a question for the forum's coppers

[dellzeqq]

a woman, about fifty five, knocks at my door. She says she's just moved in to no. 22, which is a way up the street, and she's locked herself out. She asks if she can borrow the money for the busfare to Battersea.

I think to myself 'is this real?' And, rather than go upstairs to look for some change I tell her that I only have cards on me.

She goes away.

Should I have followed her down the street as she knocked on the neighbours' door? Or am I getting too cynical in my old age?

 

[fossyant]

These beggars are getting good - door to door now

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm not worried about begging. It was the burglary thing that bothered me - but, again, maybe I'm getting old and grumpy

 

[iLB]

I'm imagining you pursuing the woman on a brommy, as she tries to make off with the colnago...

 

[ColinJ]

Perhaps I'm cynical too - I'd have done the same thing!

I know this is about the potential burglary aspect, but can I tell my story about a Manchester beggar/fraudster?

 

[dellzeqq]

go for it

 

[Archie_tect]

I'm not worried about begging. It was the burglary thing that bothered me - but, again, maybe I'm getting old and grumpy

Dell, you could have offered to phone a locksmith and see her home. They say chivalry's dead....

 

[srw]

Giles Fraser in the Guardian a couple of weeks ago (he's the media-friendly priest who resigned from St Paul's Cathedral over the Occupy protest) shared his technique - "Of course. Let me walk you to the bus stop and pay for your fare."

 

[dellzeqq]

Dell, you could have offered to phone a locksmith and see her home. They say chivalry's dead....

ah - I cut a bit of my account out. I offered to burgle her house (I'm pretty darn decent at burglary, as my neighbours will verify). She said that she was in a hurry to catch her bus to Battersea.

 

[ColinJ]

go for it

Okay ...

So, I was a skinny first-year student who had just been home for Easter. I had gone down to Coventry with just a rucksack, and was returning a couple of weeks later with that and 3 carrier bags stuffed with chocolate cake, teabags, fruit etc. My mum thought I was losing too much weight and needed fattening up. (Either that, or she thought that Manchester didn't actually have any shops?)

Anyway ... I was staggering past the Arndale Centre when a very distressed-looking man aged about 30 ran up to me ...

Man: "Mate, mate - I need a big favour!"

ColinJ (Immediately in beggar-avoidance mode): "Which is ...?"

Man: "I just got a message that me mam has been taken seriously ill and has been rushed into hospital. I jumped in me car and headed for the hospital and I just ran out of petrol. I ain't got any money on me to fill up. I'm desperate, mate, it doesn't sound like me dear old mam is gonna make it. Can you spare us a few quid to get me to the hospital?"

I was 99% sure that it was a con, but then I thought that if I was wrong and it was the 1% case and dear old mam actually was dying ... I decided to opt for humanity!

ColinJ: "Apologies to you if your mother actually is ill, and if so, I hope she gets well soon. I'm going to give you the money because I'm a decent bloke and I don't want to worry that I have misjudged you and let you down in your time of need. In fact, I think you are a con-artist and this story is bollocks! Here's a few quid. Now bugger off!"

A year passed and I was now an even skinnier second-year student who had just been home for Easter. I had gone down to Coventry with just a rucksack, and was returning a couple of weeks later with that and 3 carrier bags stuffed with chocolate cake, teabags, fruit etc. My mum still thought I was losing too much weight and needed fattening up. (And she still thought that Manchester didn't actually have any shops!)

Anyway ... I was staggering past the Arndale Centre once again when a very distressed-looking man aged about 31 ran up to me ...

Man: "Mate, mate - I need a big favour!"

ColinJ (recognising him immediately!): "Bloody hell - your dear old mam is a fighter isn't she!"

Man: "Eh?"

ColinJ: "And my dear old dad told me to never leave the house without money in my wallet - you never know when you are going to need it!"

Man; "Huh?"

ColinJ: "And as for running out of petrol - fill your tank more often!"

Man (smiles, turns away, looks back over his shoulder ...): "Ha ha, I see - done ya before. Well, ya gotta try, dontcha!"

ColinJ: "Get a job!"

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have three interlinked stories!

1. A deaf gentleman in Ipswich flagged down my car and told me he needed to get to his girlfriend's house because she was about to give birth, he jumped in my car and I told him that I speak sign language, he looked shifty then proceeded to sign much too quickly for me, and it's also very difficult to understand someone signing in the passenger seat and you're trying to drive. I proceeded to drive him to the opposite side of the town and dropped him off in the middle of the biggest council estate in town. When driving away a non-signing friend in the back seat asked me why I drove the guy across town and left him in the middle of nowhere when all he asked for was a quid for the bus. It was a totally honest mistake. Funny though.
   
   
2. Going through my front door after a band practice (so about midnight) I heard a van screech to a halt in the road behind me, there was a smash of glass and when the van sped off the fella from the first story was laying in a pool of blood unconscious cradling a smashed vodka bottle. I called and ambulance and ended up having to help strap him to a back board and help the police with their enquiries. Afterwards many stories emerged from friends who knew of this deaf chap and knew of the trouble he made for himself.
   
   
3. A few years later I was sat in my record shop and this same deaf lad entered the shop and handed me a piece of paper informing me that he needed £2 to make an emergency phone call. I politely asked, via the medium of British Sign Language, how he was going to make a phone call if he was deaf. He looked very sheepish, laughed and backed out of the shop. I was glad to see he looked well though.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

[QUOTE 2036361, member: 45"]

I left him to it.[/quote]

Amazing.

When I was a shambolic young punk I was stumbling across town early one Sunday morning when I was accosted by a couple of drunks who requested funds. I proved to them that I had nothing at all, and they felt sorry for me and gave me a quid.

 

[asterix]

Some while ago I answered the front door to a person selling something I didn't want. After closing said door I went straight to the kitchen at the back, saw a figure at the back door and opened it. A different person said 'Oh sorry, I thought it was another house and was about to knock'. Yeah right..

 

[asterix]

[QUOTE 2036217, member: 45"]Similar to the "I'll buy you a meal" response. They're clever though. An ex-heroin addict friend of mine used to accept the offer of a McDonalds, then pull out a hair and stick it in the burger before returning to Ronald and insisting on a refund.[/quote]

I wondered why they asked me for a DNA sample before they let me have a burger.

 

[Cubist]

a woman, about fifty five, knocks at my door. She says she's just moved in to no. 22, which is a way up the street, and she's locked herself out. She asks if she can borrow the money for the busfare to Battersea.

I think to myself 'is this real?' And, rather than go upstairs to look for some change I tell her that I only have cards on me.

She goes away.

Should I have followed her down the street as she knocked on the neighbours' door? Or am I getting too cynical in my old age?

Ring 101 and leave a message for yourlocal npt. They'd love to hear about her.