What would you do if you thought a bike was being stolen before your very eyes?

[Hip Priest]

Slightly off topic, but kinda relevant to your thoughts..
I once apprehended a shoplifter (for stealing a £30 games controller). I instinctively grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back into the shop. The resulting 'scuffle' involved 4 people holding him down as, frothing at the mouth, he spat and bit at us. When the police came to search him, he had drugs paraphernalia including needles along with a screwdriver. "Would you have grabbed him if you knew he had those things on him?" was the question from the policeman... "These people won't think twice about stabbing a police officer" he added.

You say "cowardice", I say sensible.

Thanks Tez.

What put me off was that I'm not a fighter, and the thief was a big, tattooed bloke (he gets bigger with every retelling of this tale!). If he'd turned on me, I'd have been in trouble. The thing I regret is not being able to cook up a plan, like the aforementioned copper-round-the-corner ruse. Another thing I learned is not to use a combi lock. He didn't cut the cable, he managed to get through the combination somehow.

 

[CopperCyclist]

I'd ring someone else to call the police for me - preferably someone I know is on shift with a radio - as it's quicker than the control centre. I'd then go make an arrest. However my situation is obviously different from most.

To the people worried about thieves stabbing/attacking them, it's understandable and the official stance from the police is to advise members of the public to not get involved. That said, most thieves will simply leg it as fast as they can if anyone on the other side of the began shouting "Thief! Thief! Call the police!" at the top of their voice. There's a difference between theft and robbery, and most thieves steal in this way because they lack the aptitude or the feral gang for direct confrontations.

Personally, if it was my bike, I'd much prefer someone scared the thief away, never to be caught, than was able to say 'I watched him take your bike, but have a really really good description'.

Lastly, kudos to the fast thinking people who come up with something on he spur of the moment. It reminds me of two fifteen year old lads who won an award in Birmingham. They witnessed a stabbing, and phoned the police. The offender saw them, began running at them with they knife so they ran off. Offender stops chasing and starts running away, the lads realise they are faster and fitter than him so turn round and begin chasing him, but keeping a distance, staying on the phone. Offenders turns, chases them, the run away. He stops, they chase. Apparently this continued until the police arrived and arrested him.

 

[clarion]

I've had this situation twice. Once was a kid ran up to a bike parked opposite my work as I left for home. He hadn't seen me, and thought the road was clear. He ran across the road away from his mate, yanked hard at the bike to snap the (admittedly rather flimsy) chain, but it didn't give, so he ran off.

Fortunately, he was in school uniform and so I rode the 100m to the school and reported him to some teachers. Then I rode home. Well, I meant to, but the cocky twats were playing football near the mosque, around the corner from the site of the attempted theft. So I circled round and told the teachers exactly where they were.

The other time, there was a chap behaving oddly near a bike.

'What are you doing?' I asked
'I'm nicking this bike.'
'No you're not.'

I'm not intimidating physically, but the thief reassessed his position and buggered off.

 

[superbadger]

CopperCyclist just made an interesting point about the radios; Most of the shops in my town communicate via radio (to warn of shoplifters etc...) so if possible you could fly into most shops and ask them to contact police while you sneak back and take some 'sneaky pics' of the thief!!!!

 

[wiggydiggy]

Other - Nothing

Sorry but having been the victim of unprovoked assault in the past, I haven't the slightest intention of going looking for it over a bicycle.

 

[fossyant]

Where is the 'd-lock em' option ?

 

[apollo179]

Good on you Mozzy...

Saw two lads obviously trying to nick a bike about 5 month ago and i didn't fancy a rumble being outnumbered so i went over as cool as you like and said 'Watch out lads,there's two coppers walking this way round that corner'... They legged it thanking me 4 the warning... 5 mins later i did see a cop and told him what had happened. He thanked me too....

That is really very good.Safe and desired result.
Id be more inclined to do that than try my luck at a citizens arrest.

 

[superbadger]

That is really very good.Safe and desired result.
Id be more inclined to do that than try my luck at a citizens arrest.

Thanks . I was just in day to day casual clothes so it worked a treat. Mind you with the state(and lack of braincells) of some of these scum i could have walked over wearing a clown costume and they would have still listened....

Another quick opinion is that 'no bike is worth the risk of injury or worse'. I can be pretty 'Hot-headed' when i see people taking liberties (and bikes) but i didn't fancy 2 on 1 so used my brain. 1 on 1 i might have done it different and regretted it! These *'scum' carry all-sorts of weapons and have no regrets in using them! Be careful people.

*- DISCLAIMER..... About the word SCUM... I would like to say sorry to my washing machine that does over time collect scum... But it does it over time and through some damn hard work! Completely the opposite to the other kind of scum i was refering to that has never done hard work and his/her favourite toy is probably a hammer!'

 

[gary in derby]

Had my bike knicked from my back garden a few years ago. luckily a neighbour recognized the guy and told me. so I did what any sane person would do.
I removed my machette from my shed and went looking. I found his brother and grabbed him by the hair and frog marched him to his house. on knocking on his door his mum opened the door and saw me with son I one hand and said machette in other. I politely asked for the return of my bike within two hours or I will be posting other sons hands through letter box. guess it had desired effect as bike found its own way back into my garden.

 

[apollo179]

Had my bike knicked from my back garden a few years ago. luckily a neighbour recognized the guy and told me. so I did what any sane person would do.
I removed my machette from my shed and went looking. I found his brother and grabbed him by the hair and frog marched him to his house. on knocking on his door his mum opened the door and saw me with son I one hand and said machette in other. I politely asked for the return of my bike within two hours or I will be posting other sons hands through letter box. guess it had desired effect as bike found its own way back into my garden.

What would you have done if they hadnt returned the bike ?

 

[gary in derby]

Posted his hands, what else.

 

[apollo179]

Posted his hands, what else.

Youd like the film dead mans shoes 2004 starring paddy considine.

 

[gary in derby]

Think its the only way to deal with the scumbags, only language they understand.

 

[RhythMick]

Slightly off topic but i made a citizens arrest of a 20 year old nicking lead off the health centre roof. As others have said "i just snapped", helped by the rugby world cup final having just finished( a few years ago). Held him down for what felt like 20 minutes but was actually 4.

without the rugby I'm sure I'd have just called the police.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[superbadger]

Youd like the film dead mans shoes 2004 starring paddy considine.

Sounds like he was in it!!!!. Cracking movie.