Perhaps scoped out for mugging by cycling teenagers?

[ianc]

Having been mugged years ago, I tend to be aware of what's going on around me. I'm usually fairly confident and, as a relatively athletic bloke, I feel I could run or defend myself. However, what just happened to me really unnerved me.

I was wandering back up Cyrena Road today, having come from North Cross Road with some shopping. Turned on to Rodwell Road, and noticed a teenager on a bike whistle his other friend on his bike as I turned on to the road. They cycled along, suspiciously maintaining the same (very slow) speed as me, right alongside me. The odd look at me, the odd pretence to his mate about his brakes being slack or something. They seemed unnerved when a car drove down the road towards us, and also when a smaller kid showed up momentarily. Their reaction to both of those things put me on guard.

They followed me for most of that street, and turned into the next road. I got to my front door and, feeling safer, I turned around. Both were still there, looking at me, and not making any progress past my house at all. So I loudly asked one of them what he was looking for, and how suspicious it was that he felt the need to whistle when I turned up, then stick to me like glue for the past two streets. He acted accused, and they cycled off. I felt the need to confront them when it was safe, given how they'd behaved, if only to let them know that I found it threatening.

Disappoints me rather that it made me, a guy who can usually feel safe, feel utterly unsafe, in daylight, on quiet suburban streets near my own home. What's it come to if a guy like me feels the need to take the main road, for my own safety, rather than having a nice wander round the quieter streets?

Am I utterly paranoid (a definite possibility!), or would others have felt similarly threatened?

[Sue]

I'd have also felt threatened.

But I wouldn't have been so brave as to speak to them.

Have you reported this to the police? Because maybe the next person they follow in this way will be actually mugged :(

[Penguin68]

If you have anything like a good description you should call the police (non emergency number) - it may be that they have attacked someone previously and this will help the police catch them - or that they will attack someone in the future.

Having said that, daytime mugging (except in the parks, of school children) is less common than night-time. They may just have been acting threatening for the hell of it.

[ianc]

My thoughts exactly, Sue. If I felt threatened, I'm sure my elderly neighbour would have been terrified.

Not contacted the police, based on so little real evidence of what they were doing. I can describe them, but what would the police do? The police round here are also woefully under-staffed at the moment, and I'm sure they're busy investigating actual crimes. Sad attitude, I know, but I can't help thinking I'd be wasting their time.

[jonesbo]

There were police along Friern Rd and also Upland Rd today around 1pm. Some officers were in mufti -- but it is a little obvious when they stand on the corner of the road, they have wires going into their ears, in black uniform and when there are other uniformed officers further ahead! there were several cars and also some vans... all a little airy!! apparently though some with drugs have been driving down these roads and throwing the drugs into gardens so they don't get caught with the police, and i guess the police are waiting for them to return to get their drugs!!!!

[Sue]

ianc Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> My thoughts exactly, Sue. If I felt threatened,

> I'm sure my elderly neighbour would have been

> terrified.

>

> Not contacted the police, based on so little real

> evidence of what they were doing. I can describe

> them, but what would the police do? The police

> round here are also woefully under-staffed at the

> moment, and I'm sure they're busy investigating

> actual crimes. Sad attitude, I know, but I can't

> help thinking I'd be wasting their time.

xxxxxx

The police may be grateful for the descriptions if they believe that these two may have been involved in other things (or if they may be in the future).

[Sue]

jonesbo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There were police along Friern Rd and also Upland

> Rd today around 1pm. Some officers were in mufti

> -- but it is a little obvious when they stand on

> the corner of the road, they have wires going into

> their ears, in black uniform and when there are

> other uniformed officers further ahead! there were

> several cars and also some vans... all a little

> airy!! apparently though some with drugs have been

> driving down these roads and throwing the drugs

> into gardens so they don't get caught with the

> police, and i guess the police are waiting for

> them to return to get their drugs!!!!

xxxxxx

They're hardly likely to retrieve their drugs when the road is crawling with police, I'd have thought :)

[KidKruger]

any idea which gardens in particular they were thrown into ?? :)

Seriously though, this kind of activity makes my blood boil, if it was you being cased. Exactly for what you say, having to experience fear while going about your normal daily business.

You did the right thing and I'm glad you had the balls to do it.

Shame it was outside your place so they know where you live.

Guys who do this casing, practice it, so you may have just been a 'dry-run'.

just like when a couple of guys mug you, it's all been rehearsed, they have their codes and you're non the wiser.

[Twirly]

I honestly don't think you'd be wasting police time by reporting this. Give them a call and see what they think - ask if they want further details, and if they think you're wasting their time I'm sure they'll tell you. This sort of information can help them with the bigger picture of what is going on in the area - a picture that as individuals it's almost impossible to see. It might be that a policeman/woman will recognise the individuals from your description on another occasion and be able to discourage them from their behaviour (although I think it's unlikely, they may have just be messing around and not realised the effect they were having).

Hope you're OK.

[DJKillaQueen]

I agree with twirly and it reminds me of something I did last year. I was walking to Sainsburrys and as I passed ED station I saw a young man/ older teen on a bicycle near the entrance with a hood up and he was paying particular attention to women leaving the staion with phones and handbags over the shoulder. I suspected he was scoping for a (by bicycle) mugging and so I stood at the bus stop pretending to wait for a bus and kept an eye on him (and took a discreet pic on my phone).

After around ten mins he must have suspected I was paying too much attention to him and he cycled off to the park next to Sainsburrys. I cut through the park and I see him at the far end now riding up and down the play area fence clearly looking for unattended bags, so by now I have no doubt what he's up to. He doesn't see me and cycles off to the saiunsburrys car park.

When I get to the car park he passes me and says something (called me something I didn;t quite hear) and I just replied by telling him I knew exactly what he was up to, that he was ;ooking for someone to mug and made sure I said it loudly enough for anyone in ear shot to hear.

When I got to sainsburrys, the security guard told me the same guy had been pointed out by customers in the car park for suspicious behaviour, and there were two police officers in there shopping, so I reported the lad to them, emailed them the pic from my phone, and am pretty sure, stopped some unfortunate woman from having her phone or bag snatched that day.

So yes, it is a pretty common appraoch for criminally minded teens on bicycles to snatch phones or bags that are easy to do so, and most times they'll scoot off if rumbled by the mark before they can snatch something.

[kford]

Good work DJKQ

[emsiemcb]

I think my son might have been the little kid who turned up? I was walking down Crystal Palace Road and my two sons were on their bikes and had gone on ahead of me up to the side road next to The Great Exhibition and had stopped to wit for me - there was an old lady behind me who I had exchanged a few words with when my sons were trying to get past her - I heard a bike ringing it's bell and looked around to see the 2 lads behind her trying to get past her - I thought it a bit odd that they were cycling on the pavement. They then stopped in the middle of the junction even though a car was trying to pull out and he had to beep them to get them out the way. Must have been around 2.30 I guess? I could give a basic description of one of them if needed but I'm afraid not too detailed as I was too busy trying to make sure my boys weren't getting run over - but I do remember thinking it was a little odd.

[MummaB]

Ianc - something similar happened to me on Friday afternoon. I felt unnerved too by two teenagers on bikes watching me and cycling near me and my young child as we were walking up Crystal Palace Rd to Sylvester Rd sorting office to pick up a parcel. I crossed over to the other side of the road but they kept hanging around, pausing, looking where we were going. I know nothing happened - but I did feel uncomfortable and definitely felt like they acted suspiciously including stopping and watching us on the corner as we came out of the sorting office.

I stood there for a bit and looked at them, walked off and then they were gone when I looked around.

Anyway....my gut feeling just told me something wasn't quite right but as I said, nothing happened but your post made me think of it.

[uncleglen]

Someone should take a photo- (although if they are after mugging you they would nick your phone/camera), and post it on here.

[ClaireClaire]

Sounds very unpleasant ianc. Particularly for it to happen on your own doorstep.

Without wanting to take this too much off track, or be in any way antagonistic, this comment has stayed with me since I first read your post:

"What's it come to if a guy like me feels the need to take the main road, for my own safety"

I suppose I just find the choice of words slightly troubling. Is it ok for other (lesser?) people to feel threatened, just not you?

[emsiemcb]

I think he meant a guy like him being "relatively athletic" so he could defend or run off - I don't think he meant he was in any way superior.

[KidKruger]

he's not saying he's better than anyone else, he's saying that if he's quite fit and healthy (ie. able-bodied, can look after himself) and feels threatened then what will other less able people feel when followed by a pair of young lads.

that's my reading of it anyway.

He's NOT saying no-one else counts, God knows how you construed that, I don't see that he's saying "it's OK for others to suffer fear, but not OK for me to". At all.

[ianc]

I was only saying that, if an athletic guy feels threatened, how much more threatened others might feel in the same situation. Definitely wasn't implying that I'm in any way superior to others.

Hearing similarities between similar experiences by others, in the adjacent roads, I will be keeping an eye out for the same kids over the next few days. If they're hanging around, I'll notify the police anyway. Sounds like this may be becoming a regular "game" for them.

[nununoolio]

To all of you who have experienced an incident along these lines (3 out of 16 postees plus, I expect, a few of those who have read the thread), please call the police on 101 and report it, you will not be wasting anyone's time and may play a part in preventing somebody being mugged.

We need to constantly challenge and/or report this kind of behaviour. If we don't, there are many youths who will see East Dulwich/Peckham Rye as a location for easy pickings. You could always pop along to the new Burgess Park playground area for a taste of what it could be like!

Put another way, how good will you feel about yourself if you do not report an incident like this and then read on here that someone was robbed/assaulted in the vicinity

[ianc]

Agreed, I will be doing that myself this morning. Sounds like there should be a few of us calling 101 today.

[ths0105]

Hi,

First time poster and hopefully ED resident from September (Fellbrigg Rd).

We currently live in Canary Wharf and have at minor problems with hoodies for some time. However, it was only when we started phoning te police on a regular basis that the problem got better and I can only recommend that you phone them, too.

The police officers that came round encouraged us to report anti-social behaviour as it helps them to build up a case for antisocial behaviour orders or whatever they are being replaced with (take pictures if you can). Also, it is the area that shouts the loudest which will get the most policing (their words, not mine).

Therefore, I certainly intend to reports any kind of anti-social behaviour from day one and I wish I had done so where I currently live.

T

[PeckhamRose]

Are ASBOs being phased out? I do recommend rigorous reporting, and IDing where possible. Describe things like left handedness, right-handedness, marks on face or hands, bitten nails, anything and everything to identify individuals.

[Earl Aelfheah]

nununoolio Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You could always pop

> along to the new Burgess Park playground area for

> a taste of what it could be like!

...Is the 'new' Burgess Park dodgy then? Was going to pop along to the playground with the kids this weekend.

[henryb]

> ...Is the 'new' Burgess Park dodgy then? Was going

> to pop along to the playground with the kids this

> weekend.

I've never thought so. It is average for the borough according the met crime map as is east dulwich.

[PeckhamRose]

For info. May be useful for some.

http://www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/the-london-assembly/assembly_investigation/crime-victims