(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-12-03 07:44

New bicycles began to have identification numbers in Beijing from the weekend. Anyone who buys a new bicycle will have to register his or her real name, ID number and phone number.

This latest in a series of efforts taken by the public security departments nationwide this year is meant to stamp out the rampant theft of bicycles which has become a scourge disrupting the life of many residents for years.

The total number of bicycles stolen is estimated to be 4 million on average a year.

Bicycles are not as important as they used to be with the rapid increase of private motor vehicles and increasingly more convenient public transport. But many still rely on them as their major means of transport.

Selling stolen bicycles on the second-hand market has been big business in many cities. It is quite common for permanent urban families of almost any city to lose several bicycles. Many who repeatedly lose bicycles turn to the second-hand markets for cheaper ones, and this has brought prosperity to these markets.

In this vicious cycle, those who steal bicycles and sell them on the black markets benefit while urban residents suffer. Starting this year, the public security department has launched campaigns to crack down on the theft of bicycles and promised that efforts would be made to stop the scourge.

The overhaul of the second-hand market in a number of cities in May was a move to stop the illegal sale channels. If there is no place to sell their stolen bicycles, thieves may possibly wash their hands off this dirty business. The opening of bicycle-renting points in many cities two months ago has reduced the risks of people having their own bicycles stolen.

The registration of names, ID and phone numbers will make it easier for police to trace stolen bicycles and return them to their rightful owners.

That 3,686 people have so far this year been caught stealing bicycles in Beijing speaks volumes for the efforts of the local public security departments. With these efforts, the day will not be too far away when residents will be rid of the fear of losing their bicycles.

(China Daily 12/03/2007 page4)