Bike theft problem around London

[Smaug]

Just when I thought the US was The scumbag capitol of the world, London rises to the challenge.

Luckily, we are generally too lazy for bikes to be a big theft target. Seems like this will be easy to handle with AirTags?

 

[HumanPerson]

Good mornin bro

 

[pagheca]

London? In Cardiff and Manchester it was a nightmare as well!

 

[Pinhead]

Saw that last week, I do wonder, a chap says he was targeted, does no one "see" it happen, I would not hesitate to ram the scum myself if I saw someone being mugged.

With such busy places is it at night, there are hundreds of people about

Glad I live in a nice quiet area in Wales but I have always been raised to be FULLY aware "street wise"

 

[Smaug]

I’m sorry to say it, because it should not be relevant, but that one woman who was the headliner of the article, needs to get herself a cheaper bike for her road rides. A nice heavy Schwinn from the 60s or something.

The thieves are starting to recognize the value of a high zoot road bike.

 

[Pinhead]

I’m sorry to say it, because it should not be relevant, but that one woman who was the headliner of the article, needs to get herself a cheaper bike for her road rides. A nice heavy Schwinn from the 60s or something.

The thieves are starting to recognize the value of a high zoot road bike.

So she is in the wrong for having a decent bike, blame her

 

[pagheca]

Hi @Smaug. Sorry but this time I disagree with you (and fully agree with @Pinhead). She is a "former pro", so she trains in good bycicles. Blaming the victim is never right. I would never suggest to visit the Bronx with a 200 K$ Rolex on the wrist, but this is a tool she uses. And even a 4 or 5K€ would be a target.

Having said that, I'm just glad I live in a place like this: a few Sundays ago during a tour with a friend we stopped at a bar in a village on the coast. Coming from Rome I'm always very careful to padlock everything, remove the Kiox and if possible the battery, but here people look at me like I'm a psycopath when I do that : leaning against the wall were two very expensive-looking carbon fiber Colnago, unlocked. The owners were inside enjoying a cortado....

I would have had a heart collapse from being quiet inside, but it's normal here. Sometimes we do not fully realize how much the existence of thieves and thugs costs society and the quality of life...

 

[HumanPerson]

lol

 

[JerryB]

Police in London are puzzled by the theft of the police station bathrooms........​

Detectives released a statement saying that "They have nothing to go on".

 

[Smaug]

Hi @Smaug. Sorry but this time I disagree with you (and fully agree with @Pinhead). She is a "former pro", so she trains in good bycicles. Blaming the victim is never right.

I didn't blame her. Pinhead put those words in my mouth and you locked onto that. It's just poor judgment to ride a super-expensive bike through a high-crime area.

Yes, she SHOULD be able to, but she obviously cannot. As Einstein once said:

In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.

Just the same as your experience: One SHOULD be able to leave a bike unlocked in Rome, but in reality? Nope.

The reality is changing.

I was just surprised that they will violently mug and steal a bike, rather than just stealing it from where it's locked up.

 

[addertooth]

Yep, depending on the country/area, it is not safe going out wearing expensive watches or jewelry either.
I am pleased to live in a small town in Arizona. People here "lack tolerance" for thieves.
The local police enforce property laws with true zeal.

 

[Pinhead]

Yep, depending on the country/area, it is not safe going out wearing expensive watches or jewelry either.
I am pleased to live in a small town in Arizona. People here "lack tolerance" for thieves.
The local police enforce property laws with true zeal.

I think it is all about common sense

To ride a bike in a BUILT UP area as she was riding I would 100% have considered safe, on a London back street after dark, whilst safe, no, these are NOT and I repeat NOT generation English/British doing this they are recent citizens ! mainly.

 

[HumanPerson]

I think it is all about common sense

To ride a bike in a BUILT UP area as she was riding I would 100% have considered safe, on a London back street after dark, whilst safe, no, these are NOT and I repeat NOT generation English/British doing this they are recent citizens ! mainly.

I play a game online called Torn Torn.com and most of the people from england/britain that play there will say you're wrong lol

Hundreds if not thousands of people from your area play that game online and i see them gripe and complain all the time every day 'bout
their young citizens LOL

Let's keep all of this ...if ya'll gonna talk 'bout who did this and who did that, in the Off Topic area.... Capiche' ?

 

[pagheca]

It's just the typical bit of british racism, @HumanPerson.

So easy to accuse "immigrants". One of the reason why my wife and me (italians, me working at the University, my wife at the Opera) moved out of UK after Brexit. That country has changed its face in recent years.

 

[JerryB]

A guy walks into a bar and hears two women speaking in a British accent. He asks, "Are you ladies from England?" One says to him "No, it's Wales, you idiot!" So, then the guy says, "Okay, sorry. So, are you two whales from England?"

 

[Hi Proof]

Just when I thought the US was The scumbag capitol of the world, London rises to the challenge.

Luckily, we are generally too lazy for bikes to be a big theft target. Seems like this will be easy to handle with AirTags?

Is there no concealed carry in London? If there was that problem would go away overnight.

 

[addertooth]

Is there no concealed carry in London? If there was that problem would go away overnight.

Unless you are VERY well politically connected, it is quite difficult to get a concealed carry there.
I hear you are also required to have a very expensive insurance policy as well.

 

[Smaug]

Pepper spray is illegal in the UK, too. Why?! It's non-lethal and only temporarily debilitating. These draconian laws only hurt law-abiding citizens, as the criminals (by definition) aren't obeying laws anyhow.

Last option is flashlights, I think. (Tactical "Torches" in the archaic English) We have very bright LED flashlights available to us now. Even in daylight, a bright LED in the eyes is temporarily debilitating and I think you could make a good case to carry a "tactical torch" if hassled by the bobbies:

Are Tactical Torches Legal in the UK?

Are Tactical Torches Legal in the UK?

www.olightstore.uk

In my view, if citizens/subjects are forbidden from carrying any kind of weapon, then it is the responsibility of the government to protect them in all cases.

One last option: Take martial arts classes and get good. Can't take that skill away from a person. I'm toying with the idea of taking Aikido from a local school here, just for fun and fitness.

 

[pagheca]

Pepper spray is illegal in the UK, too. Why?! It's non-lethal and only temporarily debilitating. These draconian laws only hurt law-abiding citizens, as the criminals (by definition) aren't obeying laws anyhow.

In my opinion (and many studies confirm that) the defense of citizens should not be theirs but the prerogative of the state. If you start with a "non-lethal pepper spray" 1) be sure that it will be used first by thugs (who at that point will have the right to have it), while the poor old lady at risk of having her pension stolen will never be able to make use of it in time against two thugs assaulting her, and 2) you start like this and you end up with people buying weapons of war at the supermarket, because of the "escalation effect".

I don't know if that reminds you of anything... I would rarther worry about studying what the roots of the problem are and how to reduce it.

 

[JerryB]

So I got my concealed carry gun permit yesterday and then went over to the local Bass Pro Shop to get a small caliber pistol for home protection. When I was ready to pay for the gun, the cashier said, “Strip down, facing me.” Making a mental note to complain about these new invasive gun control laws, I did as she instructed. After her hysterical shrieking subsided, I realized she was referring to how I should place my credit card in the reader. I still don’t think I looked that bad.