Re:A Seattle vigilante who beats the police to bike thieves
by throwaway7767 on Tuesday September 06, 2016 @11:50AM
(#12436861)
Wow, sounds like being a cyclist in Japan is hell. I've had a bike stolen, and it sucks, but not nearly as much as it would suck to be stopped by police all the time and expected to prove ownership of my bike.
Re:A Seattle vigilante who beats the police to bike thieves
by rangibaby on Wednesday September 07, 2016 @02:45AM
(#12441322)
It's a hassle, but the check is over in 5 minutes. Show your photo id (which Japanese usually carry, and foreigners are required to) and if the names match you're good to go. If the bike isn't reported stolen and your ID is good they'll send you on your way. If it's reported stolen you'll have to go to the police station to do some paperwork even if it is your bike.
This is what Japanese cops do. Every bike is registered to a name, and they radio to check the registered name and frame number against your id. It takes about five minutes. My bike has been stolen three times (probably by different people) and they recovered it twice and caught the thief the third time.