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By Chris Brown

529 Garage

Redcliff RCMP sign on to ‘community watch for your bike’

Apr 4, 2021 | 9:22 AM

REDCLIFF, AB – Redcliff RCMP have a new tool to help them reunite owners with bicycles that are lost or stolen.

529 Garage is an online service that allows bike owners to register their ride by uploading a photo and other details such as the serial number, colour, make and model.

“If it ever goes missing or is stolen we have access to be able to see that bike so we can look up the person and their bike and we’ll have all the information that we need in order to help locate it,” explains Const. Eric Lankin. “And if we do locate the bike we have the person’s information so we can reunite the bike with that person.”

Police hope would-be bike thieves will be deterred just by knowing the program, called a ‘community watch for your bike,’ is in Redcliff.

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He describes the free registry as an all-in-one-tool, but is clear that it’s an additional tool and not a replacement for filing an official police report.

Lankin says the more information you can provide police the better the chances are you’ll get your bike back.

“Especially their serial number and that’s kind of a big thing that we need when we’re doing these investigations,” he says.

The registry is accessible by 400 law enforcement agencies, universities, bike clubs and bike shops around the world, as well as individual users. The worldwide use of the site has led to bikes being recovered thousands of miles away from where they’ve been stolen.

Many people don’t think of registering their bike, says Lankin. But they should.

“People register their cars so registering your bike shouldn’t be any different because it helps us out for these types of investigations.”

For a small cost, you can purchase a 529 Garage shield kit for an added line of defense.