Television Documentary - Bike Theft

OctoberF

Hi all,

I'm a Producer at October Films, a documentary production company. I'm looking into a documentary about cycle theft for a national broadcaster. I'd like your input, just for research purposes at first.

I'm looking at several bike theft hotspots. Obviously Brick Lane and the surrounding area, also Bristol, Oxford, Edinburgh.

I'm interested in the idea that we expect our bikes to get stolen when we buy them, and there's this inferral and incessant game occuring where both cyclists and thieves are turning to ever more sophisticated and audacious methods to secure or liberate bikes.

If anyone has a story of bike theft or rescue that they think is interesting, please do PM me or post on this thread. If you feel strongly about the issue, have had many bikes stolen or know someone who has, or have any other information on the bike trade you think I should be aware of, please share it with me.

Looking forward to hearing your response.
Cat

_Brun_

UTFS!!


Apologies, couldn't resist

mrc1

There are loads of tales on this subject on the LFGSS forum including a fair few people who have had their bike nicked then either taken it back from someone at Brick Lane Market or have seen it being ridden around.

mrc1

There are loads of tales on this subject on the LFGSS forum including a fair few people who have had their bike nicked then either taken it back from someone at Brick Lane Market or have seen it being ridden around.

_Brun_

mrcartledge wrote:

There are loads of tales on this subject on the LFGSS forum including a fair few people who have had their bike nicked then either taken it back from someone at Brick Lane Market or have seen it being ridden around.

She's been there already.

rich_e

You should look at doing a sting operation.

When I lived out in Whistler, loads of the expensive MTBs that people were riding at the resort kept getting stolen when locked up around town, outside bars etc.

The Police eventually setup a very desirable bike, with not much of a lock on it. They then caught two men who were behind all the thefts and found a double garage full of bikes and parts being sold on.


Otherwise though, I think it's pretty obvious that you leave any bike that isn't a piece of junk around, somebody will try and steal it. I'm not really sure what else you can say about it. It's just common sense and making sure you have insurance.

GraemeT

Obviously those tales couldn't be told before the watershed

ride_whenever

Oxford is pretty interesting. Loads of junk bikes, and they still go missing. The best people to talk to would be the local bike shops, you can survey a lot more people effectively that way.

There are rumours that bikes get nicked from oxford and cambridge and then sold at the other uni town at the fresher fair.

asprilla

I've got a junk bike for leaving at the station; I must have spent more on replacement parts than I spent when I bought it.

AyrshireBacon

_Brun_ wrote:

mrcartledge wrote:

There are loads of tales on this subject on the LFGSS forum including a fair few people who have had their bike nicked then either taken it back from someone at Brick Lane Market or have seen it being ridden around.

She's been there already.

And the warm, kind, loving, generous people over at LFGSS all said hello. Or UTFS. Or something. Begining with C.

secretsam

_Brun_ wrote:

UTFS!!

UTFS?????

Anyhoo, my 2p: the public need education on how to lock their bikes, bike shops have a big role here - rather like helmets, they are happy to sell them but don't always tell people how to USE them - including some strategies on lock deployment in your TV programme would be a real winner (even ask the thieves <<washes mouth out>>)

Analysis of what makes a good lock and locking location also, name and shame companies who don't provide good facilities (and praise those who do), etc, etc - make it about prevention rather than analysing only the incidence.

As for the naughty people who do it...allow me to get Daily Mail-ish: combine a nice hefty D-lock and the guilty party's hands (placed on hard surface - nailed in place perhaps) in a high speed coming together, then deny all medical treatment for, say, the time it takes the average person to save up for the average bike...

Also - don't forget the whole scummy food chain associated with bike theft, eg the people who sell them on. And shame the plod on their "couldn't care less" attitude.

That would be one programme I'd not miss!!!

Feel free to PM me for more advice/vitriol, heh hehehehehehehehe <<froths at mouth>> :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Wrath Rob

Apparently Amsterdam is pretty hot for bike theft, so that might be a good excuse for a trip over there!

secretsam

Wrath Rob wrote:

Apparently Amsterdam is pretty hot for bike theft, so that might be a good excuse for a trip over there!

"Amsterdam" and "trip" in the same sentence without any drug references - give that man the Nobel Prize for Restraint!!

choirboy

How about the fact that 90% of the bikes for sale on Gumtree are clearly nicked but they won't do anything to stop promoting theft, such as requiring you to post the frame number of a bike up when you want to sell it?

Wrath Rob

SecretSam wrote:

Wrath Rob wrote:

Apparently Amsterdam is pretty hot for bike theft, so that might be a good excuse for a trip over there!

"Amsterdam" and "trip" in the same sentence without any drug references - give that man the Nobel Prize for Restraint!!

At least someone got the subtle reference

PBo

SecretSam wrote:

_Brun_ wrote:

UTFS!!

UTFS?????

anyone care to enlighten me?....I'm guessing that if it has LFGSS connotations it's probably NSFW!

tomfoolery

If you want a good story why not try and look into the stats and potential causes of lady cyclists and lorries in fatal collisions (usually at left turns).

There is an alarming trend in these which doesn't seem to be being looked at. It seems a bit of a mystery and also needs publicising.

We all wring our hands here when another poor girl is killed, but you could do something positive about it (and make yourself a good documentary in the process).

Just my 0.5p.

AyrshireBacon

PBo wrote:

UTFS?????

[SFW]Use The Search[/SFW]

Bit like RTFM = Read The Manual

PBo

AyrshireBacon wrote:

PBo wrote:

UTFS?????

[SFW]Use The Search[/SFW]

Bit like RTFM = Read The Manual

biondino

Yep - please do an expose on why the police don't bust the fences and sellers of stolen bikes when every man and his dog knows who and where they are.

Also, point out that covering your frame in ragged black tape is a sure fire way to say MY BIKE IS WORTH NICKING

dilemna

OctoberF wrote:

Hi all,

I'm a Producer at October Films, a documentary production company. I'm looking into a documentary about cycle theft for a national broadcaster. I'd like your input, just for research purposes at first.

I'm looking at several bike theft hotspots. Obviously Brick Lane and the surrounding area, also Bristol, Oxford, Edinburgh.

I'm interested in the idea that we expect our bikes to get stolen when we buy them, and there's this inferral and incessant game occuring where both cyclists and thieves are turning to ever more sophisticated and audacious methods to secure or liberate bikes.

If anyone has a story of bike theft or rescue that they think is interesting, please do PM me or post on this thread. If you feel strongly about the issue, have had many bikes stolen or know someone who has, or have any other information on the bike trade you think I should be aware of, please share it with me.

Looking forward to hearing your response.
Cat

Bike theft is an important issue and needs addressing especially cyclists with expensive bikes who are targetted, but more pressing is the number of cyclists being knocked down and killed or suffering serious injury by careless and dangerous drivers. Also worth investigating is the police, CPS and judges who fail to properly investigate, prosecute, convict or sentence drivers who kill or injure cyclists. The case of Mr Rice in Cambridgeshire who killed cyclist Mr Robinson is a shocking example of SMIDSY and to add insult to injury to the deceased's family, the Court of Appeal let him out of prison on a technicality and reduced his driving ban to 1 year as Mr Rice claimed he needed his driving license for his job as a golf coach!!!! Plus the cyclist killed where the Reading CPS refused to prosecute the driver who said SMIDSY.

Also the aggression shown by drivers to cyclists seems to be on the rise. I have recently had several incidents where rubbish and other objects plus a torrent of abuse and threats have been thrown at me whilst I was cycling along minding my own business.

Matt.K

tomfoolery wrote:

If you want a good story why not try and look into the stats and potential causes of lady cyclists and lorries in fatal collisions (usually at left turns).

There is an alarming trend in these which doesn't seem to be being looked at. It seems a bit of a mystery and also needs publicising.

We all wring our hands here when another poor girl is killed, but you could do something positive about it (and make yourself a good documentary in the process).

Just my 0.5p.

A bit like this you mean?:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8296971.stm

Just been reading it on the BBC website.

tebbit

A mate of mine used to do motorcylce autojumbles, he was knocked off his bike (Moto-Guzzi) by an army officer in a staff car, he was badly injured and couldn't work for a couple of years. The lads who did the autojumbles touch his stock and continued his business, they caught someone robbing from his kit, and used a fork stanchion across the back of both hands.

The moral of this story is work for what you want and don't nick from autojumbles run by bikers, they can get very angry :twisted: