CCTV Of Railway Cycle Thieves
British Transport Police (BTP) officers are calling on members of the public to name five prolific cycle thieves wanted in connection with a spate of cycle thefts across Hampshire and Sussex.
The men, a group of four working together and a man working separately, are wanted as part of two separate investigations and are together responsible for over twenty cycle thefts in Hampshire and Sussex, some of which date back to 2010.
Inspector Mick Morriss said:
"We were only initially able to link a few offences to these men but the true extent of their criminality was uncovered through viewing hours of CCTV footage, pinpointing them at various rail stations in Hampshire and Sussex on the dates cycles were stolen.
"We've followed countless avenues of enquiry to try and get names for these five, including circulating their images in the media and on police intelligence systems, including to local neighbourhood policing teams across Hampshire and Sussex.
"We'll continue to conduct plain-clothes and uniform patrols in a bid to apprehend these men. If you know them we want to hear from you."
Images 1-4 show men officers want to speak to in connection with at least nine cycle thefts in West Worthing, Barnham, Bognor Regis, Southampton, Chichester and Eastleigh between October 2011 and March 2012.
Barnham rail station - 19 October 2011
Bognor Regis rail station -19 October 2011
West Worthing rail station - 19 October 2011
Southampton Airport Parkway rail station - 25 February 2012
Chichester rail station -25 February 2012
Chichester rail station - 6 March 2012
Eastleigh rail station - 8 March 2012
Chichester rail station - 19 March 2012
Chichester rail station - 19 March 2012
Image 5 shows a man wanted separately in connection with 13 cycle thefts in Andover, Grateley, Lymington and Overton, with offences dating back to July 2010.
Andover rail station - 14 July 2010
Andover rail station - 13 October 2010
Andover rail station - 13 October 2010
Andover rail station - between 21 and 23 October 2010
Andover rail station - 23 February 2011
Lymington Town rail station - 7 July 2011
Andover rail station - 28 August 2011
Andover town centre - 14 January 2012
Andover rail station - 14 January 2012
Andover rail station - 11 February 2012
Andover rail station - 24 March 2012
Overton rail station - 4 April 2012
Grateley rail station - 24 April 2012
Inspector Morriss added:
"Unfortunately cycles are a popular target for thieves but there are several steps people can take to ensure their bikes are adequately secured and marked to help reduce their risk of becoming a victim.
"Make sure you use a solid lock to secure your bike and remember to register it. If a bike is adequately marked, it makes it much easier to identify and therefore reduces its desirability to thieves."
Police advice for making your bike more secure:
-Get your bike tagged and register it at www.bikeregister.com
-Ensure you have a solid lock
-Always lock your bicycle through its frame, not just through the wheel
-Fix your bike to solid, immovable objects in recognised cycle storage areas
-Whenever possible, lock your bike in a busy, well-lit and CCTV-covered area
For further police advice on keeping your bike secure, email ls-cr@btp.pnn.police.uk BTP officers regularly conduct cycle crime awareness surgeries at stations across Hampshire and Sussex to offer crime prevention advice and each fortnight identify the top locations for bike theft, targeting them through covert and overt policing operations to catch would-be offenders in the act.
Anyone who the men pictured in the CCTV images should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B12/LSA of 11/05/12, quoting the image number.
