when I got back the next day, both bikes were gone.

My most recent bicycle was in a sorry state. It was old, and its frame was rusting. Due to the recent weather conditions, I had to leave it at the station for three consecutive days as I was unable to ride home in the heavy rain. Guess what? The bicycle, together with its chain and lock, was stolen!

I am really frustrated because I cannot do anything about these thefts. The station manager at Kembangan said that the bicycle stand is not under their purview, and I know the police will definitely not go looking for an old bicycle. Some friends have said that their bikes have gone missing too, after they parked them at the station. Can the relevant authorities please comment on this ?"

Update
Today, 20 Mar 2008
EVEN HOUSES AREN'T SAFE
-----------------------
Letter from Kwa Hwee Keng
Thief climbed over wooden fence to steal bicycle from porch

I sympathise with Kelvin Kuan "Where have all my bikes gone?" (March 17). I live near Kembangan MRT station, in the Siglap area.

Recently, my son's bicycle was also stolen. The thief climbed over the wooden fence of my house in the wee hours and stole the bicycle, which had been left on the porch. This, despite the fact that my porch is not visible from the road.

As Kelvin Kuan's bicycles were stolen despite their sorry state, I wonder if the demand for scrap metal has prompted these thefts.

WOULD YOU STILL PARK YOUR BIKE IN PUBLIC?
-----------------------------------------
Letter from Hoo Choon Lye

I refer to "Where have all my bikes gone?" (March 17) and fully empathise with Kelvin Kuan's plight.

My son lost two bicycles in less than a month. They were stolen from the bicycle park at Admiralty MRT station and a void deck at Woodlands Crescent. When I made a police report, the investigating officer told me that such cases are widespread. Having read about the thefts at Kembangan, it seems to me that such thefts are now rampant.

The public must be confident that it is safe for them to park their bicycles at designated bicycle parks. Thefts that occur erodes this confidence.

See also the comments below.