Bike stolen out side Dulwich sports centre

[Natty]

word of warning to bike owners. Stolen my Brompton with an angle grinder. Sturdy lock on it and the whole thing took 20 seconds. In front of centre and busy entrance to centre!

Anyone come across please pm me or call police.

Deadlock the only way despite the weight.

[Natty]

And here?s a photo of him doing it! Note the trainers

[northernmonkey]

Not sure there is a way to stop this happening - other than a better registration system and policing that takes it seriously. Its great that there is CCTV - but how did no one hear an angle grinder in the leisure centre car park?

Sorry to hear about your bike - if it was logged on bike register mark it as stolen, check out marketplace, gumtree etc. Stolen Ride group on FB is worth posting on too.

[DuncanW]

Gutted - what a scumbag.

[heartblock]

Like motorbike stealing gangs, they tend to have a van and drive around places that are popular to temporary park bikes. Dulwich sports centre will be on their round. I hated parking my motorbike anywhere other than work or home, because they have a really slick team of scumbags - professional thieves and as Duncan so rightly says Scumbags.

I do think that places like health centres could offer a secure bike shed? Maybe Southwark could think of funding one when they take over?

[Nigello]

It is very odd that nobody saw or heard his. Perhaps someone did but company policy stops them from interfering? What a shitehawk the thief is.

[mrwb]

Totally lawless! Who is taking the photo watching them steal it?

Police won't be interested no doubt. I had a van stolen earlier this year, professionals simply changed the ECU out, programmed their own key and drove off! Tracking quickly blocked. Police couldn't give.

[Sally Eva]

My Brompton was stolen the first time I left it outside. You get very fond of a bike so my condolences.

Afterwards (ie too late) I googled "how to lock up a Brompton outside" and the basic answer is "don't"

Natty Wrote:

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

> word of warning to bike owners. Stolen my

> Brompton with an angle grinder. Sturdy lock on it

> and the whole thing took 20 seconds. In front of

> centre and busy entrance to centre!

>

> Anyone come across please pm me or call police.

>

> Deadlock the only way despite the weight.

[Lowlander]

Nigello Wrote:

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

> It is very odd that nobody saw or heard his.

> Perhaps someone did but company policy stops them

> from interfering? What a shitehawk the thief is.

Agree on the scumbag but to be fair to the company I wouldn?t challenge someone with an angle grinder!

Commiserations it?s horrible having a bike stolen. What kind of lock was it? I always thought D-locks were the best?

Also use bike register as that?s a serious deterrent

[northernmonkey]

There isn't really a D lock that will withstand an angle grinder for more than a few seconds. I did see one being launched which claimed to be angle grinder proof - but will wait to see what the real world tests are.

[heartblock]

Unfortunately they are professional, organised and skilled thieves. More sophisticated temporary parking solutions are needed. They steal to order...scumbags..

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Very sorry to hear this.

A person that's going equipped with an angle grinder may well be going equipped with a knife. I don't blame anyone for not trying to wrestle the scumbag to the ground.

[mynamehere]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/airlok/hiplok-d1000-anti-angle-grinder-bike-lock?fbclid=IwAR2vlgi_UhWWX156HdwM_hH8UKmnVQxXMKT3u0a3d6eMQ4OGCafxs5H1qfQ

New anti angle grinder bike lock?

[Otto2]

Ah - I have an older Hiplok and it is great. Just pledged. Thanks!

Sorry about your bike theft Natty - just awful. I hope somehow that minty wonder finds its way back to you...

[Shaggy]

What a scumbag.

Just one point. It looks like the bike is secured with a chain. Whatever the manufactures say, chains are particularly easy to crack as a thief can easily pull the chain to get an easy angle to grind or snip.

Short D locks are better as they are more fiddly to attack with tools.

[mrwb]

Imagine if you know, there were actually police and police stations still in the area to do something about it? There was actually a sub police station a bit further down crystal palace road originally iirc.

These thieves can act with almost totally impunity now, so they do. If it's me seeing that I probably would tackle them, though as you point out the chances of getting knifed are reasonable.

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

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

> Very sorry to hear this.

>

> A person that's going equipped with an angle

> grinder may well be going equipped with a knife. I

> don't blame anyone for not trying to wrestle the

> scumbag to the ground.

[Natty]

Thanks to everyone for condolences. The woman who took the picture whom I have thanked profusely, was absolutely terrified. As someone said, if thieves are that brazen they might turn it on someone trying to apprehend or have a knife. I?m just grateful she did what she could. It only took 20 seconds, so I don?t think anyone would have time from the centre and again they might have been hurt.

Outside the gym is THE only place I leave it, it?s a house bike and I kept in the office. And it always came to the pub with me (cab back of course).

I?m bereft. Thanks for lock recommendations too.

[Shaggy]

?actually one more point.

I?m a Brompton rider too. I?ve been Brompton commuting to Fleet Street for 10 years and got a Brompton after my third bike was stolen.

We all know that Brompton just shouldn?t be left outside but sometimes we have to. A location that I?ve been working in for years, for example, is now no longer allowing me to bring my Brompton in.

So I?ve got insurance from Pedalsure for ?12 a month and I?m looking into secure parking.

Still, I really, really don?t want my Brommie to be stolen, so I feel your pain.

[Maria Mac]

Hi, whilst going up Crystal palace road today in a car we were passed by a speeding motorbike followed by another... And the front bike had 2 riders, the pilion one wearing a cover over their face carrying a black and yellow metal bar like thing which could then have been a grinder. They had just stolen a bike and clubbed a builder on the head as he heard the noise of them outside. The roofer working by the house were the incident took place recognised the motorbike as they had cruised by earlier when they must have been casing the area. So totally agree with the comment above that confronting these guys can lead to violence as the poor guy today was assaulted.

[natty01295]

Do they have CCTV of the thieft ???

[ianr]

Maria Mac wrote:

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

> They had just stolen a bike and clubbed a builder

Is it known how that bike, and the Brompton of the OP, were taken away?

[Earl Aelfheah]

Really sorry to see this. Infuriating. Agree with others comments re. Confronting masked thieves holding van angle grinder - probably best not to. Good on the lady for getting a pic at least.