THERE are very few cyclists who haven’t fallen victim to thieves at some point.

Crimes can range from the petty, such as having lights and saddles stolen, to the seriously annoying – such as having one’s entire bike taken. And while not the most distressing of crimes, it does affect a great many people; indeed anyone who cycles regularly in Oxford would have to be very lucky not to have been inconvenienced at some point.

So we wholeheartedly support the efforts taken by the British Transport Police, who reopened their office at the station earlier this year, to tackle bike crime head-on.

By focusing on Oxford railway station – and others in the county – they have driven down the number of reported thefts by a half. In Oxford itself, thefts appear to have been slashed by 30 per cent They are impressive results by anyone’s standards. If only similar rates of crime reduction could be achieved in other areas – like burglary, violence and antisocial behaviour.

But this success has not only been achieved by driving out thieves. A key part of the strategy has been education, with bike owners being shown the importance of protecting their property with better locks.

This should serve as a useful lesson to all cyclists in this city of bikes – that the best way to beat the thieves is to take responsibility for one’s own property – and make sure it is secure.