Originally Posted by EnigManiac
You have good point that police resources are stretched thin and they have bigger priorities. They often just don't take it seriously either and I think, for those reasons alone, they support the initiative because the program is a deterrent, meaning thieves perhaps won't steal bikes as often as they do here if it is difficult to get rid of.
It occurred to me, after writing the previous message, that this could be good for easy enforcement as well. What if, for example, police strongly suspect that a bike shop or pawn shop is accepting stolen bikes? Hard to prove right now, but if all serial numbers are tracked then you can just check the shop's inventory - pretty hard to claim innocence if a dozen bikes on the shop floor have been reported as stolen!