The Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) and City of Medicine Hat have partnered with the Medicine Hat Rotary Club to provide bicycles to those in need.
Historically, the MHPS will receive approximately 150 reports of bicycles stolen annually, with the majority of the thefts occurring in the spring and summer months. Information from the community suggests that there are additional stolen bicycles that are never reported to police. Many of the bicycles are later recovered but as they were not reported as stolen or registered they remain unclaimed and are eventually sold via public auction with the proceeds directed to the City of Medicine Hat.
“The patterns of theft and recovery indicates that many times the stolen bicycles are simply used as a quick means of transportation” says MHPS Inspector Brent Secondiak, who suggested this joint initiative. In an effort to address this concern and reduce the number of thefts, the City of Medicine Hat has partnered with the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat and will provide 25 bikes to the Club for a nominal fee. The bicycles will be repaired by the Rotary Club and donated to specific individuals within the community who require transportation as identified by local support agencies.
The Rotary Club of Medicine Hat was very enthusiastic when the idea of a bicycle donation program was presented to them. Several members even contributed their own ‘gently used’ bicycles to get the program started. Peter Mueller, a bicycling enthusiast and member of the Club, says “This was a natural fit, a natural way for the Club to help members of the community who may be in need of transportation.” He also saw this initiative as a way to help the MHPS put some of the many unclaimed bicycles back on the road and put to positive use.
Once repaired each bicycle will be identified with the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat decal as well as registered with the MHPS Bike Index program. Bike Index is a non-profit, online bike registry to prove ownership, alert the community if a bike has been stolen, and search a found bicycle to help police return recovered bicycles to their rightful owners as soon as possible.
Bike Index enables owners to create a free account at BikeIndex.org, and register the bike’s details such as: serial number, make, model, colour as well as add a photo to highlight additional details like aftermarket parts and other distinguishing features. Once a bike is registered a Bike Index sticker, each with a unique code can be picked up at the MHPS or by attending Gravity Sports or CyclePath bike shops in Medicine Hat. Owners can then scan the sticker’s code with a smartphone camera and link it to their bike. Bike Index stickers are made of a strong, weather-resistant material and are extremely difficult to remove. They help serve as a deterrent for potential bike thieves by showing the bike is being watched by the entire community and the owner can be identified by simply scanning the code.
If a registered bike goes missing, the owner can log on and mark it as lost or stolen. When the bike is recovered, the code can be scanned and the owner contacted. Even if a bike was not previously registered before it went missing, the owner can still create an account and mark it as stolen. For more information about the BikeIndex registry visit mhps.ca.
The Medicine Hat bicycle donation pilot project will be in effect for one year after which time its effectiveness will be assessed to determine if it should continue.
Media Contact:
Insp Brent Secondiak
Operational Services Division
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8412
Peter Mueller
Rotary Club of Medicine Hat
Ph: 403-502-9609
Colleen Graham
Director of Marketing & Communications
City of Medicine Hat
Ph: 403-502-8071