Give Bike Crime the Boot in Woking

As part of our Borough by Borough initiative our Give Crime the Boot campaign was launched in Woking Borough with the support of Woking Football Club at the Wolsey Place Shopping Centre. The following weekend in Peacocks Walk we then launched our crime specific Give Bike Crime the Boot campaign. It was partly sponsored by Woking Borough Council and fully supported by Woking Police.

Bike Crime

Shoppers in Woking were unexpectedly entertained by Topper, a juggling unicyclist, and Stanley the Tiger, the town centre mascot, as they helped Surrey Crimestoppers launch its “Give Bike Crime the Boot” campaign. Surrey Crimestoppers Board Chairman, Kevin Morris, said “Topper and Stanley are a fun way of drawing attention to a very serious message. Bicycles are vulnerable both to professional and opportunistic thieves and it is up to all of us to do what we can to keep our cycles safe and to catch those committing the crimes. If you know who is stealing or dealing in stolen bikes, or if you have information about any other crime but you don't want to talk to the police then phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. No-one will know it was you who called.”

Supported by Woking Borough Council, Surrey Police and Evans Cycles, the campaign aims to encourage anyone who knows who is stealing bikes, or trying to sell stolen bikes, to pass on their information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Property marking pens and information about how to keep your bicycle safe were available on the day and hundreds of Crimestoppers balloons and leaflets were handed out from the Crimestoppers stand in Peacocks Walk.

Further leaflets were distributed across the borough and for a limited time Evans Cycles, 1 Guildford Road, Woking gave a discount to customers with the lealet “Come into our store, get 15% off the price of a quality lock and do your bit to prevent cycle theft” said an Evans Cycles representative.

We received good publicity from BBC Southern Counties who interviewed Jane Wright on the radio and both the local newspapers the Woking News & Mail and the Woking Informer covered the launch and helped us promote 0800 555 111 to residents in Woking.

For more information on this campaign and the activities of Surrey Crimestoppers please email Surrey Crimestoppers or call us on 01483 472 739.

Call 0800 555 111 if you want to give information about crime and criminals anonymously