Bicycle theft is the most common crime in Redwood City, said E. Paterson of Redwood City Outreach. Another crime that has become recurrent is the theft of catalytic converters from hybrid cars, such as the Prius, but there are ways to prevent these unfortunate occurrences and even reverse them.
At the "coffee with the police" event, held outside the Mi Rancho store in Redwood City to bring citizens closer to the police, officers answered questions and offered tips on what to do in cases of robbery.
In the case of bicycles, E. Paterson explained that most thefts are preventable and occur because of opportunities that present themselves to the offender, such as leaving the bike on the street without the proper security (a special hip and not just a cable lock) or leaving the garage door open, for example.
The best way to recover a stolen bike is to know the serial number and have a photograph of the bike.
Some people buy expensive bikes but don't know the serial number. They think it is on the receipt and it is not always the case. When they report the theft, the police have no proof that a bike has been stolen and belongs to the complainant?
As for the catalytic converters, Patterson said they do not have a factory serial number on them, but the car owner can, on his own, put the car's serial number on the catalytic converter.
Finally, he said that Neighbour watches are a great tool to prevent crime. If anyone is interested in setting up a Neighbour Watch system in their neighbourhood, they can call: 650 780 7104.
