Pasir Ris cyclists to get U-locks

Pasir Ris cyclists to get U-locks

With the number of bicycle thefts on the rise, police plans to distribute about 1,500 U-locks to cyclists in Pasir Ris to help put the brakes on bicycle theft.

The increasing popularity of cycling, both as a sport and as a mode of transport, has been accompanied by a rise in the number of bicycle thefts - from 719 in 2010 to more than 1,200 in 2012.

Bicycle thefts, however, are not more prevalent in Pasir Ris, said the police during a briefing about the U-Lock or U Lose! campaign.

A spokesman said the new move is just part of a pre-emptive measure to help the estate's fast-growing population of cyclists combat bicycle theft.

Police said they are hoping to promote the use of U-locks among cyclists because they are more secure than standard cable or chain locks.

Officers from the Pasir Ris Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) and volunteers will be handing out the free U-locks to bicycle owners who turn up at Pasir Ris MRT station with their bicycles.

They hope to do so at the station every day during peak hours until next month.

Pasir Ris NPC, along with five centres in Changi, Choa Chu Kang, Geylang, Hougang and Toa Payoh, also adopted the Community Policing System (Cops) yesterday at the official launch of the U-Lock or U Lose! campaign at the Pasir Ris Elias Community Club. There are now 20 NPCs operating under the system and all 35 NPCs remain on course to adopt the system - first launched in 2012 - by next year.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also Home Affairs Minister, said at the launch that community policing has been the cornerstone of policing strategy since the first Neighbourhood Police Post was set up in 1983.

Four out of 10 arrests for major crimes today were made possible with help from members of the public, he added.


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