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what doesn't help is the fact that no-one expects the police will do anything if their bike is nicked - here's your crime number, now stop wasting my time. Your bike gets nicked, you buy another. the police just aren't involved in the cycle of events.
What do you expect though? It's a relatively minor crime in terms of the value of what was stolen, with a very low chance of the thief being caught, or the bike being recovered, so it's hardly their priority.
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I locked my bike to a busy bike stand on a quiet street in North London the other day and sat across the road outside a cafe having a cup of tea. There were lots of new ridgebacks etc locked there too, some with extremely shit locks, and a few old geared Raleighs. Plus one Langster. As I was reading my book, I saw a couple of kids on mountain bikes turn up to the stand. They examined all the bikes, took phone pictures of my bike (a rusty old track frame) and the shiny Langster, and then sent some text messages. they then sat there, waiting patiently. I guess the 'scout' system means that the people they're texting can then turn up with the right toolage for that particular lock. If they want your bike, they want it.
I finished my tea and went and got my bike. They called me a 'mug' and pulled an imaginary trigger at me :(
This method is well-known, plurabelle, although most of the time they're rather more circumspect about it. IT#s cheeky to be so obvious. Perhaps they didn't realise they were being watched? But yes, it's better to get out of the way, as some of these kids are backed up by heavier artillery. Could you give a rough indication where this was?
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This is why I love Mr. Fried Chicken's story of his Brick Lane reposession. It's hitting the buyers. Clearly the tea leaves will do as they always do and we can only make it difficult. Nailing the buyer when they're out of pocket is a much better way to drop the bottom out of the market. If that happened enough then people would think twice about buying. Fewer buyers would reduce the market.
That's a good idea in theory, Dale, and it has been done. The only problem is that it generates work like there's no tomorrow, and theoretically you'd have to show that the bike is stolen to have real grounds for removing it from a buyer. For instance, the police couldn't pursue this as a general tactic. So, you have all these stolen bikes sitting around at stalls, or maybe locked up around the area, and the police only do something as soon as someone buys one?
Targeting the thieves requires more difficult police work, and while you're right that there will always be thieves, it is more effective to tackle the problem at its root (which is thieves, not people's locking habits), as you take care of several to very many potential thefts with a successful prosecution against one thief.
It's still a very difficult and intractable problem that requires a well-thought through and multi-pronged approach.
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This method is well-known, plurabelle, although most of the time they're rather more circumspect about it. IT#s cheeky to be so obvious. Perhaps they didn't realise they were being watched? But yes, it's better to get out of the way, as some of these kids are backed up by heavier artillery. Could you give a rough indication where this was?
It was in leafy, mildly twee, uber-pleasant Primrose Hill. Regent's Park Road, of all places :)
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It was in leafy, mildly twee, uber-pleasant Primrose Hill. Regent's Park Road, of all places :)
Ta. You don't want to move there, anyway. ;)
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Ta. You don't want to move there, anyway. ;)
Um...
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Sorry but is Lynx the only one here who flagged the most important and shocking part of that stupid article?!?!
The head of brick lane market, david saunders, is seeking legal advice to turn brick lane into a "bike-free zone".
Hello people!?!?
Did anyone else write in to the london paper or to mr. Saunders complaining about his "blame the victim" tactics?!?! -
Do you have a paper copy of the article, Roxy?
I can't seem to find it on-line.
Not in the country, so wasn't able to pick up a copy of the paper.
What exactly does it say? Does it refer only to sales of stolen bikes or to 'banning' cycling?
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Sorry but is Lynx the only one here who flagged the most important and shocking part of that stupid article?!?!
The head of brick lane market, david saunders, is seeking legal advice to turn brick lane into a "bike-free zone".Flagged where? Where was this mentioned?
All I can find on David Saunders is him being a fashion designer.. not head of brick anything..
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Anyone registered on https://www.immobilise.com as recommended in the article? Clearly a long shot but has to be worth it.
As another incredibly long shot, I have one of those UV pens to mark your phone number on valuables. This was given to me by a copper friend who said there are hundreds of recovered items in police shops that they have no way of tracing the owner.I'm thinking of hanging a banner on Cygnet St calling the people who buy stolen bikes worse than the thieves.
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I've registered my bikes on immobilise. I've even bought the Immobitag to stuff down the seatpost and use UV pen on them. I don't know if I trust it because it requires the police to actually take possession of the bike and then check them with a UV light or RFID scanner. Does that happen in real life? No idea.
Incidentally the cops are out on Old Compton street behind the theatre with Priscilla registering bikes and giving away UV pens. They'll be there until 16.00.
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They're also giving away jelly beans.
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Hayzeus wept, there's some burning stupid in that article.
Then don't buy the bike, you lard-brained fuck socket.
*Name changed, apparently. Still as dumb as a box of discarded foreskins.
Easy, her boyfriend might be on here. ;)
Way to think out of the box, you vapid sack of Tynanised™ spanners.
Fixed. ;)
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Highlight: Met crime figures, covering the financial year 2008/09, show 18,218 cycles were stolen over the period
Any chance they could see this as a problem and, you know, try and catch some theives or whatever?
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It might be wrong, but I always lock my bike next to someone with a shit lock.
this, I also try to park my 25 year old, unpainted racer next to a ridiculous XC/downhill thing with Zoom forks and tractor tyres if I can. If it has a shitter lock than mine (usually does), double bonus
I'm going to worry a bit when I get a decent bike, but that's the reason i spent £40 on a lock rather than £15
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Tynanize™ is a trademarked process. The zee is entirely appropriate.
It's an Americanised takeover.
[Edit] In fact, any time I write something that appears to be spelled incorrectly, it is because I write in a proprietary language.
Ah, THAAAAT explains it. ;)
H-Bomb
Oliver Schick
Steff
papa44
plurabelle
deleted
roxy
hippy
VeeVee
edscoble
Wicksie
D._Generate
Kirth
Rod_Munch
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Posted by
@Rascale
what doesn't help is the fact that no-one expects the police will do anything if their bike is nicked - here's your crime number, now stop wasting my time. Your bike gets nicked, you buy another. the police just aren't involved in the cycle of events.
I had a wheel taxed from the southbank this eve (didn't attempt the to break the lock), rang the rozzas for my victim number (beautifully put by them!) and when i told them that CCTV would show someone walking towards the bikes with a rucksack and then leaving with a wheel, DCI Bovva'd lost interest.
Phoning the insurance folks tomoro - they'd better pay out.