A CHANCE sighting led to police in York being able to reunite a boy with his stolen bike.

North Yorkshire Police say that last week, they received a call from a member of the public who had seen their friend’s Voodoo bike that they believed had been stolen in York city centre.

Officers were quickly sent to the area and located the bike with the member of public who was using it and established that the member of public who was using the bike had purchased it in good faith.

The bike was seized, and police are now making further enquiries to establish the circumstances leading up to the incident.

Police say the owner had previously been wise enough to take advantage of our property marking system so police were able to link them to the bike and make sure it was returned safely.

They were also able to confirm that the bike had been stolen in June 2022.

PC Jack Milner from the York City Response policing team said: “Thanks to the quick-thinking action of the victim’s friend, we were able to locate the cycle and identify its owner using our property marking system.

“It was a pleasure to be able to return the cycle back to its owner, who didn’t think he would ever see it again.

“I would encourage all cyclists to attend a property marking event which we hold regularly at different locations across York and North Yorkshire. Make sure you keep an eye on our NYP York social media channels to see details of the next event near you. “

He offered these quick useful tips to help tackle cycle crime in North Yorkshire:

  • Attend your nearest property marking event and get your bike marked and registered for free.
  • Take a photo of your bike. Record any distinguishing features as this can help us should it be stolen.
  • Make a note of your bike frame number. This is usually located on the underneath of the frame and pass this if making a report of a stolen bike.
  • Report any bike thefts. If the theft has just occurred call 999 otherwise this can be reported to us using the online reporting tool on our website.
  • Use a secure lock to lock your bike away when it is not being used. Remember two different types of locks always make the bike more secure.