Spring police auction cancelled because of COVID-19

The annual spring North Bay Police auction has been cancelled because of COVID-19.

Funds from the event usually go to the board to donate to local charities and events.

Police say the large inventory of recovered bikes is being donated to several non-profit community groups that assist children and individuals in crisis.

If your non-profit community group might benefit from a donation of a bicycle please contact Sarah Bush, the police service’s property clerk at 705-497-5555 to acquire more information.

“In the last year our service came into possession of 171 bicycles,” says Inspector Asselin, North Bay Police Service’s Inspector in charge of operations. “This highlights the need for us to protect our property and make it less attractive to thieves. Thieves want to make a quick getaway and stolen bikes are generally crimes of opportunity.”

Here are some suggestions from the North Bay Police Service;

1) Never leave your bike unlocked in public and use a high quality lock. If you spend hundreds of dollars to purchase your bike it’s a good investment to spend on a quality lock. If you are leaving it for a lengthy time period be less of a target and remove either a wheel or the seat.
2) Store your bike in a safe location at home either locked up or in a locked area.
3) If you are leaving your bike unattended on the back of a vehicle, lock the bike to your vehicle.
4) Never lock your bike by the front wheel only. Always lock your bike with two quality locks, one for each wheel and preferably a U-lock and a cable lock.

They also suggest you use your smart phone or a camera and take a photo of the bike and record the serial number so that if the bike is stolen, it can be identified if located by police.

Like any property police require accurate information to prove ownership and spending a few minutes to document something you spent hundreds of dollars on is a sound investment.