Our statistics have shown that nearly 35 percent of all moped and bicycle thefts for an entire year normally occur during the first weeks of the Fall semester. The Zone 21 parking lot in the student housing complex is the area most frequently targeted.

Although there are huge differences between mopeds and bicycles, in terms of cost and ability to secure them, I lump them together, because they are the two most frequently stolen items on campus, and they tend to be parked together in the same areas.

Experts estimate that over a million bicycles are stolen in the United States each year. For every motor vehicle stolen, three bicycles are stolen, and while 66 percent of motor vehicles are recovered, less than 20 percent of stolen bicycles are returned.

There are normally four basic reasons bicycles and mopeds are stolen:

1. Profit -- resale or stripped for parts as a source of money.
2. For the thief's personal use.
3. Quick temporary means of transportation.
4. For some personal reason to deny the owner of its use.

You need to know that here at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa we do experience all four types of thefts. For obvious reasons, number one is the most difficult to deal with because for the most part we are facing professional thieves who make their living by stealing. They tend to be very hard to stop and have developed some very ingenious methods to defeat most conventional security devices.

Some things you can do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim:

1. Make sure you register your moped or bicycle.
2. No matter how inconvenient, always take the time to secure your property to a fixed object in a well-lit area.
3. Use industry-recommended locking devices.
4. I personally recommend that you use two totally different types of locking devices. This requires the thief to spend precious time and effort, along with two different methods, to defeat your security systems. For example, if you use a "U" lock and a separate cable, the thief must have both a hand jack and bolt cutters. It is unlikely that a thief will want to spend the extra time and effort to take your bicycle or moped.
5. As an individual student, faculty or staff member at the University, you can also be very instrumental is curbing these thefts. You do this by being aware of every thing around you, and to call Campus Security (x6-6911) if you see anything suspicious.

Finally, we have to establish a partnership within the University community to combat these thieves. For the Fall 1997 semester, Campus Security, Student Housing Services, and the Honolulu Police Department's Community Policing Division are forming a partnership, with the expressed intent to prevent crime in general and with a focus on thefts at the Student Housing Complex.

If you have any suggestions, recommendations or just need more information, please feel free to contact me at my office either in person or by phone (x6-9858).

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