Boris on Bike Thieves!
NervexProf
Posts: 4,202
Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom
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Well put Boris.
When i had my cove nicked the police officer only asked me one question about it, the colour! the rest he did'nt want to know.0 -
I'm usually not a fan of his (except when he appears on Have I Got News For You) but I must admit I found that a thoroughly enjoyable read. Well said, and particularly sad if it''s happened so often.
EDIT: A quick thought. If there is an epidemic of bike thieves, does that mean that there are now even more cyclists on the road?
Every cloud, and all that... ;-)0 -
He's on side - we should all vote for him. He's the only politician in the UK that cares a squat about cycling.'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.0
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passout wrote:He's on side - we should all vote for him. He's the only politician in the UK that cares a squat about cycling.
To vote for him on the single issue of cycling is ridiculous. That's like suggesting all car owners vote for a Mayor because he says he will implement anti-car theft measures.
Bear in mind a politician will say anything to get elected - 95% of it will never happen if they win.
a serious case of small cogs0 -
Yes I like what he says. On many cycling issues I'm with him 100%.
But I doubt I'll ever vote for him.0 -
But Boris is a cyclist, he commutes to work on a Marin - that's the point. He genuinely has an interest. And besides what else are you going to vote on.....Iraq, the NHS, tax? I hate to tell you this but the Labour & Conservatives don't vary on these issues. Of course you could waste your vote and go Lib Dem or Green. Different if your Scottish of course!
Also if you've ever listened to Boris you'll realise that he is fairly honest. To say Politicians will say anything is too easy and seems like you are giving up. They vary.....Red Ken for example who is so hollowed on this hread.
I really rate Boris. Why, which British politician do you think would be a suitable replacement for Ken?'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.0 -
I think Boris is an amazing chap. If he wasn't a conservative, I'd vote for him! Seriously, he's hit the nail on the head when he says the police don't seem to give a toss about bike theft. All too often is it seen as an inconvenience, rather than a crime. It's not the fault of the police, they know that if they catch someone who's stolen a bike, bugger all will happen to them, apart from maybe a warning not to do it again. Same with burglary these days, apparently. Slap on the wrist for the first offence. We still do have stocks in some parts of the country, you know.
"on your bike" Norman Tebbit.0 -
He was on the ITV1 documentary - Gone in 60 seconds- The bike Crime Wave
www.itvlocal.com/london/documentaries
That was before this last theft. No wonder he is soooooooo angry.
There is way too much of this " if they want it they will get it" mentality. Also the average punter needs to be told the truth.
Sold Secure, who are there to test products, to ensure that they acheive a certain standard, are supposed to protect the end user.
Why oh why, then do they NOT test cable locks with Cable cutters :shock: and give bicycle gold accreditation to products which last just seconds with normal hand tools.
Sold Secure are fuelling this problem, they are misleading the people they are there to protect, the general public. The people who buy Sold Secure approved products, thinking that they have been tested as rigously as a theif would. No, no no.... not according to their ex CEO. "We are attacking locks to a typical level that we see works" Works for whom? Certainly not the end user, who thinks his bike is safer with a Sold Secure GOLD product protecting it. :?
If you feel that this is wrong why not ontact sold secure
admin@soldsecure.com
Tel : 01327 2646870 -
My bike was nicked out of my back garden last night.
I heard the toerag wheeling it out of my drive but by the time I got out of the house there was no one to be seen. I put my cycling shoes on and got on my racer (which is always in the house) but by then there was no one within a mile radius. I cant believe it. If only I had gone out the front door I might have caught them. Lucky for me I didn't guess because I might be facing GBH now if I had.
The problem with theft in general is that it is so widespread and difficult to catch people that it goes unchecked. While there is no one working to stop this it will escalate.
After my bike got nicked I cycled around on my racer looking for the thief for about a hour. In that time I saw a youth going into someone's front garden (this was past midnight). Then he saw me watching him and in surprise he promptly came out of the garden and lopped off.
There are no policemen walking the beat to keep an eye out. Its just a free-for-all for thieves and all we need is policemen walking the streets to prevent it.0 -
The other thing about all of this is you could take the view that theft is a integral part of our capitalist society.
Think about it.
My bike is stolen. I have just spent 4 hours shopping for a new one. To get anything that wont fall apart in a week I have to spend £300-400. I'm not going to claim insurance because I have to pay the first £100 and the bike was only worth £250 and I would lose my no claims discount so I would have to pay at least £100 extra next year. The thief wins, the insurance company (corporate thief) wins, the bike shop wins, the police win (gives them reason for funding). Everyone wins EXCEPT ME.
If it were not for theft why would I want a new bike now. I would not.
Britain is built on theft.0 -
richardjallen wrote:The other thing about all of this is you could take the view that theft is a integral part of our capitalist society.
[snip]
And if you lived in Viet Nam, you could take the view that theft was an integral part of your communist society
And if you lived in Saudi Arabia you could take the view that's it's an integral part of your theocratic society,
However, in Saudi Arabia you would know that you were living under Sharia law, and that if they caught the thief, the penalty would be to have his hand cut off.
However, I've no idea how eager the police would be, there, to go after that thief.
Jeremy Parker0 -
There is a simple point to be made that makes a mockery of the police's whole policy on crime. We are repeatedly told by the government that the trade in illegal recreational drugs is the scourge of our society, and that they are doing all they can to put a stop to it. Well if they really mean that then they are more stupid then people already assume.
It's always popular for the media to tell us how the monied classes spend their recreational time snorting columbian marching powder from the navels of expensive call girls, but the largest part of the drug trade's imcome is still from small sales to small time crooks. So most small time crime is carried out to fund the purchase of drugs. You can bet that most of the bikes stolen are stolen to fund a drugs habit. If the police really want to put a stop to the illegal drugs trade then they need to take a zero tolerance approach to petty crime. Kill the revenue stream of as many of the customers as you can then you kill the revenue stream of the dealers. Of course it would take time and money, but it would work.
Unfortunately you won't get politicians to fund such an approach. Why not, because politicians rely on the FUD principal to pay their wages. Fear Uncertanty and Doubt are what make the majority of the great unwashed accept a government's actions without question. We have a government that tell us they are tough on crime and the causes thereof. But they're not for the simple reason that they want the population to live in fear of crime so that, come the next election, they can make even more promises to be tough on crime and criminals in order to garner votes. If they really did crack down on crime then what would the voters be scared of.
Why don't the oppostion challenge them? Because they work on the same principal. And the media? They work on the same principal too, remember bad news sells.
So while Boris' rant might seem like somebody who cares and would take a firm stand against thieves. don't be too sure. It's just electioneering. And of course the Telegraph love it, Boris talks exactly the sort of toot that sells papers. Read it again more carefully. Appart from "vote for me" what is it saying? How about "look the police can't even deal with a simple bike theft, we're all going to be murdered in our beds!"
Never trust a politician even if you agree with them. Especially if you agree with them. Question their motives. Likewise a journalist. A politician practicing journalism? Forget it.
So there is an answer to the UK's crime problem. Unfortunately I can't think of a way solving our political and governmental problems.
"Swearing, it turns out, is big and clever" - Jarvis Cocker0 -
NorwegianBlue wrote:T
... politicians rely on the FUD principal to pay their wages. Fear Uncertanty and Doubt are what make the majority of the great unwashed accept a government's actions without question. We have a government that tell us they are tough on crime and the causes thereof. But they're not for the simple reason that they want the population to live in fear of crime so that, come the next election, they can make even more promises to be tough on crime and criminals in order to garner votes. If they really did crack down on crime then what would the voters be scared of.
Its 1984!0 -
Jeremy Parker wrote:
And if you lived in Viet Nam, you could take the view that theft was an integral part of your communist society
And if you lived in Saudi Arabia you could take the view that's it's an integral part of your theocratic society,
However, in Saudi Arabia you would know that you were living under Sharia law, and that if they caught the thief, the penalty would be to have his hand cut off.
However, I've no idea how eager the police would be, there, to go after that thief.
Jeremy Parker
The Police in our nation don't have to chop anyone's hands off they just have to catch the the thieves but they don't even try and do that.
Due to my job from time to time I visit Police HQ's around the country. When it comes to statistics burglaries are not even counted. They don't care. Why? There are so many they are happening quicker than they can file reports. When this goes unchecked there's no deterrent for thieves and the problem gets bigger and even more difficult to solve. We are very far down this slope.0 -
richardjallen wrote:
Its 1984!
And you're not worried?"Swearing, it turns out, is big and clever" - Jarvis Cocker0 -
I am worried.0
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[quote="richardjallen
The Police in our nation don't have to chop anyone's hands off they just have to catch the the thieves but they don't even try and do that.
Due to my job from time to time I visit Police HQ's around the country. When it comes to statistics burglaries are not even counted. They don't care. Why? There are so many they are happening quicker than they can file reports. When this goes unchecked there's no deterrent for thieves and the problem gets bigger and even more difficult to solve. We are very far down this slope.[/quote]
But it is relatively easy to turn around. All it takes is a zero tolerance approach and (unfortinately) the backing of the government. New York is, of course, a shining example. It can be done, but the administration have to have the will and the guts to do it. The main reason they need guts is that it costs money and that means some serious changes in public service spending and funding."Swearing, it turns out, is big and clever" - Jarvis Cocker0 -
Yes its all money.
I understand there was a time when Police did patrol the streets on foot. I think this really would make a bigger difference than anything else of course that cost so much money.
What would be done with the people they catch? Prisons are bursting to the point where they are now letting thousands out before their sentences are finished because there is no room for them. Rehabilitation? I expect the majority of these people are on the lowest end of the income scale and have no prospects of improving. Sure there is a lot of drugs involved but that's just the cheap stimulus of today, if not chemicals and cannabis then it would be alcohol.0 -
toontra wrote:passout wrote:He's on side - we should all vote for him. He's the only politician in the UK that cares a squat about cycling.
To vote for him on the single issue of cycling is ridiculous.
Why not, it worked for George Galloway
I got me some nice bolt cutters one day when I saw a couple teenagers trying to cut a chain off a bike in broad daylight. I walked over grabbed the bolt cutters and whacked the little f8cker across the arse with it and then gave him a good slap!
About five minutes after this the owner of the bike came out and I told him what had happened..he commented on the nice new bolt cutters I now had
Mailman0 -
Boris might be just electioneering, but if it got enough media attention then the other candidates would be forced into competing, and make there own commitments
Then when one of then is elected we can then spend the next few years hassling them to fulfil their promises.15 * 2 * 5
* 46 = Happiness0 -
NorwegianBlue wrote:There is a simple point to be made that makes a mockery of the police's whole policy on crime. We are repeatedly told by the government that the trade in illegal recreational drugs is the scourge of our society, and that they are doing all they can to put a stop to it. Well if they really mean that then they are more stupid then people already assume.
[snip]
I suggest legalising drugs, but only inside prison. All the petty criminals in Britain would be queuing to get themselves locked up.
The prison authorities would probably like it as well. Most prisons round the world are awash with drugs. That's because a good many warders prefer it that way. The prisoners sit there, quiet and happy, rather than about to snap under the pressure of widrawal symptoms.
The only problem remaining is the organised part of organised crime, the drug smugglers and high level wholesalers. The drug problem has been around for long enough that the gangs have become permanent institutions. They would be looking for other lines of work.
That seems to be happening already, actually. Look how the people smuggling businesshas been expanding. Another expanding field is identity theft etc. If the gov't continues with this nonsense about what one can throw away, gangs here will start copying the mafia in the USA and will go into the rubbish disposal business. That may have started too. Somebody is already filling all our lay-bys up with junk.
Still, getting rid of the petty ctriminals would be a start. At least we would be able to see the wood from the trees
Jremy Parker0
