The Crime Prevention Officer in Camden's Police area assures me that the scheme to mark cycles is active. The Officer on duty at the front desk of Kentish Town Police Station, Holmes Road (MacDonalds is on the corner with Kentish Town Road) will be pleased to do the work. Naturally, the speed of response will depend on immediate workload priorities, which can change rapidly.

You do not need to live in the area to use the service.

Simply turn up between 0800 and 2000 Monday to Friday with

• Your cycle - Proof of your identity

and the work will be done.

This involves

• stamping into the metal of the cycle, near the bottom bracket, your postcode and possibly your street number, making it close to unique as a cycle ID. It does not matter if several bikes share the ID (unless you have a bicycle thief at your address! It happens, but you might notice. . . );
• labelling your cycle with a prominent note to the effect that it is coded.
• Don't worry about problems from future changes of address: as long as you remember what the ID mark is, it remains valid.

By marking and labelling your cycle in this way, you make cycle theft more risky for criminals (so the label acts as a deterrent) and you may even help the police get your stolen bike back to you. Unless a cycle is well-identified, a thief may well escape prosecution because there is no proof of theft.  By reducing cycle theft, you reduce, nominally, the cost of insuring cycles. (Whether you increase or reduce the viability oflegitimate cycle traders is unknown.)

IF you have difficulties in getting the security marking done, contact, or refer the police officer to, Crime Prevention Officer, Dave King 0208 733 60700.

© Paul Gasson