The warmer weather means more people are riding their bicycles.

Unfortunately, it also means more people are stealing them.

That's why Charlottetown Police are encouraging people to register their bicycles — for free — at the police station.

Const. Ron Kennedy says thefts have spiked in the last couple of weeks, and reuniting people with their stolen bikes can be tough if they're not registered.

"If you don't register it, they come in and they give us a rough description of their bike, they may have some distinguishing features but without the serial number it's really, really hard for us to kind of say 'Well, yeah, for sure that's your bike,'" he said.

Everyone should have the serial number and a photo of their bike on file, Kennedy said, and registering is an easy way to do this.

Charlottetown police offer a registry card and bike decal with a registry number.

Every year, about 150 bikes are turned in to Charlottetown Police, many of which end up being auctioned off in twice-yearly bike auctions.