Bike thefts just got tougher courtesy the M-shaped cycle stand

London, May 19 : The Design Against Crime Research Centre has come up with a new M-shaped cycle stand that may help prevent cycle thefts.

The shape of the "caMden" stand, which will be used by councils nationwide from Thursday, makes it easier to lock both wheels and frame to the stand and harder for thieves to remove it.

"At the start of the project we saw thousands of people locking just the top tube of their bikes onto stands, which make them easy to steal," the BBC quoted Adam Thorpe, who headed the team that designed the stand, as saying.

"The shape of our stand makes it obvious that the whole bike needs to be secured. It should encourage more people to cycle, safe in the knowledge that their bikes will still be there upon their return," he added.

Tested over two years in Camden, north London, the new stand has been hailed by Mayor of London Boris Johnson as "a great example of the type of innovative solution to crime that can be made reality given the right support".

Lorraine Gamman, the director of the Design Against Crime centre, revealed that their next project will be to develop a "low-tech solution to mobile phone theft".

"I personally would like to design a phone that blows up when someone steals it. That would be one way to stop thieves using it," said Professor Gamman.

ANI