Trackers to tackle cycle theft

Miniaturised trackers are a cost effective way to keep track of personal items - including bicycles.

Without GPS trackers it's almost impossible to detect bicycle theft, which is why the police give so little priority to the crime. That’s the conclusion of ANWB, The Dutch Touring Club, following two years of providing its cycle insurance policy holders with GPS trackers.

Thieves are wise to trackers and use jammers or place stolen bikes into storage, however that didn't stop ANWB recovering 60 per cent of stolen bicycles.

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The trackers are attached to the bicycles with an industrial adhesive and intended to be highly visible. According to ANWB, which has has around 60,000 bicycles now equipped with a tracker: "The bicycles are not attractive to the casual thief."

Working closely with a security firm, when the insurer locates a stolen bicycle and the frame number tallies, the bike is seized on the spot and returned to its owner. If the bicycle is on private property, the police are called in.

For the moment here in the UK, trackers don't replace the need for good cycle insurance for as well as the thorny issue of recovering the bike from the thief, a good policy protects against accidental damage, theft of parts and includes third party cover.

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The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance, breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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