Commonwealth MRT bicycle thief arrested

SINGAPORE - Police have arrested a 32-year-old man who is believed to have stolen a bicycle at Commonwealth MRT station.

On May 23, 2013 at about 12.30 pm, the victim reported to the Police that her bicycle valued at about $2,000 had been stolen at Commonwealth MRT Station.

Through the review of CCTV footage, officers traced and arrested the suspect at Dakota Crescent on July 17, 2013 at about 11.40pm. The stolen bicycle was also recovered and seized as case exhibit.

The suspect will be charged in court on July 19, 2013 for the offence of theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, he could be imprisoned for up to three years, or slapped fine, or both.

The police urged bicycle owners to take the following precautionary measures to prevent their bicycles from being stolen:

a) Keep their bicycles at home when they are not using it;

b) Lock their bicycles when left unattended, even if it is only for a short while;

c) Secure their bicycles to permanent structures such as a bicycle rack. All removable bicycle components should preferably be locked or secured;

d) Use a durable lock. They should use a U-lock that provides better security compared to cable locks or use a bicycle lock with an alarm feature;

e) If they need to park their bicycles at a public place, choose one with high human traffic and is well-lit, preferably with CCTV monitoring; and

f) Make unique permanent identification marks such as engravings or affix the Bicycle Security Labels on the bodies of their bicycles.