Content Archived on the Web

This content has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please check our menus for latest news items.

Last modified: 19 Oct 2022 5:45pm

bike

Selwyn residents wanting to deter potential bike thieves or help find their bike if it is stolen are being encouraged to register their bike with the free 529 Garage service.

Canterbury Police have teamed up with the community-powered bike recovery initiative in a bid to curb bike thefts and reunite owners with their stolen property. It follows a costly year for owners in 2021, with more than $2 million worth of bikes pinched and an average of four bikes a day reported stolen to Canterbury Police.

The 529 Garage service works by recording a bike’s details, including serial numbers, photos and identifying features.

This makes it easy for Police to identify stolen bikes and return them to their rightful owners.

Once registered, owners can obtain a unique code on a tamper resistant shield to stick on their bike, which acts as a warning to would-be thieves that the bike is registered. Potential buyers can also search the database to check if a secondhand bike they’re looking at has been flagged as stolen.

If stolen, bike owners can update the 529 Garage app, and a notification is sent to the local 529 Garage community, advising them to keep an eye out for the bike.

The initiative is a collaboration between Canterbury Police, Project 529, and Christchurch City Council, with Auckland and Wellington also participating.

The 529 Garage app can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play. Once registered, tamper-resistant shields can be obtained from Christchurch City Council or from several Christchurch bike stores.

Visit the Christchurch City Council website ccc.govt.nz for more information.