Bike coding

Engraving device from Kirba

Bicycle coding is a measure to

To make the theft of bicycles and the sale of bicycles by thieves and fenders difficult,

facilitate the repatriation of found or seized bicycles,

enable the police and border police to verify the real owner

history

Bicycle coding in Germany began in 1993 when the police in Bergisch Gladbach made their first attempts to make bicycles unattractive to thieves and stolen goods by means of a signature. The police in Giessen developed the system further. Shortly thereafter, the police in Friedberg (Hesse) created the coding system known nationwide under the name FEIN coding ( Friedberger owner identification number ). This is now the most popular of all preventive measures. An attempt to have this system recommended nationwide by the Conference of Interior Ministers failed with 15: 1 votes because Berlin refused to take part. According to the statutes, unanimity would have been required. At the police, the nationwide, structurally identical procedure is now under the abbreviation EIN (Proof of Owner Identification).

In Austria , the bicycle coding was first implemented by the police in Wels in 1996 and then finally offered in Vienna in 1998 via Linz , St. Pölten and Wiener Neustadt . Some communities south of the Brenner Pass, for example in Bruneck, have developed local systems that are similar to the Austrian variant.

In France, bicycle coding under the name Bicycode has been offered in several regions since 2006 , but it has more of the character of a bicycle registration .

Luxembourg and the Netherlands have also developed their own bicycle coding systems.

Structure of the FEIN code

Engraving of a FEIN code

Engraving using a coding pistol

The code is assembled from the individual data of the bicycle owner according to the modular principle and contains the owner's place of residence, address and initials in encrypted form. The local police can use the code to determine very quickly where the alleged owner lives. A request to the residents' registration office who is eligible for the initials included narrows the group of presumably stolen persons to a maximum of a few people, because identical initials can only be expected in a ratio of 1: 200. Further details can be found in the description of the FEIN coding .

Due to different requirements with regard to the availability of official road keys, slightly different procedures are used in the individual federal states. Only Berlin has decided on a completely different procedure. The date of birth is used instead of the address. Bavaria is also no longer able to offer road keys across the board. An abbreviation of up to eight characters for the street name is therefore often preferred there.

In addition to the FEIN coding, there are a number of other variants at home and abroad. For example, digicode found a certain spread in Hamburg for a time. There are also variants with RFID chips. Such variants are often based on a provider-specific solution that only works by means of a central registration and / or special reading devices.

In Austria, the coding process is also used with a slight modification.

Velovignette

In Switzerland, due to an obligation to have bicycles insured and to attach the corresponding Velovignette to the bike, the coding was unusual. This compulsory insurance was abolished on December 31, 2011. Since then, the Geneva-based “fourrière” (parking space for officially removed bicycles) has been offering a system similar to the FEIN code, comparable to the “bicycode” mentioned above in France.

method

The coding sequence is as follows:

The applicant provides proof of ownership by means of an identity card and purchase receipt.
The code that is valid for the owner is determined and set in a template.
This code is reduced to a practical size using a pantograph .
The code is milled into the seat tube / seat tube - just below the seat clamp (about 0.15 mm deep).
The engraved area is protected against corrosion with a transparent film, which at the same time serves as a visual signal to thieves that the bike is particularly secure and therefore difficult to sell.

Since 2013, needle embossing devices have been increasingly used, which require significantly less time and effort and allow much greater flexibility.

successes

In areas where the coding is widespread, the theft rate falls and the clearance rate for stolen bikes increases significantly. While the clearing-up rate for bicycle thefts nationwide is around 6% on average, this increases in some cases to over 30%.
Some insurance companies grant a significant discount on the insurance premium due to lower theft rates.
Several cases have become known where the coding led to the investigation of a theft, even though the bike owner had not noticed or reported it.

Criticism of the coding

Various manufacturers of bicycle frames reject the coding for reasons of stability and threaten to void guarantees.
Dealers fear frame breaks due to coding.
It is often argued that the engraving point can be easily ground out.
Engraving is a hindrance when moving or changing your name.
No central storage and change of owner data, e.g. when moving or selling.
If bicycles are improperly disposed of, the coding can be used to impose a fine on first owners, even if they are not responsible for it.
The codes could be deciphered by criminals in order to break into the owner

Obstacles

Milling affects the stability of the frame. They may therefore only be carried out in a few, relatively harmless places. Very thin-walled frames and carbon frames must never be engraved.
Various frame shapes, especially so-called "fullies" (fully suspended, i.e. fully sprung frames), are only suitable for engraving to a very limited extent.

Counter arguments

According to the proponents, more than two million bicycles have been coded in Germany so far without the predicted damage having occurred. It is only acknowledged that this could occur if the coders acted unprofessionally. The report by a professor at the TH Aachen confirms this fact. However, this report has been criticized considerably in part. The providers consider the fact that codes can be sanded out to be of little relevance, because this forces them to have to have complex repainting, which does not fit into the concept of thieves interested in quick sales.

Relocation and name changes in the event of marriage are registered in the registration office and do not make the search for the alleged owner much more difficult. This applies in particular if the year recommended by the ADFC is added.

The fact that there is no central storage is a particular advantage: the code also works without any registration. When sold, the coding indicates the previous owner. The legitimation takes place here on the one hand by a written sales contract, on the other hand even by asking the coded owner and is also helpful as a feature in theft registers: only when the theft is reported, the data is stored nationwide by the police.

The possibility that codes can be maliciously deciphered by criminals can never be completely ruled out, but in practice, in 25 years there has been no known case where this would have happened. Nevertheless, there are very controversial views on this issue of data protection.

Coding alternatives

Foil coding: the code is printed on a foil and then stuck to the frame
Chip process: A small chip attached to the bicycle contains a unique alphanumeric string that can be read out using a reader.

Critics consider both procedures to be expensive and unsuitable in an emergency. They argue that these codes can be removed with almost no residue and that the police do not have the necessary reading devices. Some providers of these systems have failed financially in recent years or have been exposed as fraudsters.

Adhesive coding: Also known as label coding, has been strongly promoted by the ADFC Bayern since 2010. A commercially available label printer is used, which applies the code, which is otherwise identical to EIN, to a strongly adhesive film, which is then attached to the frame in a clearly visible manner. These films are not permanently immune to mechanical, chemical and thermal attacks.

Bicycle registration: This service, mainly offered by police stations, but also by private companies, means that the details that are important for identifying a bike, such as frame number, manufacturer, type, are stored in a separate database and the bike is provided with a sticker that indicates this registration. Bicycle registration was offered in most police stations in Germany until around 1990, but was then mostly discontinued due to a lack of efficiency and staff shortages. It remains to be seen whether the recently observed return of this registration will turn out to be more efficient. Registrations - even free of charge - with private providers show no recognizable benefit, as the number of bikes registered there is negligible.

Coding provider

Coding provider in Germany
Legend
green: Police
red: Dealer
blue: ADFC
small: Contact person

In East Germany in particular, the coding is practically a monopoly of the police and is usually carried out there free of charge. With the elimination of jobs and funds, these offers are dwindling, as was the case in Leipzig in 2009. In some regions the traffic watch also takes on this task.

In northern and southern Germany, there are mostly only chargeable offers from bicycle clubs or individual bicycle dealers. Exception: the police in North Baden and Hesse sporadically offer free bicycle codes.

In Austria , the coding is carried out by police contact officers ; In addition, various municipalities and city police offer this.

Web links

Individual evidence

[1] Police Vienna - August 22, 2007 - Police Vienna - bicycle coding → The history of bicycle coding

[2] Federal Ministry of the Interior - May 6, 2008 - BMI crime prevention → Bicycle coding - functionality

[3] Details and criticism of the report on the harmlessness of the coding

[4] Police Vienna - August 22, 2007 - Police Vienna - bicycle coding