A NEW property-marking initiative enabled police to deliver a stolen bike back to its rightful owner – before they even had a chance to report it missing.

Police in York responded to a report of a cycle left outside a property on Lord Mayor’s Walk in the city on Sunday (August 29.)

The bike had been marked using one of the force’s new dot peen machines, which mark objects with indents to create a permanent, unique number that is visible. The number is put into a national property register and vastly increases the chances of reunited the object with its owner if lost or stolen.

As a result, officers were able to recover it and reunite it with its rightful owner in the Clifton area of York, before they had even reported to police as stolen.

In the six weeks since the dot peen project began in York, officers marked more than 1,000 items, including 727 garden and allotment tools, 234 cycles and dozens of assorted gadgets such as cameras, games consoles and speakers.

Inspector Lee Pointon, of York Police, said: “Without the marking, this bike may never have been returned to its owner.

“Marking your property is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from being a victim of crime – and, as this case goes to show, it makes it far more likely that we will be able to return your property to you.”

For more information, visit www.northyorkshire.police.uk/whatisdotpeen.