Bikelinc today received a silver award in the community-led category of the 2021 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPA).
The ACVPA recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia and play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence.
Developed by Crime Stoppers Western Australia (WA), Bikelinc allows bike owners to create a free profile on the Bikelinc website listing their bike’s serial number, personal details and the status of the bike (safe, stolen, lost). If a bike is found, police and community members can check a serial number on Bikelinc to see if it is listed as stolen, then contact the owner to arrange a return.
CEO of Crime Stoppers WA, Vince Hughes, said the goal is to reduce bike theft in Australia, reduce demand on police time when dealing with stolen bikes, and to generate a community of like-minded people to assist in preventing bike theft.
“Bikelinc allows members to have their bicycle data in one place, so if their bike should unfortunately get stolen they can now efficiently make a report with all the details needed.
“This has resulted in reduced police time and effort in report writing, and made the enquiry into the report much easier. Bikelinc has already resulted in 52 bikes, worth approximately $78,000, being returned to their rightful owners,” said Mr Hughes.
“Winning this award supports our original idea that Bikelinc was needed but most importantly it is independent confirmation that that Bikelinc is a working,” said Mr Hughes.
These annual awards recognise the outstanding contributions being made across Australia for crime prevention, including the development and implementation of practical projects to reduce violence and other types of crime in the community.
Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) Director, Michael Phelan APM, said that Bikelinc is a worthwhile crime prevention program which can readily be adapted across Australia.
“It has the benefit of not only deterring bicycle theft but also promoting crime prevention through advertising the system and encouraging public engagement.
“The program has been successful in restoring stolen bikes to their owners and the ongoing uptake of the program is encouraging,” said Mr Phelan.
All projects are assessed each year by the ACVPA Board, which is chaired by the AIC Director and consists of senior law enforcement representatives from each state and territory police service.
The awards are a joint Australian Government, state and territory initiative administered by the AIC.
For more information about the award winners, visit www.aic.gov.au/acvpa
To watch the ceremony please visit our YouTube channel, CriminologyTV.
AIC Media:
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