If you think someone is stealing a bike...

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Cyclopathic

Veteran
Location
Leicester.
what should you do? By now we are all familiar with footage taken where a bike is set up to be "stolen" by an actor and the subsequent shots of people staring on and not lifting a finger. So what should we do if we suspect that someone is stealing a bike. Many people might feel that imediate intervention is the best thing but that might well be dangerous and I can't blame someone for not wanting to get thumped or worse.
I thought that it might be useful to think about what action we could take if we see something dodgy happening. Obviously every situation is different but there might be some simple things that can be applied to help stop the theft or at least make it easier to catch the thief.
I thought perhaps taking their picture might help if it were possible.
 

perplexed

Guru
Location
Sheffield
Discreet photo is a good idea.

Depends on the circumstances for the rest.

Quiet place, with nobody else around may make a challenge risky. Phone police.

Busy area in town say, there could be a chance to challenge? Perhaps prime a shopkeeper or something to keep an eye out and ring police. They can always be cancelled if its a false alarm. How about ( in a nice, friendly, open tone):

"Have you lost the keys to your bike lock mate?" See what the reaction is. Might scare them off.

Possibly followed up with (depending on reation from the above)

"I'll give the police a ring for you if you like to see if any have been handed in..."


No one should put themselves in harms way though if in doubt. It's not worth it. Property can be replaced, people cannot.
 
For a bike? Sorry I'd do nothing myself, I'd call the police though if I was certain someone was attempting to steal anything though.
 
OP
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Cyclopathic

Cyclopathic

Veteran
Location
Leicester.
For a bike? Sorry I'd do nothing myself, I'd call the police though if I was certain someone was attempting to steal anything though.

To be clear, only if you were absolutely sure someone was stealing a bike (and how could one ever be 100% sure) would you possibly call the police?
There are things one can do without having to come into contact with the suspected thief that would pose no threat. Even just observing them so that you might be able to give a better discription to the police if nescessary or perhaps alerting someone else who could also act as a witness. Waitng to see which direction they head off in perhaps.
I completely understand why people might not want to risk themselves for a bike, and someone elses bike at that, but there's no need to do nothing at all.
 

Its none of my business:thumbsup:

If the guy is stood there with a hacksaw, wearing a balaclava and carries a bag with 'SWAG' written on the side perhaps I may be suspicious and would need to do something more. But otherwise I don't tend to use my day standing around watching people cycle off on bicycles just in case they have stolen it:thumbsup:
 
Location
Edinburgh
The one time I saw someone steal a bike I was not sure until they took off.

I was locking my bike up outside Halfords when a couple of lads went to 2 bikes that were lying on the ground beside the door. After a short while they rode off, but the bikes seemed a bit small for them.

I went into the store and up to the bike bit where a couple of younger lads were looking at stuff.

I asked them if they had bikes outside and when they said yes I told them what I had seen. Store management, thier dad's and the police got involved and I gave a statement. Unfortunately there was no CCTV coverage but the police had a pretty good idea of who it was based on my description. I have no idea if they ever recovered the bikes or caught the culprits. I have not been asked to provide evidence at any hearing.

I did go through a spell of thinking I could do more by challenging them before they rode off, but I was concentrating on locking my bike and only really cottened on when they rode off.
 
OP
OP
Cyclopathic

Cyclopathic

Veteran
Location
Leicester.
Its none of my business:thumbsup:

If the guy is stood there with a hacksaw, wearing a balaclava and carries a bag with 'SWAG' written on the side perhaps I may be suspicious and would need to do something more. But otherwise I don't tend to use my day standing around watching people cycle off on bicycles just in case they have stolen it:thumbsup:

That's fine, I'm fairly sure I understand what you're saying. I wasn't suggesting that getting involved in something like that would make for an interesting alternative way of spending ones time or that we should all be crouched behind hedges on the off chance that someone might do something suspicious at some point. I merely thought that if in the very unlikely event one does witness someone nicking a bike that there might be things one could do to prevent it or make it a bit more difficult for them. I can't imagine anything that would take more than a couple of minutes and that's if one ever did see anything. The sort of intervention I was thinking about wouldn't really eat into a persons time in any significant way I just thought that if one is actually right there when it is happening then saying something like "having difficulty mate?" or "is that yours?" (I'm sure other people will think of better things than that to say) would't really be too much effort for what might be the prevention of some poor sod getting his or her bike nicked. Perhaps even your bike. Perhaps the bike of a beautiful woman who thanks you and asks you out to dinner. Perhaps the bike of a powerful wizard who rewards you with a magic talisman or a billionaire who buys you a house. Who knows. But fine, if you're too busy then it's all the more women, magic charms and houses for us gallant folk.
 
OP
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Cyclopathic

Cyclopathic

Veteran
Location
Leicester.
The one time I saw someone steal a bike I was not sure until they took off.

I was locking my bike up outside Halfords when a couple of lads went to 2 bikes that were lying on the ground beside the door. After a short while they rode off, but the bikes seemed a bit small for them.

I went into the store and up to the bike bit where a couple of younger lads were looking at stuff.

I asked them if they had bikes outside and when they said yes I told them what I had seen. Store management, thier dad's and the police got involved and I gave a statement. Unfortunately there was no CCTV coverage but the police had a pretty good idea of who it was based on my description. I have no idea if they ever recovered the bikes or caught the culprits. I have not been asked to provide evidence at any hearing.

I did go through a spell of thinking I could do more by challenging them before they rode off, but I was concentrating on locking my bike and only really cottened on when they rode off.

I think it's good that you took the time to at least involve yourself and give what help you could. By the sound of it it wasn't exactly obvious that they were nicking them and it sounds like they weren't locked.
 
This has been posted before. I liked the idea where one poster suggested going up to the thief and saying 'Careful mate, the police are just round the corner'. Apparently said poster once used this technique and the thief legged it with a 'cheers'.

I'd try to stop them, but not before I had rung it in to get police on the way - or someone with me to start ringing. Guess its a little different for me though.

Personally, much as we are always told to advise people not to get involved, on a personal level I've always commended the ones that have.
 
...........Perhaps the bike of a beautiful woman who thanks you and asks you out to dinner. Perhaps the bike of a powerful wizard who rewards you with a magic talisman or a billionaire who buys you a house. Who knows. But fine, if you're too busy then it's all the more women, magic charms and houses for us gallant folk.

Karma, really? :laugh: This isn't Camden County y'know. Such things as 'what goes around comes around' does not exist, if I want good things to happen to me I go out there and make them happen :thumbsup:

"For evil to flourish, it takes good men to do nothing"

I guess you's would be kicking and screaming if you had any suspicion it was a friends bicycle that was being tampered with ?

Depends on the friend, and the bike, and if I'm armed with a tiger:becool:
 
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Cyclopathic

Cyclopathic

Veteran
Location
Leicester.
Karma, really? :laugh: This isn't Camden County y'know. Such things as 'what goes around comes around' does not exist, if I want good things to happen to me I go out there and make them happen :thumbsup:



Depends on the friend, and the bike, and if I'm armed with a tiger:becool:

Do you really see no merit in doing something for the benefit of someone else that doesnt benefit you immediately, or even at all. Should our motivation always be selfish? Surely you must have at one time or another been the recipient of someone elses selfless good will to some extent or other. I don't know why but I am still surprised when I find people with this outlook on life and god knows I should be used to it by now. I know that whatever I think about it doesn't matter and I don't really believe in karma either. I'm well aware that good things happen to bad people etc.
I can't claim either that my motivation for stepping in if I felt able is completely selfless or noble because it isn't. The reason I'd say something is because that is the sort of world I'd like to live in and the only way that I can acheive that even to a small degree is by acting in that way myself. None of us exist in isolation and none of us sucseed in life completely by our own efforts so to do nothing when one could do something goes against the grain.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
As a practitioner I am amazed at the number of people who don't "want to get involved." What's wrong with having a good look at them, remembering what they look like and calling the police? No one expects you to challenge them, but if you don't make that call how can anyone do anything about it?


As for karma, if you learned that a fellow cyclist watched someone stealing your bike and chose to do nothing about it how the hell would you feel?

No legitimate owner will object to being questioned about their own bike (except for the tinfoil hat brigade on here, but I'm talking about ordinary citizens, not nutters...)
 

Titan yer tummy

No meatings b4 dinner!
You sometimes have to step up to the plate and do the right thing!

The problem here is working out what the right thing is.

Step in and detain a wrong un who the cops come and collect, prosecute and convict and you are a hero.

Step in with a heavy hand and then find its a lawful owner who's lost his keys and you look a bit of a fool. And perhaps a worse outcome if you give the fellow a biff.

Me; step back call the cops on the mobile and keep them on the phone whilst you describe what you are watching. This will form the basis of an excellent statement at a later time if one is required.

Hopefully the law will pitch up in time to step in and investigate properly and you walk quietly away, with a sense of public duty done.
 

Frankly I'd be questioning if I am better than the person stealing the bike in the first place, the answer of course is yes.

And what outlook on life? That I weigh the pro's and con's of getting involved in an potential altercation?

Pro: ?
Con: He legs it, but comes back later and takes it anyway


Someone did nick my bike once, twice actually. First was recovered after a burglar stole it and he was subsequently arrested after a violent house entry elsewhere, the police returned it with a pick ax handle tied to the frame which I had to explain was not part of my equipment. Feel free to challenge a man wielding a pick axe handle prone to violence if you like.

The second was taken and not recovered, I claimed on insurance and got as replacement one of the best bikes I ever had.

And you said it - nutters - I will not end up being a statistic of one of these 'have a go heroes'.

It is a bike, it can be locked up and insured. If someone takes it, meh, claim and get another one.

You all should be questioning and challenging why more is not done by individuals and authorities to prevent bicycle theft in the first place, not question my lack of motivation to do more than the precautions I take for me and my property.
 
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