Bike Thieves at Arizona State University - Essay Example

Bike Thieves at Arizona State University Background Bicycle theft is a significant problem at Arizona State University. Over the last few years the number of reported cases has risen significantly. Bicycles are widely used across campus, due to the easy in maneuvering them through traffic, the relative inexpensiveness of buying and maintaining them. From the perspective of students, the theft of their bicycle has a significant impact. Firstly, there is an emotional connection between the owner and their bicycle, especially if they have owned it for some time, and as a consequence the theft can have negative emotional consequences. In addition, the student is faced with a financial burden to replace the bicycle or find an alternative means of transport, and until they do they are faced with significant inconvenience in commuting from one place to another. Students are the group most highly affected by this theft, as many are low in income, and as a consequence find replacing their bicycle difficult, and may not be able to afford alternative means of transportation. Hendricks, L. (2010, September 29). Bike thieves in high gear, Az Daily Sun. This article was published in the Arizona Daily Sun, a newspaper which serves Northern Arizona and the Flagstaff district. The writer of the article was the assistant editor. As a consequence of the source of the information it can be considered to be reliable and well researched, because there are standards required of any reporter publishing in a newspaper. The author reports on the role that is played by the police in recovering bicycles stolen from Northern Arizona University and an approach to reduce the number of bicycle thefts that are occurring. Thefts are common at the University, so much so that the police department has a separate category to track these as for other thefts. Officer Jerry Rintala comments that most thefts happen as a consequence of owners not locking up their bicycle as they only plan to be gone for a short period of time, or using poor quality locks, which are easy to remove with the use of bolt cutters. In an attempt to reduce this, the police and University security have initiated a campaign across campus to inform students about the benefits of using quality locks and keeping their bicycles locked when they are not in use. As it is a crime of opportunity, this has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of bicycle thefts that are occurring. In addition, a bicycle registration service has been brought back to campus which is free to all student, faculty and staff at the University. This involves registering the physical description and serial number of the bicycle, as well as a photo if desired, with the police, allowing them to identify the bicycle if it is found. The combination of these two techniques should result in the significant decrease in the number of bicycles that are stolen and an increase in both the likelihood and the speed in the bicycle being returned to its owner. Crime Prevention Unit. (2011). Don't let your bike get ripped off. Theft Prevention Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.tempe.gov/cpu/bike%20theft.htm This article was published online on the website for the City of Tempe, Arizona, under the section of Crime Prevention Unit, theft prevention. There is no author given for the short article, however, the fact that it hosted on the government website indicates that the tips which the articles give are in line with the standards recommended by the city authorities. Furthermore, the fact that the article is hosted on the Tempe City governmental site indicates that the statistics that are given are likely to be correct. The City of Tempe has had severe problems with bicycle theft, with more than 650 reported stolen in 2010 alone. Like the Arizona State University many of the thefts were a consequence of the bicycles not being locked. The city offers registration of bicycles through bicycle stores rather than through the police, with the aim of identifying the ownership of bicycles if they are recovered. In addition they suggest that fixing the bicycle to an immoviable object significantly helps to reduce the liklihood of theft, as does using a strong U-lock, as these cannot be removed using standard bolt cutters. For situations like at Arizona State University, they suggest the use of increased legislation to increase the penalties for people that are caught stealing bicycles or selling stolen bicycles. This decreases the advantages of stealing bicycles, as the risk is higher. In addition the creation of an online database is suggested. Here, the serial numbers of bicycles can be stored and bicycle buyers can check the serial numbers of bicycles they are interested in against this database before buying them. If buyers are conceiousentious about not buying stolen bicycles, then this should reduce the demand for stolen bicycles, decreasing the size of the market, and thus the profits for stealing bicycles. City of Chicago. (2005). Objective Six: Reduce the incidence of bicycle theft through education and enforcement. Bike 2015 Plan Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://bike2015plan.org/chapter5/chap5_obj6.html This chapter is part of an overall plan developed by the City of Chicago in regard to increasing the usage of bicycles within the city and increasing safety for their users. The strategies documented in this chapter are authorized by the city Mayor as part of an overall strategy for the city. As a consequence of this, the information contained in the chapter is well researched and all recommendations are those from city management. Thus, all information presented in this article is likely to be reliable and accurate. Despite attempts the City of Chicago has been unable to reduce the level of bicycle theft within the city. As a consequence a bicycle plan for 2015 has been drafted, approved in 2005 which aims to deal with many of the problems surrounding the use of bicycles within Chicago. One of the main strategies they propose is the education of bicycle owners as to how to prevent theft of their bicycles. They suggest that factors like parking in well lit locations, using strong bicycle locks that cannot be easily cut and making sure the locks are secured correctly are all important for bicycle owners in order to reduce the likelihood of theft. In addition to the education of citizens, the City of Chicago aims to stage stings to attempt to infiltrate gangs of thieves that operate in cooperation with one another. To do this they aim to equip bicycles with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and transmitters in order to track the location where the bicycles end up. This method is not expensive, but does rely on the bicycles that are equipped being stolen by groups of thieves and not as an opportunistic act. They suggest that funding for this may be obtained from the Chicago Police Department, Department of Transportation or organization involved in bicycles within Chicago. Stanford University. Bicycling at Stanford. Parking and Transportation Services Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://transportation.stanford.edu/alt_transportation/BikingAtStanford.shtml This comprehensive informational webpage hosted by Stanford University details the procedures and facilities which the University offers students and staff that use bicycles as a means of transport. The webpage links different bicycle routes, resources that are avalaible for people using bicycles as well as for selling and buying bicycles. The hosting of the webpage within the University website as well as the detailed information provided indicates the information provided is well researched and reliable. Stanford University offers an alternative suggestion for securing of bicycles. On campas they offer the ability for students to store their bicycles in lockers, as well as offering around 12,000 spaces on bike racks, ensuring that there is adequate space for students to securely lock their bicycles. They suggest that students use good locks, preferably a U-lock, as these are more difficult to remove. As with the other literature reviewed, they offer a bicycle registration service. However, for Stanford University this service is mandatory. This is advantagous as many people, espcially students, tend to leave things to the last minute, or plan to do things then forget. Making registreation mandatory means that any bicycle that is found on campus can be linked to a specific student, and that student contacted. This dramatically increases the rate in which bicycles can be returned to their owners. In addition, it makes bicycle theft a more dangerous activity as it is relatively easy for University sercurity to determine whether the bicycle they are using is their own. An addition method of bicycle storage that they offer gives considerably more security than simply locking the bicycle to a rack. These are bicycle locker compounds, which hold more than 180 bikes each as well as bicycle cages. For all of these a key is required for entry, and bicycles can be locked to racks inside. This significantly increases the security as the number of people that have access to the bicycles is limited. Willemse, H. (1994). Developments in Dutch crime prevention. Crime prevention studies, 2, 33-48. This article was published in a peer reviewed journal. There are high standards associated with publication in journals, and as a consequence all the information in this article is reliable and of high quality. High rates of theft and low rates of recovery of stolen items by the police, especially of items such as car radios and bicycles, have led to an increased focus on the prevention of theft by the Dutch police. One of the major changes that the government has instigated in order to reduce the level of theft is the increased education of the populace. This has involved the development of a quarterly journal that focuses of crime prevention as well as the creation and distribution of teaching packages that focus on the reduction of crime. Another area where changes were made involved the use of increased surveillance and the spread of information to involved personnel in areas such as malls. The study gave an example of the Utrecht shopping mall which underwent an extensive crime prevention project with the aim of reducing the rates of burglary, vandalism and shoplifting. This involved the implementation of electronic alarm systems, the appointment of security guards, instruction to both managers and personnel, the provision of ‘alternative’ penalties and a widespread publicity campaign. This campaign offers a number of insights into how bicycle theft at Arizona University could be managed. While not all the suggestions in this study are relevant to the situation, some of them are. In particular, as has been suggested in other studies, the provision of information about theft, the practices of thieves and methods of avoiding theft provides a strong starting point for any attempt to reduce the level of theft. The appointment of security officers is also a useful suggestion, as the very presence of personnel whose role is to stop theft can increase the risk for potential offenders, and often reduce the amount of theft that occurs as a consequence. Likewise, the advertisement of a campaign against theft can have the same effect, as it increase awareness, and thus the potential risk for thieves. References City of Chicago. (2005). Objective Six: Reduce the incidence of bicycle theft through education and enforcement. Bike 2015 Plan Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://bike2015plan.org/chapter5/chap5_obj6.html Crime Prevention Unit. (2011). Don't let your bike get ripped off. Theft Prevention Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.tempe.gov/cpu/bike%20theft.htm Hendricks, L. (2010, September 29). Bike thieves in high gear, Az Daily Sun Stanford University. Bicycling at Stanford. Parking and Transportation Services Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://transportation.stanford.edu/alt_transportation/BikingAtStanford.shtml Willemse, H. (1994). Developments in Dutch crime prevention. Crime prevention studies, 2, 33-48. Read More