A neighbourhood watch scheme in Swavesey Village has taken extra steps to deal with a rise in cycle crime.

Swavesey village is home to a guided bus station, and as such has seen a steady rise in the amount of cycles taken from the station. The NHW team also noticed a rise in theft of cycles from the village.

To assist Police the local NHW team have begun using their network to identify found cycles, and help Police identify stolen bikes and reunite them with their owners.

Area co-ordinator Polly Wilderspin said “Pictures of found cycles are emailed across the NHW network so owners can claim bikes that have been stolen. The network is also used by the community to report bikes stolen, for other community members to watch out for.” This operation also gives the police the best chance of investigating the circumstances of the theft”

Local Police Sgt Paul Rogerson commented “with the help of the village NHW team we can identify victims fasters, and return their property to them. NHW are also helping residents to think about crime prevention, and the importance of reporting thefts”.