Bike thefts slashed by 50% at University after scientists install a picture of a pair of EYES above the cycle racks Two-year experiment was carried out at Newcastle University Crime-fighting idea is now being trialled by British Transport Police Bike thefts have been slashed at Newcastle University simply by putting pictures of staring eyes above cycle racks. The two-year experiment was carried out by a security manager at the campus who had seen similar studies suggest that people behave better when they feel they are being watched. Academics found that bike racks which had eyes placed above them experienced 62 per cent fewer thefts than the previous year, while those without eyes saw thefts increase by 63 per cent. Watching you: Bike thefts have been significantly reduced simply by putting pictures of staring eyes above cycle racks, researchers said today Eyes: The two-year experiment at Newcastle University was mooted by a security manager at the campus who had seen similar studies suggest that people behave better when they feel they are being watched The crime-fighting idea is now being trialled by British Transport Police (BTP), with train company C2C, on a route between London's Fenchurch Street station and Southend in Essex. Professor Melissa Bateson and Professor Daniel Nettle, of the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, and Ken Nott, of Newcastle University's security team, talk about their findings in the journal PLoS ONE. For the first year the team monitored the level of bike thefts from all racks across campus for a control figure. Crime fighting: Ken Nott, one of Newcastle University's security team with the signs that the University have put up around their campus They then placed the eye signs in three locations, leaving the rest of the racks without signs. They monitored all the sites for a year to measure the impact on the level of crime, and noticed a major drop for racks with eyes but an increase at those without. A 2006 study found that staring eyes made people pay almost three times as much into a tea-room honesty box. 'We care what other people think about us, and as a result we behave better when we feel we are being observed' Professor Nettle lead author of the paper And research in 2010 showed that people using a canteen were more likely to clear away their tray after a meal when there were eyes watching them. Lead author of the paper Prof Nettle said: 'We don't know exactly what is happening here but this just adds to the growing evidence that images of eyes can have a big impact on behaviour. We think that the presence of eye images can encourage co-operative behaviour. One strong possibility is that the images of eyes work by making people feel watched. We care what other people think about us, and as a result we behave better when we feel we are being observed. Mr Nott, who is deputy team leader for security in the estates security service at Newcastle University, said: 'Anything we can do to reduce the level of theft on the campus is very welcome. I had followed previous work done by this team and thought it might be able to make a difference to levels of crime, so I decided to suggest this experiment. The results were clear and we have now put these pictures up across all the bike racks on the campus. Barry Sharp, from BTP's London North Area Crime Team, said: 'Research shows that this sign has had some promising results at Newcastle University, and we are always looking at new ways to tackle cycle theft at rail stations. As well as signs at stations and increased patrols at hot-spot locations, we aim to crack down on cycle thieves across Essex.