Preventing Bicycle Theft is a youth-led initiative by the Sussex Police Cadets designed to protect cyclists in a high-theft hotspots across the city of Brighton and Hove. Spurred into action after one of their own team members had a bicycle stolen, the dedicated group of Cadets launched a grassroots campaign that earned third place at the National Crimebeat Awards 2026.
As Brighton and Hove actively invests in greener travel and infrastructure, cycling has soared. However, this boom has caught the attention of criminals. According to official statistics, the area sits in the top 20 cities in the UK for bicycle crime.
The impact goes beyond property damage; for many young people and low-income residents, a bicycle is their only independent method of transport. Compounding the problem, a widespread lack of public awareness regarding registration tools meant that the vast majority of stolen bikes were never recovered.
Innovation and Activities
The project was entirely designed and executed by the Cadets themselves. Wanting to align crime reduction with environmental travel, they mapped the city’s busiest cycle paths and national networks to launch targeted security hubs.
To expand their reach, the Cadets acted as the production crew and actors for a safety video published across Sussex Police social media platforms. They focused their efforts on educating the public on three vital pillars, including:
- Choosing the safest locations to park.
- The correct way to lock a bicycle securely.
- The vital importance of forensic marking and online registration.
The Cadets took their campaign directly to the community, appearing at high-traffic events like the Brighton Triathlon, the London to Brighton Off-Road Event, and the city’s bustling Emergency Services Day on Hove Lawns. Through these pop-up clinics, the Cadets successfully forensically marked and registered 121 bicycles. Each bike was fitted with a highly visible security sticker to warn potential thieves that the property is traceable online.
Impact and Evaluation
The Cadets created a survey to measure success by evaluating public confidence. The data revealed that before meeting the Cadets, most bike owners had no idea free safeguarding measures were available. Following the interaction, residents expressed massive relief, with a local cyclist noting that the service felt incredibly valuable because losing her bike would have completely disrupted her daily commute.
With more marking events scheduled across East Sussex, the Cadets are determined to scale their project further, ensuring that as their city grows greener, it also grows safer for every cyclist.
