Woman steals back her bike

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Drago

Legendary Member
Oh aye indeed. Getting yourself locked up for public order offences does nothing towards settling a dispute with a shop in your favour, a simple fact that seems lost on too many folk.
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
This week Mrs 73 was quite surprised to see a row of bikes hanging on the racks out back of a local cop shop. Complete with evidence tag's waiting to go back to owners having a quick look they'd been recovered from a number of placers. So I guess some time's they do investigate and find stolen bikes.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
I 'stole' a bike back once.
I saw it chained up in town several months after it disappeared. I taped a piece of paper to it stating it was my bike, police have been contacted and it was near some cctv. Went to the Police Station very nearby, they wanted some proof of ownership, I went home and got some photos with distinguishing features, satisfied them it was mine, filled in a report and they came out with a pair of croppers and returned it to me...with the proviso that if someone reported it stolen, which wasn't very likely, they'd have to investigate further.

Good result for the lady in the story, sad it had to get to someone having to expose themselves to potential danger in doing so.
 

robrinay

Senior Member
Location
Sheffield
I caught the thief who'd nicked my Dahon folder in possession of the bike an hour after he'd nicked it, on a road in Nottingham well covered by surveillance cameras. He told me he'd found it and hastily ran off. When I rang the Police to report what had happened and that the tea leaf would be easily recognisable on their cameras they said thank you for solving the crime I'd reported earlier asked for a description of thief but said it was too difficult to check the footage even though I gave them an exact time. On a more amusing note a few years ago one of my daughter's friends had her phone grabbed by a yob on a bike while she was walking home from her martial arts class. he swung a punch and missed as she instinctively ducked grabbed the phone back and punched him several times. He ran off without his posh bike. When she later reported the incident to the police they laughed made notes and told her to keep the bike until he reported it stolen. She still has the bike.
 

robrinay

Senior Member
Location
Sheffield
"Their" cameras? The police don't have any cameras. They're owned and run by the local authority.
Fair enough but surely they’d be allowed access if they needed it - I watch tv. Also petty crime adds up to lots of social problems. I’m pretty sure he was on drugs so was on his way to the junk shop to get enough for a hit or two. So such crime will eventually impact on the NHS Social care, higher Insurance premiums in relation to the amount of theft etc etc. So although the crime was probably too small to be further investigated its time the Police were funded well enough to sort such stuff for the greater good.
 
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Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Nice one, respect to the woman.
And total disrespect for how utterly useless our police service has become for anything less than serious crimes..
Well, in that case you'd better get campaigning and voting for anyone in our political system who is prepared to fund the Police Force people want. No good moaning about them.
Maybe the UK could stop wasting magic money trees on Brexit and spend it on Police, social welfare, education, mental health...just a thought.
But don't condemn the Police for this situation.
 

Smudge

Veteran
Location
Somerset
Well, in that case you'd better get campaigning and voting for anyone in our political system who is prepared to fund the Police Force people want. No good moaning about them.
Maybe the UK could stop wasting magic money trees on Brexit and spend it on Police, social welfare, education, mental health...just a thought.
But don't condemn the Police for this situation.

We all know its down to funding, you're only stating the obvious.
I wasn't moaning about them, just stating a fact.
 

brucers

Guru
Location
Scunthorpe
Another aspect of this that seems wrong is that the Police tell her to contact the culprit and act as an interested buyer. It would not be unreasonable for her to assume that they would send someone go along with her given it could be a dangerous situation. Even if she goes with a friend, their is potential for matters to escalate.
 
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steveindenmark

Legendary Member
Imagine you have taken your bike to the LBS to have, say, the gears indexed. When they ask you to come and pick it up, you insist on a test ride and promptly scarper without paying. Technically you have stolen your own bike because at that point, until you had paid for the work, it was in the possession of the LBS.

I admit I haven't heard of that happening, but there are a number of documented instances of car drivers being convicted for the equivalent (Google "R v Turner (No 2), 1971", for example) and the Theft Act makes no distinction between cars, bikes, etc.
No you have not stolen your own bike. You have made off without payment. It is a different offence. A bit like as if you had done a runner from a restaurant without paying for your meal.


As for the original post. Unless you know all the fact it is difficult to judge the police actions. You will not get all the facts out of reading a newspaper.
 
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Nigelnightmare

Über Member
I had my bike stolen 38 years ago, the police wouldn't do anything even though both they and I knew who had it.
That sorry excuse for a human being has never been able to ride a bike since.:boxing::B) :cycle:

In fact he now finds difficult/painful to walk.
 
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Imagine you have taken your bike to the LBS to have, say, the gears indexed. When they ask you to come and pick it up, you insist on a test ride and promptly scarper without paying. Technically you have stolen your own bike because at that point, until you had paid for the work, it was in the possession of the LBS.

I admit I haven't heard of that happening, but there are a number of documented instances of car drivers being convicted for the equivalent (Google "R v Turner (No 2), 1971", for example) and the Theft Act makes no distinction between cars, bikes, etc.
Bollocks they are guilty of not paying there bill. No different from doing a runner from a restaurant.
 
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