Advert - Is it my stolen bike?

[Fnaar]

Check it's yours, tell him so, wait for him to say "on yer bike mate " and, well, there you go!

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Sent mobile phone stylee

 

[Thomk]

It won't be the first time someone has "stolen" their bike back:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/13/mans-sees-stolen-bicycle-on-craigslist-promptly-steals-it-back/

 

[Dragonwight]

Id report it to the police and let them deal with it as an independent third party. Then there can be no allegations of you acquired the frame number and other particulars on your visit and then claimed ownership after. Besides the frame number do you have any other proof of ownership, receipts for parts, photos etc if you do i would dig them out.

 

[the snail]

.... I called 101 and they came within an hour) and the police told me not to contact the seller, but by the time the police did the guy had sold my bike on...

so that worked really well then

 

[Dragonwight]

And the guy who sold it doesnt know who he sold it too?

 

[Flyingfox]

And the guy who sold it doesnt know who he sold it too?

I don't think you ask for a name and address when selling a stolen bike!

 

[Andrew_P]

Hello I am calling from your local Police station, is that bike still for sale, erm no sorry

 

[steveindenmark]

I was a Thames Valley Police office for 6 years and this is not a scenario when you would use 999. I think saying that "A crime is in progress" is stretching a point. You may visit the guy to see if it is your bike and when you call he is sitting down to his tea to watch the footy. Not really a crime in progress. You need to use some common sense. A guy with a stripey jumper and mask climbing out of the window with a swag bag is a crime in progress.

Call the local police number and see what happens.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I was a Thames Valley Police office for 6 years and this is not a scenario when you would use 999. I think saying that "A crime is in progress" is stretching a point. You may visit the guy to see if it is your bike and when you call he is sitting down to his tea to watch the footy. Not really a crime in progress. You need to use some common sense. A guy with a stripey jumper and mask climbing out of the window with a swag bag is a crime in progress.

Call the local police number and see what happens.

I've never understood why burglars dress like that. Surely it draws attention to the fact that they may be involved in some criminal enterprise.

Also, that thing of creeping around suspiciously on tip toes and writing SWAG on the bag.

Wouldn't it be less conspicuous if they wrote "Honest Endeavour" on the bag and did without the mask and the stripey jumper?

Burglars are so stupid! No wonder our jails are full.

 

[Alun]

I've never understood why burglars dress like that. Surely it draws attention to the fact that they may be involved in some criminal enterprise.

Also, that thing of creeping around suspiciously on tip toes and writing SWAG on the bag.

Wouldn't it be less conspicuous if they wrote "Honest Endeavour" on the bag and did without the mask and the stripey jumper?

Burglars are so stupid! No wonder our jails are full.

Do you write the "Top Tips" for Viz magazine?

 

[Alun]

OP you might find that the bike has been "ringed" and is partly your bike and partly someone elses.
Not sure how this would affect proceedings, just thought I'd mention it.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Do you write the "Top Tips" for Viz magazine?

Absolutely not. Dreadful magazine!

I subscribed to Viz in the 80s when my inamorata was studying in the North East, hoping its pages would bring me closer to the culture of that region.

It was not so. The publishers seemed intent on getting a cheap laugh out of crude stereotype and little else.

No recommendations of quality restaurants, no articles about thriving galleries or gems of regional theatre.

A foul-mouthed TV critic (himself apparently a presenter) and a football writer who appeared to me a merman.

Frankly, I came to the conclusion that it was little more than a comic.

Little wonder that our jails are so full!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

A friend of mine recently had his bike stolen from the back of his house, all caught on camera but the thief had a hood+cap on so it wasn't possible to identify him.

Anyway, weeks go by and my mate buys a new bike. Shortly thereafter, he got a call from his LBS where a guy had brought in an identical bike for a repair and thought it was the stolen bike. He went to check and sure enough it was his bike. Bike shop called the guy to say the bike would be ready for collection the next afternoon and my mate contacted the police who agreed to meet him and wait in the back shop ahead of the pick-up.

Thief arrived and was immediately arrested. Since he couldn't be identified as the original thief, he's only being done for reset but it's still some satisfaction.

 

[Linford]

I was a Thames Valley Police office for 6 years and this is not a scenario when you would use 999. I think saying that "A crime is in progress" is stretching a point. You may visit the guy to see if it is your bike and when you call he is sitting down to his tea to watch the footy. Not really a crime in progress. You need to use some common sense. A guy with a stripey jumper and mask climbing out of the window with a swag bag is a crime in progress.

Call the local police number and see what happens.

They came around about 12 hours after I reported mine stolen. I saw the chav who nicked it (being the only person who could actually put it on my property apart from me and a known bike thief) I rang the police, they weren't interested.

However, I live near a no entry which is constantly abused by taxi and other drivers. I filmed a couple of hours of it to show my local councillor, she showed it to the local police and they threatened to come and confiscate the cam as I was filming people breaking the law in the road outside my house.

I don't have the greatest respect now for the judgment of the police around my way....

 

[chay]

Sorry to butt in, but it was never proved it was a stolen bike as the OP was to afraid to go and see it. For all anyone knows, the seller could be a totally innocent person.