Crankworx, Whistler's annual celebration of all things biking, is rolling right along, which means a bonafide bounty of expensive rides in the resort.
With that in mind—and in light of a recent increase in bike thefts in town—the Whistler RCMP is offering tips for the public to keep their bikes safe.
In a release on Aug. 12, the RCMP said it is seeing a recent increase in bike thefts, "including situations where multiple bikes are being stolen at the same time from storage units or secure garage areas."
Local police are encouraging all bike owners to prevent theft with these handy tips:
- Always lock your bike. Use a heavy-duty lock even when your bike is stored in a garage or secure building. Only consider using locks with a security level of 10-15, and using more than one lock with varying levels of security, such as u-locks and chain locks. This makes it more time consuming for thieves to remove.
- You’re a proud bike owner, so photos of your sweet ride are a must! Even better, take the extra step of recording the serial number for your bike so that if you are a victim of theft, you can provide your bicycle photographs and the serial number when reporting a theft to police.
- Register your bike with 529 Garage or another similar online bike registry. This will increase the chances of recovery if it is stolen (this also makes the obligatory photo of your pride and joy a must!).
- Don’t leave your bicycle unattended and unlocked on your vehicle bike rack. As an added measure of security, secure your bike with a sturdy lock or locks (see above) because, let’s face it, the better your bike, the faster thieves will want to take off with it!
- Utilize home security measures. Coordinate with strata corporations and property managers in residential dwelling buildings to ensure the appropriate security measures are in place to protect property. If possible, utilize motion-activated lights, video surveillance or security systems/devices on residences, garages or secure building storage areas to ensure that thieves don’t have more than one bike option to choose from!
- Know who is in and around secure garage and storage areas. Prevent strangers from gaining access to secure areas by ensuring you don’t allow individuals you don’t personally know into residential dwelling areas and garages. This can help prevent thieves from gaining access to bikes stored inside.
- If you think something is suspicious, it likely is! Don’t second-guess yourself if you see somebody or something that appears to be suspicious. People often feel embarrassed or hesitant to call police if they see an individual that looks suspicious. Don’t be embarrassed—we’ve seen it all! Call police immediately to report suspicious activity. We have an easier task of locating a suspicious individual if the call is made to us sooner than later. If it’s safe to do so, or as soon after as you are able, consider making notes about what you’ve seen so you can provide a detailed report to police. Things you can include are a description of the individual and their clothing, the time of day or night and location where you observed the activity. Our officers will do their best to follow up, even if that means identifying that the individual is actually meant to be there.
“Whistler is a safe and vibrant community, and we all play a role in keeping in that way,” added Cpl. Katrina Boehmer, media relations officer for the Sea to Sky Whistler RCMP, in the release.
Read more about Project 529 here.
Anyone with information about any bike thefts in Whistler can contact the Sea to Sky Whistler RCMP’s non-emergency line at 604-932-3044 or 911 in the case of an emergency.
