Regina police using new app to help track, return stolen bikes

Bicycle thefts are on the rise in Regina and police are using a new app to help return recovered bikes to their owners.

In 2018, 1,081 bicycles were reported stolen. Of those, 435 were found but only 126 were returned to the owner.

The number of bicycle thefts in 2019 is expected to exceed last year’s total, with 922 reported stolen from January to August. Of that, 298 have been found and only 98 have been returned to their owner.

Regina police are encouraging residents to protect their property by registering their bicycle’s serial number on the free app called 529 Garage.

Previously, police would get the description of the stolen bike from the owner, but a lack of a serial number made it tough to track it down when they filed a report.

Const. Melissa Boxall speaks to reporters at the Regina Police Service compound on Sept. 18, 2019. (Andrew Shepherd/980 CJME)

“You’re saying, ‘My blue Trek, this model, was stolen,’ but without that serial number, we might have 10 or 15 blue Treks in our compound. Without that serial number, we can’t get it back to you,” Const. Melissa Boxall said Wednesday.

Now, police or a member of the public who finds a stolen bike can scan the serial number and get in contact with its owner.

When a bicycle is stolen, the owner can also send out a missing bike alert, which will notify nearby app users in real time, so they can keep an eye out for the bike.

“It is enabling the cycling community, the general public, to be on the watch for bikes that are stolen,” said Boxall.

Boxall said the Regina Police Service has its own internal database but there isn’t cross-jurisdictional information-sharing between law enforcement.

“What happens if your bike is stolen in Regina and makes its way up to Saskatoon? Even if you had the serial number, they run the serial number up there, they don’t have access to our database. This solves that problem,” said Boxall.

If your bike is stolen in Regina but is found in another city, the person who finds it can check the app and track the bike back to you.

Boxall hopes this app also will help prevent bike thefts in Regina like it has in several B.C. communities including Vancouver, Whistler and Richmond.

“This has been proven in other jurisdictions to be very successful,” said Boxall.

While police do find some bicycles with the serial number filed down, Boxall said it’s not as prevalent as the public would think. She said that’s because most bike thefts are a crime of opportunity and not often a scheme to sell them off.

“Somebody sees a bike that’s not secured properly or not secured at all and they’re taking that bike so they can get to the next place they’re going. They might be using that bike to commit another crime,” said Boxall.

Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray said while the app is free to use, the initial start-up cost to the service is well under $5,000. It has also agreed to supply stickers to bike owners which identify that their bikes are protected by 529 Garage.