'Staring eyes are anxiety-provoking'

A poster of a pair of staring eyes has reduced the number of bicycles stolen from some bike racks by more than 60%, researchers at Newcastle University have found.

The scheme has been so successful, a version of it is being tried out by British Transport Police.

Criminal psychologist David Holmes told the BBC being put off by a hard stare is an evolutionary trait hard-wired into all animals.

  • Subsection
  • Published