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Vancouver police are hoping thousands of cyclists will embrace an app they say will help reduce bicycle thefts in the city and help police return stolen bikes to their owners.

Const. Rob Brunt said there are about 2,000 bikes stolen annually in Vancouver, about nine a day during the summer months.

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“We do a really good job of recovering bicycles, but we have no way of knowing who belongs to those bicycles,” he said, which is why hundreds of bikes are featured in the annual Vancouver police bike auction. He’s hoping to make that sale a thing of the past.

The VPD and Project 529 set up tents outside the VPD station at 2120 Cambie St. on Monday to register bikes for free.

It takes about five minutes to install and set up the 529 Garage social media app. Staffers were taking five photos of each bike then posting it to that owner’s profile on the app.

When a cyclist discovers their bike has been stolen, they open the app and hit “start alert” button. That immediately lets others with the app know a bike has been stolen in their geographic area and sends out one of the photos with the alert.

Anyone who sees the bike can respond immediately.

There is also an ID sticker that goes on the bike’s seat tube “so the crooks can see, ‘Hey, this bike’s registered with 529, don’t steal it because you’re going to have a heck of a time selling it,’” Brunt said.

Look here for more information on Project 529 and other ways to keep your bike safe.