The local news featured an item about the public's lack of reaction to bicycle theft. In Cambridge, plain-clothes police officers had staged situations where they had blatantly approached chained-up bicycles in the street, cut the chains with bright yellow bolt croppers and rode away on the bikes. They were amazed that passing members of the public saw them and turned a blind eye.
As far as I could see, neither the news programme nor the police offered any advice on what you should do if you witnessed such a situation.
It's no good looking round for a policeman - they are never around when you need one. If you accost the thief, then you'll probably be knifed. If you take a photo on your mobile phone - who would you send it to?
When I'm fumbling through my pockets in town desperately trying to find the key to my cycle lock, the thought crosses my mind - 'Say I've lost the key and have to come back with bolt croppers ...... how would I explain what I was doing?' The answer appears to be that I wouldn't have to worry about anyone questioning me!
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Bicycles were fair game when I was at Cambridge. They were all wrecks, nobody ever locked a bike, if yours had vanished you just took another.
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Daughter has just taken her bike to first year at Uni. I'm wondering how long it is before I have reports it's just a stripped frame chained to a lamp post.
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When I went to university, I bought a well tatty bike as I thought my good one would only get stolen. Spent £12 buying it, fixed it up, bought a very few new parts, doubt if I spent much more that £5. Rode it for three years, and when I graduated, sold it to another student for £20.
The only replacement tyre came from the tip!
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If you wanted to do anything, then I suppose videoing the incident and calling the police is all you could do.
Certainly I wouldn't suggest getting physically involved for the sake of a bike.
A few years ago I witnessed an incident where a guy knocked a woman out in the street. Another guy went to intervene, and was attacked too, and so a scuffle broke out.
The original attacker then walked up and down the street threatening to kill everyone.
When the police finally arrived, he then started to claim that he had been assaulted, and was only 17 years old (which he probably was).
The old woman, who seemed to be a relative, was back on her feet, but with all the bystanders watching, you'd think that the police could easily clear it up.
Unfortunately, not one of the dozens of bystanders came forward as the police detained the guy who intervened.
I did go and speak to them, and finally another guy came forward and spoke to them. But that was two people out of dozens (most of whom had drifted away). They eventually released the guy and arrested the attacker, but I have no idea what happened after that.
It was a stark warning to me of the dangers of getting involved, regardless of the number of witnesses.
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When son was at Cambridge a few years back we bought him a cheap second hand bike rather than take his good one....
...it cost £15 and lasted a couple of years , he then left it over the summer holidays in college and when he returned it had disappeared so we simply got him another cheap one which was left in Cambridge when he graduated....more trouble than it was worth to get it back home.....
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>> plain-clothes police officers had staged situations where they had blatantly approached chained-up bicycles in the street, cut the chains with bright yellow bolt croppers and rode away on the bikes.
Presumably the bikes and chains belonged to the police and not members of the public?
Surely though, this action just gives the message to potential thieves that it's ok to steal bikes because no one will bother them.
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"Presumably the bikes and chains belonged to the police and not members of the public?"
I would assume so. I would be pretty cross if I came back to my bike/lock and found that the police had caused damage in order to demonstrate that the public was brain-dead.
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>> Presumably the bikes and chains belonged to the police and not members of the public?
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>> Surely though, this action just gives the message to potential thieves that it's ok to
>> steal bikes because no one will bother them.
The bike thieves unfortunately already know they can work unmolested. My friend Jim has had two brazenly taken on London streets during working hours and in full daylight.
This police stunt was staged to give the public a reminder and hopefully make them think about interveneing or raising the alarm.
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I returned to my locked bike to find a guy obviously trying different combinations on the lock of an adjacent bike. There was a PCSO about a hundred yards away, so I went and told him. He got on his radio!
I returned to mine and by the time I unlocked it the guy gave up and walked away, presumably in frustration.
A place I used to work had bike racks adjacent to a gatehouse. A kid told the gatekeeper he'd locked his bike and lost his key (didn't explain why he'd locked it on private premises when he had no business being there). The gatekeeper went and found a hacksaw and removed the lock. The bikes owner was less than impressed!
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I have a couple of "posh" bikes and have had several over the years which might attract attention due to their badges. I take the branding stickers off, usually carefully using a heat gun. ( the type of thing you use to strip pain or varnish although I imagine a hairdryer might work. )
Those who know their treadirons might still realise they were a cut or two above so to speak, but I delude myself that the sort of oik who would steal a bike is probably most attracted by the badges.
Anyway, so far so good.
Edit - also mine are usually covered in mud and other brown stuff being mainly used off road. This tends to make them look a little careworn in itself.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Thu 10 Oct 13 at 17:52
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When the public are conditioned and 'encouraged' to stand around drone like (move along now nothing to see here) as criminal acts unfold, don't act don't do anything except call the police...why? unless one needs a crime number...why are the police surprised when the unwashed shuffle on head down not noticing.
Its a non story, what has been sown is being reaped.
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A few years ago, I was sitting with a colleague having something to eat one night in a pizza restaurant in the centre of London. At a table near us, which was in view of the window to the street, were a young German couple who were ready to pay and the young lady had, perhaps inadvisedly, taken her wallet out and laid it on the table ready to settle their bill.
Two young guys walked in and bold as brass went over to the young couple's table, snatched their wallet and made for the door. We witnessed this and indeed the shouts of protest from the victims.
Both my friend and I used to play a bit of rugby, and without discussing our next move, again perhaps inadvisedly took off after the robbers who by now had broken into a jog towards the door.
Well, anyway, suffice it to say we were sitting on them just outside the restaurant when the police arrived.
We were made to get in the back of a police car and were taken to some grotty interview room at the nick and we were left to hang around for nearly two hours before anyone came to take a statement, which was done in such a derisory manner as to be obvious that it represented nothing more than an inconvenience, after which we were basically chucked out the front door a couple of miles away from where we had been and wanted to be.
We hadn't finished our meal and the restaurant hadn't been paid.
We never did hear anything more about the incident. I'm still glad we did something about it though although the police made it clear, through much sighing and rolling of eyes they would have preferred that we hadn't bothered.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Fri 11 Oct 13 at 21:59
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What should you do? - Cliff Pope
