Just went to police station

[thelawnet]

Just went out as I regularly do to Woking town centre, at around 4:40pm today. Did a little shopping, came out at 5:55pm, my lights were hanging off my bike http://www.magicshinebikelights.co.uk/m ... 1&p=1&so=0 They attach by one of those rubber band things, except that the wire leads to the rear pannier of the bike and is 'secured' by three or four cable ties.

Then noticed that my bike computer was missing, http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=58033 That just slides off in a second, they'd obviously nicked that and thought the lights would be as easy to pinch, they weren't (although still, to be truthful, very easy) so they gave up. Bike was parked in a very heavily trafficked area next to the library, on the end of a row of stands

The magnet and sensor were also still attached to the front wheel, useless without that, and with the computer itself being fairly scratched, not worth much in that condition.

Anyway a bit annoying, I don't remove it, have left it on there for about 9 months especially since I acquired a Garmin Edge in May (which I removed when I got off the bike), it's there as a quick and easy clock/speedometer, so never really seen the need to remove it.

Went along to the police station and they told me to pick up the phone next to the desk, which rings through to the central crime reporting office. Desk were not interested. Bloke on the other end of the phone had no idea at all about the geography of the town, which was slightly frustrating as it was a location any local would know, but he pulled up an aerial photo and managed to figure it out and gave me a crime reference number.

He said they would check the CCTV, which I find a little hard to believe, but who knows.

[Ian Raleigh]

Just file into your book of 'not what to leave on the bike next time'

I doubt the police would be bothered and as for checking the cctv well thats a joke !
unless your committed to solving the crime yourself and you watch the cctv footage
to see anything thats if it was recording at all.

[Nutsey]

I unclip my lights and computer, and have been called 'paranoid' by other cyclists. This proves me right!

[irc]

He said they would check the CCTV, which I find a little hard to believe, but who knows.

I believe the CCTV will be checked but the chances of there being useful footage of a high enough quality to identify a suspect is minimal. In a previous career I worked with CCTV evidence. It could often be crucial but only with good quality footage. For example CCTV for a shoplifting often showed the crime being committed and the camera zoomed in at the door got good images of the faces of the suspect(s) as they entered and left. Both parts are needed - proof of the crime being committed and proof of identity. Another common use of CCTV was on garage forecourts for drive offs (petrol thefts) where again several cameras at close range got good footage. Pubs and nightclubs also had useful CCTV systems.

All these locations typically have several cameras covering small areas and so can get good quality images. The issue with town centre CCTV is that a small number of cameras cover a big area. A medium sized shop often has more cameras than cover a medium sized town. Town centre CCTV gets good results when an operator monitoring the system sees suspicious activity then zooms a camera in, sometimes following known suspects through the town centre.

Checking the system later though to see if the cameras happened by chance to capture a subsequently reported crime is rarely successfull. . Either the crime wasn't captured at all or it was so far from the camera that the footage isn't good enough to tell if the suspect was male or female, young or old, never mind identify them. Sometimes even poor quality footage helps though. Like when I could tell the guy who reported being assaulted that the footage showed he had in fact instigated the fight by head butting the other guy. I've used CCTV in road accident cases as well. A Scotrail camera picked up a crash on the street outside a station for example. Thieves, though are usually CCTC aware and choose locations out of sight of or far away from CCTC cameras.

As for whether the CCTV would be checked? Why not? When I was doing this all it involved was sending a fax to the CCTV operators detailing the circumstances. This was standard practice for any street crime. If it was in sight of a CCTV camera then the camera was checked.

[thelawnet]

Well the police just called me and said the CCTV operators would check the footage; they did say it would depend on whether the camera was pointing at the spot at the time.

[Ian Raleigh]

Do you know what gets me with CCTV Is that the camera operator will zoom in on a poor old dodgy man
taking his dog for a walk, who has just let his dog crap and leaves it on the floor ! then the operator follows
the 'villain' and guides in the local police/council and pounces on him and slaps a £50 fine in his hands

Yet in most cases of actual theft/damage/vandalism the camera is either not working or pointing the otherway

[karlt]

Do you know what gets me with CCTV Is that the camera operator will zoom in on a poor old dodgy man
taking his dog for a walk, who has just let his dog crap and leaves it on the floor ! then the operator follows
the 'villain' and guides in the local police/council and pounces on him and slaps a £50 fine in his hands

Well, at least it's a result. Last time I was cleaning it out of the tread of one of the kids' shoes I was contemplating whether the penalty for letting ones dog crap on the pavement ought to be being made to eat the stuff in a sandwich.

[irc]

Do you know what gets me with CCTV Is that the camera operator will zoom in on a poor old dodgy man
taking his dog for a walk, who has just let his dog crap and leaves it on the floor ! then the operator follows
the 'villain' and guides in the local police/council and pounces on him and slaps a £50 fine in his hands

Yet in most cases of actual theft/damage/vandalism the camera is either not working or pointing the otherway

Have you got personal Experience of this? I've never seen that happen. Although in any case if the dog owner hadn't let his dog foul the pavement then he would have nothing to worry about.

[Nutsey]

The cops are in my good books today. They arrested the ellusive university/hospital bike thief.

[Ayesha]

For going shopping, buy an old bike out of the local paper that no-one gives a toss about stealing. Don't put a computer on it and have cheap clip-off lamps from the pound shop. Spray the frame some ridiculous colour in a proper amateurish way and tape the bars with strips of old towel. Pink if possible. Cover the saddle with an inside-out Tesco bag.
Equip it with a rack, but paint this a rust colour.

Have removable panniers to take into the shop with you.

[nez]

The cops are in my good books today. They arrested the ellusive university/hospital bike thief.

Now the grief starts for them. Suspended sentence or community service, either way back on the streets.

[CyberKnight]

Just file into your book of 'not what to leave on the bike next time'
.

Never leave my lights on my bike , i do not even have a computer on the commuter.

[PRL]

Just file into your book of 'not what to leave on the bike next time'

Hmm - then misjudge your timing and have to cycle home in the twilight without lights. ( been there , got the lecture )
Dynamo lights seem unappealing to the light fingered and will be there when you need them.

[dougie]

As Ian Raleigh put it, just one for experience. I empathise; annoying, irritating etc.

I think it's always worth reporting these things if only to help the Police and the local Council's Community Safety people build up a picture of what is happening, where and at what time.

I have mixed feelings about CCTV. Not sure if they make me feel any safer and I don't like the "big brother" connotations.

[Tonyf33]

I rarely leave the front light on but it takes all of 3 seconds to take it off and fits in a pocket easily enough. The back light, well it's been on two bikes over 7 years and I've never removed it yet (except to switch it onto new bike or seatpost), ditto for the computer.
Luckily for me bike theft or theft from bikes doesn't seem to be a problem in North Herts, in the high streets I'll just rest the bike across the window of wherever I am and go inside. Only if I think I'm going to be out of sight for some time would I bother locking it never mind think about removing the comp & rear light or bags. Some places I could leave it unlocked and I'd feel ok about that. And no, it isn't a tupenny bit bike.

I get the impression the police wouldn't be buttocked with a stolen bike light anyhow given their attitude to reports of dangerous driving