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"The one dark spot on my stay in that neighborhood was one night I walked to a pharmacy a few blocks away from the hotel, and two men on a motorcycle drove up o
by dtf 8y ago
"The one dark spot on my stay in that neighborhood was one night I walked to a pharmacy a few blocks away from the hotel, and two men on a motorcycle drove up on the sidewalk and tried to snatch my phone out of my hand."
Lovely to read this travelogue, but my heart sank when I read this, as it's an unfortunate reality of living in London at the moment. Thankfully the author was quick enough to evade them.
Be careful about using your phone on the street, day or dark, as it's extremely obvious from far away (eg for somebody sat on a moped pillion) when a potential victim is engrossed in their phone-work and not 100% attending to their surroundings.
Many friends and colleagues have suffered from this scurge, and the moped oiks really have no scruples (one friend was heavily pregnant when she was mugged).
Take care, but don't let that put you off enjoying a great city.
- shocks 8y agoHopefully with the met cleared to knock these moped riders off we’ll start to see a decrease in moped related crime.
- sampo 8y agohttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/23/met-police-say-tough-tactics-have-reduced-violent-moped https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/23/met-police-s...
- setquk 8y agoYes this is getting bad. It happened to my father a few years ago as well when he was sitting on the side of the road answering a phone call with the window open in Chiswick. Fortunately he grabbed the guy and shut the window on his arm. He got free but not until he'd got a couple of broken fingers. Police did nothing because the bike was stolen. And thus the cycle continues.
- Pimpus 8y agoI don't understand this story at all.
- gjm11 8y ago> I don't understand this story at all. setquk's father was sat in a car parked at the side of the road, presumably in the driver's seat, with the window open, and was using a mobile phone. Someone came along on a motorbike, reached in through the open window, and grabbed his phone with the intention of stealing it. He was quick enough to get hold of the would-be thief's arm and wind the window up, with the intention of trapping the thief there and summoning the police to arrest them. Unfortunately, the thief escaped (but suffered some broken fingers in the process, presumably as setquk's father tried to hold him there); and unfortunately, although setquk's father was able to give the police the licence-plate number of the motorcycle the thief was using, this didn't help to track it down because the motorcycle was also stolen (and I guess the thief abandoned it shortly after this incident). setquk sees this as another example of the same phenomenon described in the article and by dtf: opportunistic mobile-phone thieves on motorcycles.
- setquk 8y agoNailed it
- pbalau 8y ago> Yes this is getting bad. Actually, is getting better [1]. Somebody posted the link right above your comment. > It happened to my father a few years ago [...] And you assume that nothing changed since then. [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/23/met-police-say-tough-tactics-have-reduced-violent-moped https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/23/met-police-s...
- setquk 8y agoHow can they say there has been a reduction when the people on 101 tell you to sod off and speak to your insurance company? This has happened to two people I know in 2018.
- pbalau 8y agoMate, I think you might have some logic issues... I doubt the police told your friends to sod off. And what exactly did you expect them to do? Get 10 patrols, 1 heli in the air, organize a man hunt to find a bloody phone? Try reporting a crime that involves bodily harm or weapons, see how fast they react. It's a matter of priorities. There was an armed robbery at the off licence where I buy smokes from, the police was there in about 15 minutes after it happened, they chatted with everyone around (there is a pub right next door), they checked the cameras and it seems, as per the owner, they found the perpetrator. As a funny note, the dude managed to steal about 20 quid, all the store had in notes at the time. So chill, have a kitkat, stuff is getting better.
- davidmr 8y agoI’m not sure you understood. Regardless of whether they send out the helicopter, if they don’t take a report, the crime isn’t counted. You can’t say anything meaningful about whether crimes are getting more or less prevalent if your stats are bad.
- pbalau 8y agoYou assume they didn't take the report based on what? On the OP suggesting the police told his friends to sod off?
- tragomaskhalos 8y agoAbsolutely - and kudos to the OP for not letting this spoil their trip, nor dominate what was a delightful travelogue
- hmexx 8y agoShe got a bit unlucky tho I must say. I've lived there for 10 years, and have never seen it happen. I can only think of two friends who've been mugged during that time as well. Assuming 30 friends that's 150 man years per mugging :) EDIT: she
- angusb 8y agoYep, 10 years here and never seen it either. Maybe these people target more touristy areas. Author is a she btw :)
- notahacker 8y agoThe touristy areas thing is probably a big deal. I've also spent ~10 years in London, some of it in Zone 1 without witnessing any attempted street thefts or knowing of any friends being mugged. Approx 1 week in Athens: two, one targeting me (neither successful) There might be a difference in street crime between London and Athens but it's not that big.
- te_chris 8y agoIt definitely happens. I live in N5 and my old flatmate had has phone taken from him right outside Arsenal tube station! I've also been walking on the footpath on New North Road when two guys on scooter have sped past.
- agent008t 8y agoAlso in N5 and know a few people that have had their phones stolen this way.
- growlist 8y agoI lived in Peckham for 1.5 years and was threatened three times, each time having to take evasive action. And that was in 2001. It's worse now.
- 8y ago
- _pmf_ 8y agoMy mother in law warned us that we cannot go to Warsaw because it's the criminal capital (she moved to Germany 30+ years ago); turns out it's probably the safest capital city among Berlin, Paris and Rome by such a large margin that it's not even funny.
- MassiveOwl 8y agoIn response to this the British police have recently changed the law allowing them to chase and hit motorcyclists with their cars. Last year, the gangs would ride scooters without wearing a helmet. This would mean that the police weren't authorised to chase them, as chasing them could cause them to drive dangerously and harm themselves
- timthorn 8y agoBeing pedantic, but it is an important point in a free society: the Police cannot change the law. They have changed their rules of engagement for particular officers, but the relevant law is still the same - and might well be tested in court: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-46440172 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-46440172
- awy 8y agoI lived in London for all of 2 weeks before this happened to me. It's pretty frequent in the Islington and Angel areas. Be careful.
- throwaway-hn123 8y agoLived there for more than 20 years and never had it happen or seen it happen. Anecdotes are fun.
- easytiger 8y ago> It's pretty frequent in the Islington and Angel areas Around 50% of Islington's population are in social housing < 20% of whom work.