Fighting Crime with Technology

There are a few things that bikers fear most. The unannounced car deciding to pull out, children chasing the dog out in to the road and the unexpected obstruction as you round a corner. Another is your partner calling up to you in that tone at 7am, “Where did you park the bike” when you know full well it is in plain sight right in front of the house. Or at least it was.

Yes, my bike has been stolen. Again.

As most of you will know, this is the 2^nd time this year.

However this time I had invested in a tracker system, Biketrac by Road Angel. Five stressful minutes passed as the computer booted and I could log in to the tracking portal to see if the product actually did what it said on the proverbial tin. Of course I had tested it many times for fun; opened a browser and pinpointed my bikes exact location, outside the window, 6’ from where I was sat, but there is always that fear that in the event of really needing it, I would be greeted with a ‘Service Not Available’ error. But no, the portal dutifully reported its exact location, overlayed on a satellite image map giving me not only the name of the road with a postcode but also showing that it was parked behind a garage, away from public view – very considerate of them, they wouldn't want it to be stolen now would they!

So 30 minutes after an anxious call to 999 and being informed that blue lights were on their way, I was given the good news that the bike had been found, safe and sound. You would think that the excitement ended there however this was only the start of a long day. I need to be vague in detail as there is potentially a prosecution(s) pending in relation to this case.

I was asked if my bike could be used in a ‘proactive policing operation’ – I prefer the term ‘sting operation’ just because it sounds so much more Hollywood! The police were provided with access to the Biketrac portal and so with plain clothes detectives on the ground, officers at HQ monitoring its movement and with Andrew at Road Angel providing outstanding telephone support directly to the police, giving real-time Radio Frequency reporting when the GPS signal was weak due to the location, my bike was tracked while it was once again removed and transported elsewhere over the course of a 7 hour surveillance operation. All I can say at this time is that the day ended with huge success, leading to the recovery of far more than ‘just’ my bike.

None of this would have been possible without the wonders of modern tech. Sure, the media is all about the big news of Windows 8, iPhone 5 and the Google Nexus but it is the everyday technology such as security software to keep our children safe on-line, video communications that allow us to talk to loved ones far away and vehicle tracking systems that make a fundamental difference to our daily lives.

So much praise goes to Uxbridge Police. The team did an amazing job; reacting quickly and investing their resources in a tense waiting game. They also took the time to communicate with me at every possible turn, reassuring and giving peace of mind that all was in hand. Special thank (again!!) goes to DS Barry and Insp. Spennewyn and especially DC Sykes who was kind enough to put up with me asking questions such as “But you won’t take your eyes of it, will you?” and “Are they being careful with it”. Thank You.

Road Angel, your product is amazing. I received so many comments that the Biketrac portal was the best system on the market. I cannot recommend Biketrac enough because not only does it completely deliver on its promises; it is also supported by people like Andrew who tirelessly provided support. At one point I called him and he answered the phone asking if he could call me back because he was on the phone to 3 different officers in relation to my bike. 10/10.

James Hickman
18th September 2012

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