Why don't gardai catch bike thieves?

Qualitymark

There's an epidemic of bicycle thefts - look at the thread in the Cycling forum, for instance - but a Google News and a Google Web search fails to turn up any reports of gardai catching and prosecuting bicycle thieves, or the theft rings that fill vans with bikes. Why is this?

Valetta

Qualitymark wrote: »

There's an epidemic of bicycle thefts - look at the thread in the Cycling forum, for instance - but a Google News and a Google Web search fails to turn up any reports of gardai catching and prosecuting bicycle thieves, or the theft rings that fill vans with bikes. Why is this?

Just because it isn't reported does not mean that they are not catching bike thieves or recovering stolen bikes.

http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/01/25/call-for-database-to-help-return-stolen-bicycles-to-owners/

Qualitymark

Qualitymark wrote: »

There's an epidemic of bicycle thefts - look at the thread in the Cycling forum, for instance - but a Google News and a Google Web search fails to turn up any reports of gardai catching and prosecuting bicycle thieves, or the theft rings that fill vans with bikes. Why is this?

We do catch them. But then they get bail. Then they go back out and steal more. Then people keep buying stolen bikes.

But the two most annoying things is bike owners who don't note their serial numbers so we can return stolen bikes, or better yet the fúckwits who don't even report the theft! We've recovered expensive bikes from thiefs and they are not reported!

And re the reporting, thats a question for the media, not the Gardaí.

Tombo2001

foreign wrote: »

We do catch them. But then they get bail. Then they go back out and steal more. Then people keep buying stolen bikes.

But the two most annoying things is bike owners who don't note their serial numbers so we can return stolen bikes, or better yet the fúckwits who don't even report the theft! We've recovered expensive bikes from thiefs and they are not reported!

And re the reporting, thats a question for the media, not the Gardaí.

Good response.

A point though......unless your bike is stolen, you may not know that you need the serial number for your bike if you are reporting it stolen.

It may sound obvious to you, but I doubt its obvious to everyone.

Qualitymark

foreign wrote: »

We do catch them. But then they get bail. Then they go back out and steal more. Then people keep buying stolen bikes.

But the two most annoying things is bike owners who don't note their serial numbers so we can return stolen bikes, or better yet the fúckwits who don't even report the theft! We've recovered expensive bikes from thiefs and they are not reported!

And re the reporting, thats a question for the media, not the Gardaí.

Bail is temporary. If they're convicted, it's not only up to the media - couldn't the gardai have a "successful prosecutions" website?

Not reporting the theft is a vicious circle because people feel it won't be investigated; I have reported bike thefts in my time, and asked what were the chances of getting my bicycle (worth hundreds of euro) back, only to be answered with a limp shrug and a closing hatch.

Here's the current page of the Stolen Bikes thread on the Cycling forum:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79939021#post79939021

Tombo2001

Qualitymark wrote: »

Bail is temporary. If they're convicted, it's not only up to the media - couldn't the gardai have a "successful prosecutions" website?

Not reporting the theft is a vicious circle because people feel it won't be investigated; I have reported bike thefts in my time, and asked what were the chances of getting my bicycle (worth hundreds of euro) back, only to be answered with a limp shrug and a closing hatch.

As mentioned earlier, there is a vibrant demand for second hand bikes. Most of them dont show up again. Or a lot of them dont.

There are Garda stations shutting down left right and centre. How high a priority do you really expect a stolen bike to be? I wouldnt expect it to be high.

Where does a Garda go looking for a stolen bike? You tell me......are you expecting door-to-door investigations for it?

Also, did you have the serial number?

LLU

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Good response.

A point though......unless your bike is stolen, you may not know that you need the serial number for your bike if you are reporting it stolen.

It may sound obvious to you, but I doubt its obvious to everyone.

Ah come one now, that bit should be pretty damn obvious! If you can't be bothered to know the number of your bike how the hell can you or anyone else be expected to identify it again??

Tombo2001

LLU wrote: »

Ah come one now, that bit should be pretty damn obvious! If you can't be bothered to know the number of your bike how the hell can you or anyone else be expected to identify it again??

I;d say a lot of people who bought a bike on the 'bike to work scheme' wouldnt know this.

Ask someone about it and see what they say.

As I said, it may seem obvious to you........that doesnt mean its obvious to everyone.

If you dont know that bikes have a serial number, how would you know to record it.

Qualitymark

Tombo2001 wrote: »

As mentioned earlier, there is a vibrant demand for second hand bikes. Most of them dont show up again. Or a lot of them dont.

There are Garda stations shutting down left right and centre. How high a priority do you really expect a stolen bike to be? I wouldnt expect it to be high.

Where does a Garda go looking for a stolen bike? You tell me......are you expecting door-to-door investigations for it?

Also, did you have the serial number?

How high a priority would I expect a stolen bicycle to have? High - bicycle theft is a known gateway to crime. Catching bike thieves may stop a good boy turning definitively bad.

In the case of organised bicycle theft, let's say you have a ban with 20 bicycles (conservative) in it, and each of those bicycles is worth €300, that's a crime worth €6,000 - not to mention the misery and distrust of each of the 20 people whose bicycle has been stolen. (A friend of mine had an Elswick stolen that had been in the family since the 1940s, for instance; I was mugged off a lovely original Falcon.)

Where does a garda go looking for a stolen bike? For a start, the gardaí monitoring the cameras in O'Connell Street probably have plenty of footage of bike thieves at work. The detectives walking the city streets must see thieves in action. Apart from this - I don't know. That's garda business, to know, by police work, where thieves fence their goods.

Did I have the serial number? Yes. Always. Did I get my bicycle back? No. Never.

LLU

Tombo2001 wrote: »

I;d say a lot of people who bought a bike on the 'bike to work scheme' wouldnt know this.

Ask someone about it and see what they say.

As I said, it may seem obvious to you........that doesnt mean its obvious to everyone.

If you dont know that bikes have a serial number, how would you know to record it.

Fair enough, you may be right, sadly. But almost every substantial object from cars to phones to computers has a serial number. If something is precious to you, it's your responsibility to ensure you can identify it and if you can't even do that then you're part of the problem. But I take your point, a lot of people seem to think that someone else will take care of this for them and dont bother until its too late.

Qualitymark

Qualitymark wrote: »

How high a priority would I expect a stolen bicycle to have? High - bicycle theft is a known gateway to crime. Catching bike thieves may stop a good boy turning definitively bad.

In the case of organised bicycle theft, let's say you have a ban with 20 bicycles (conservative) in it, and each of those bicycles is worth €300, that's a crime worth €6,000 - not to mention the misery and distrust of each of the 20 people whose bicycle has been stolen. (A friend of mine had an Elswick stolen that had been in the family since the 1940s, for instance; I was mugged off a lovely original Falcon.)

Where does a garda go looking for a stolen bike? For a start, the gardaí monitoring the cameras in O'Connell Street probably have plenty of footage of bike thieves at work. The detectives walking the city streets must see thieves in action. Apart from this - I don't know. That's garda business, to know, by police work, where thieves fence their goods.

Did I have the serial number? Yes. Always. Did I get my bicycle back? No. Never.

Right, here you go, an in depth guide to how we investigate most crimes. Try find out from the victim where it happened. (Sometimes this is like pulling hens teeth).

Check if the area has CCTV. If it does, get a copy, hope it shows where the bike was left. Then try identify when the bike was stolen. (Have you ever looked through an entire days worth of CCTV for a thief who is not dressed in black and white strips and wearing a mask?).

If we are lucky to find the crime happen on CCTV then we will see if we know them. If not we ask around the station. Still drawing a blank? Send the picture to all stations. So then you wait.

If you get an id back, look for a search warrant. Find the gouger. Arrest. Question. Charge. Bail. Start the process again.

If we are lucky, we get a bike back. Then check it on the computer and find it's not reported! :rolleyes:

Qualitymark

Here's a nice account of police catching a serial bike thief:

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Serial-Bike-Thief-Targeted-Oakley-Hyde-Park-For/onnoU3Ap5UiySzzdVws_pQ.cspx

Tombo2001

Tombo2001 wrote: »

I;d say a lot of people who bought a bike on the 'bike to work scheme' wouldnt know this.

Most of them don't even bother to find a receipt which most times will have a serial number and a value. Again, most people can't tell me how much their bike is worth!

Qualitymark

So it's always the victim's fault?

I would happily bet good money (and I'm not a betting person) that a garda who brought a ring of bicycle thefts to book and offered, say, the Evening Herald or thejournal.ie the story and the chance of photos would get plenty of coverage.

Incidentally, in shock after having my bicycle stolen, I doubt I'd know how much it's worth offhand; I bought my current bicycle from a friend, its first owner. She'd paid €300ish for it and sold it to me for around €150, maybe 10 years ago, but it's a nice handbuilt Dawes and may have retained its value well. I do have the serial number, by the way.

People will continue to buy stolen bicycles until they're prosecuted for doing so.

Qualitymark

Qualitymark wrote: »

So it's always the victim's fault?

Not what I said, but we need the correct information to properly investigate crime.

catastrophy

Why don't gardai catch bike thieves?

They do, end of thread.

Or is what your really asking - why don't the gardai catch the thieves who stole my bike?

Qualitymark

No, not what I'm asking. I don't know anyone who's had a stolen bike found and returned by gardai. I haven't seen any postings on the extensive Stolen Bicycles thread on the Cycling forum of boards.ie with such information.

Tombo2001

foreign wrote: »

Most of them don't even bother to find a receipt which most times will have a serial number and a value. Again, most people can't tell me how much their bike is worth!

But again awareness.....

Are people aware that bikes have a serial number? I would guess most people dont. if you are into bikes, then of course you will know it.

If you are not, and have bought your first bike in 20 years on the bike to work scheme, then you wont. how would you know.......

A simple thing to do would be run an ad campaign on RTE saying a lot of bikes are being stolen, this is what you do to avoid it, and this is what you do to report it.

I'm assuming you are a Garda from your contributions; and you are telling us that many people who report stolen bikes do not know the serial numbers......is that correct?

And if you dont know the serial number, then effectively, you cant report it stolen....."yeah....it was a red trek with a rip in the saddle..."

Tombo2001

Qualitymark wrote: »

.

In the case of organised bicycle theft, let's say you have a ban with 20 bicycles (conservative) in it, and each of those bicycles is worth €300, that's a crime worth €6,000. .

So 20 stolen bikes = 1 stolen car......and you are wondering why the Gardai dont go around chasing the 20 stolen bikes.....

catastrophy

Maybe I've missed something but are you suggesting that in the entire history of the state that gardai have never apprehended a bike thief?

In my opinion the whole culture surrounding bikes needs to change. As things stand, bicycles are relatively easily stolen and sold. Identification of bicycles is difficult as mentioned above. On a purely anecdotal level, the returns simply are not viable to put huge resources into dealing solely with bicycle theft.

deadwood

I'm amazed that even a child wouldn't know to note the serial number of a bike or other valuables and take a few photos.

Look at the amount of recovered and unclaimed bikes and property that go to auction.

aloyisious

Stolen bikes are so easily to use, trade in or dump, that it's hard for GS to deal with the crime. A paint-spray conceal's a lot. Most' if not all, GS stations run a scheme where you provide your local with the make, frame No, general description and a photo or two of your bike, so if it's stolen, they know what to look for. It help's you get it back if it's recovered. They also provide, or used to, bike owners with equipment to identity-mark bikes: untra-violet markers, metal-inscribers etc.

Having said that, it also depends on the individual Garda following through on reported stolen bikes to ensure the system works. I had a bike stolen from my home (a tommasini) which I had markered, inscribed, photo'd and tippexed wheel rims inside.

I reported the theft/break-in to Bray Gardai and filled out an insurance claim, which was paid out after some months. About 6 months later, I saw the bike in Dun Laoghaire and called local Garda to where the bike was. While I was waiting for them, a man approached the bike and took his lock off it. The Gardai showed up before he left and I showed one where I had marked etc the frame, wheels and handlebars. He was apparently satisfied that it was the bike stolen from me.

However, when I mentioned that insurance had been paid out on the bike, the Garda took the name the man supplied, along with an address where he said he worked, and let him leave with the bike. I was stunned by this act and didn't bother taking his actions up with him, just reported his actions and details to Bray Gardai. His act in letting the man walk away with the bike left me hoping the D/L Garda's attitude was a once-off and he didn't take the same attitude towards his work obligations.

BaronVon

Qualitymark wrote: »

No, not what I'm asking. I don't know anyone who's had a stolen bike found and returned by gardai. I haven't seen any postings on the extensive Stolen Bicycles thread on the Cycling forum of boards.ie with such information.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=9358

Qualitymark

infacteh wrote: »

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=9358

(The link leads to the three-year Garda strategy document, seeking guidance from the public - thanks very much.)

No, I'm not suggesting that in the history of the Garda Síochána no stolen bicycle has been recovered.

But I don't think the massive, profitable, Garda-contempt-evincing bicycle robbery industry is seriously investigated or targeted.

Kevin3

Video here with some crime prevention advice. Bit at the very end from Store Street Garda Station showing the amount of recovered bikes they have. I think it's obvious they do take bicycle theft seriously but it must be frustrating not being able to return so many bikes.

The Garda has the same advice as other users; note the frame number/serial number and report it if it's stolen.

Qualitymark

Kevin3 wrote: »

Video here with some crime prevention advice. Bit at the very end from Store Street Garda Station showing the amount of recovered bikes they have. I think it's obvious they do take bicycle theft seriously but it must be frustrating not being able to return so many bikes.

The Garda has the same advice as other users; note the frame number/serial number and report it if it's stolen.

This is useful; thank you.

Unfortunately, many of the reports in the Stolen Bicycles thread in the Cycling forum say things like "My bike was locked with three [named] locks..."

Tombo2001

Tombo2001 wrote: »

And if you dont know the serial number, then effectively, you cant report it stolen....."yeah....it was a red trek with a rip in the saddle..."

Of course you can, just don't expect much hope of finding a white mens felt bike.

999nobody

Qualitymark wrote: »

So it's always the victim's fault?

I would happily bet good money (and I'm not a betting person) that a garda who brought a ring of bicycle thefts to book and offered, say, the Evening Herald or thejournal.ie the story and the chance of photos would get plenty of coverage.

.

The media are only interested in stories that bash the emergency services.

Qualitymark

999nobody wrote: »

The media are only interested in stories that bash the emergency services.

Absolutely not so. The media are interested in stories that their readers want to read, which sells copies, which gets advertising, which pays their wages and makes their profits.

And what readers want to read is strong narrative - which can be "Garda Does Bad Thing" (cue: boooo, hissss), or "Garda Does Great Thing" (cue: yaaaaay, hooraaaaaay).

I promise you, if you have a good strong story about gardaí - preferably bicycle gardaí - chasing down and arresting thieves with a van full of bicycles - and especially if there are pictures of the gardaí standing triumphantly at the back door of that van - you'll get a front-page lead.

goldie fish

Qualitymark wrote: »

No, not what I'm asking. I don't know anyone who's had a stolen bike found and returned by gardai. I haven't seen any postings on the extensive Stolen Bicycles thread on the Cycling forum of boards.ie with such information.

Have you ever gone to the Garda Bicycle auctions?

Eru

Qualitymark wrote: »

Bail is temporary. If they're convicted, it's not only up to the media - couldn't the gardai have a "successful prosecutions" website?

NO, the Gardai are not media whores nor are we here to name and shame convicted criminals. The reporting system is within the fact that all court decisions are public domain information and available on the courts.ie website

What the media print is a funny thing, sometimes you see a pretty minor case in the paper and the next day something big gets nothing. Not all courts have journalists in them unless they know theres a big case on.

Qualitymark wrote: »

Not reporting the theft is a vicious circle because people feel it won't be investigated; I have reported bike thefts in my time, and asked what were the chances of getting my bicycle (worth hundreds of euro) back, only to be answered with a limp shrug and a closing hatch.

What else can the Garda do or say at the time? We cant predict the future. Its maybe a 20% chance but that number would fluctuate depending on where.

Qualitymark wrote: »

Here's the current page of the Stolen Bikes thread on the Cycling forum:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79939021#post79939021

Theres probable about 500 bikes in Pearse and Store Street that were never matched to owners so maybe they should pop down with their bikes info instead of posting on the internet about it.

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Are people aware that bikes have a serial number? I would guess most people dont. if you are into bikes, then of course you will know it.

If you are not, and have bought your first bike in 20 years on the bike to work scheme, then you wont. how would you know.......

I see your point BUT is The vast majority of property has a serial number. Its not a new concept.

Tombo2001 wrote: »

A simple thing to do would be run an ad campaign on RTE saying a lot of bikes are being stolen, this is what you do to avoid it, and this is what you do to report it.

Its an idea allright, suggest it. Probable wont be noticed much more than the phone snatch ads but worth a shot.

Tombo2001 wrote: »

I'm assuming you are a Garda from your contributions; and you are telling us that many people who report stolen bikes do not know the serial numbers......is that correct?

And if you dont know the serial number, then effectively, you cant report it stolen....."yeah....it was a red trek with a rip in the saddle..."

You can report it BUT again, how are we going to find your "red mountain bike" because I have to be honest, less than 1 in 20 people know the make and model nevermind serial numbers. Its not like a car either that has a reg plate, insurance, etc and a database that can be checked or watched out for. Realistically even with a serial, are we supposed to grab every person cycling a red Trek for example? Someone mentioned CCTV, its not everywhere and how long does it take to watch a weekends worth of CCTV? Possible 2 or 3 cameras?

Its a nice rant by the OP but its misdirected. Did the OP raise the spiraling crime issue at election time when Garda numbers were being cut and crime fighting was a distant second to budget cutting? Do most of the people that buy second hand make any effort to check the origin of the bike? Nike thiefs are selling them somewhere after-all.

Every single Garda poster here predicted a drastic rise in crime, especially property theft but no one cared.

So for the OP, thousands of bikes are recovered every year, some matched to owners, majority not for a variety of reasons but you don't really want to hear that do you? Just felt like a rant and if the Gardai advertised anti-crime operations in advance wouldnt that also alert the criminals? This isn't TV.

The_Snapper

Qualitymark wrote: »

There's an epidemic of bicycle thefts - look at the thread in the Cycling forum, for instance - but a Google News and a Google Web search fails to turn up any reports of gardai catching and prosecuting bicycle thieves, or the theft rings that fill vans with bikes. Why is this?

Well, I've done my bit. Got a tip off recently on high spec bicycle thefts to order (Boardmans etc), not normally newsworthy so I had a chat with one of my local plods.

The feedback two days later: Perp traced & known to Plod, not as an alter boy either, & info passed to relevant district to be actioned.

So, it is being dealt with, but not necessarily a newsworthy story.

Qualitymark

The_Snapper wrote: »

Well, I've done my bit. Got a tip off recently on high spec bicycle thefts to order (Boardmans etc), not normally newsworthy so I had a chat with one of my local plods.

The feedback two days later: Perp traced & known to Plod, not as an alter boy either, & info passed to relevant district to be actioned.

So, it is being dealt with, but not necessarily a newsworthy story.

It will be if they catch the 'perp'.

Qualitymark

Qualitymark wrote: »

It will be if they catch the 'perp'.

You really should read the newspapers to see what they consider newsworthy. Court stories are not them unless it is salacious.

lorrieq

I had my Carerra TDF road bike stolen.

It was left at the top of grafton street with scores of other bikes, with hundreds of people passing every minute, with a massive lock around it.

I went to report it straight away. Garda couldn't give a ****, having a bit of banter with a colleague while taking my details.

Also apparently there are no cameras at the bike rack outside St. Stephens Green shopping centre. The fúck?

And if there is CCTV to be looked at, no matter how long, why don't the guards give the tapes to the victim (who I'm sure would gladly watch them) rather than complain its too much work?

damagegt

On this thursday http://www.wilsonsauctions.com/Leisure_Auction.asp

Qualitymark

damagegt wrote: »

On this thursday http://www.wilsonsauctions.com/Leisure_Auction.asp

Looks like some nice bikes there. I see it's Garda, finance houses, sheriff, etc. Cycles of grief.

Eru

The_Snapper wrote: »

my local plods.

Seriously?

lorrieq wrote: »

Garda couldn't give a ****, having a bit of banter with a colleague while taking my details.

Why do people expect us to take everything personally? You were the victim so are upset, we are not so are not. It has no effect on the investigation that we don't cry or get upset every time we take a report. A BID in Temple Street, that upsets me. Breaking the news to a family that their child mother / father / husband / etc has been killed, that upsets me. S sexual crime upsets me and I am thankful that so far I have never had a child reporting one (fingers crossed) but can you seriously imagine how miserable our lives would be if we lived and died with every crime?

lorrieq wrote: »

Also apparently there are no cameras at the bike rack outside St. Stephens Green shopping centre. The fúck?

St Stephens Green shopping centre should be ashamed not putting cameras up to watch peoples property for them.

lorrieq wrote: »

And if there is CCTV to be looked at, no matter how long, why don't the guards give the tapes to the victim (who I'm sure would gladly watch them) rather than complain its too much work?

Its a certain thing called due process, procedure and data protection. Witnesses cannot be given CCTV for their own viewing as its interfering with the witnesses knowledge and is a breach of data protection.

Think logically, that footage contains images of completely random and innocent people going about their business. If the shoe was on the other foot you would be screaming blue murder about footage being handed out to anyone that asks.

This thread is just another example of the self centered delusional view of the world that people have. People really do think they are the only ones that have reported a crime and all Gardai have nothing else to do than spends weeks on a bike U/T and not solving this one crime means we solve none. Then why arent the prisons empty instead of being overcrowded? Oh, must be the TV license fines.

Qualitymark

Eru wrote: »

This thread is just another example of the self centered delusional view of the world that people have. People really do think they are the only ones that have reported a crime and all Gardai have nothing else to do than spends weeks on a bike U/T and not solving this one crime means we solve none.

This is lovely - I love logical fallacies, thank you so much, Eru. Unfortunately, I can't decide if it's special pleading, personal incredulity, tu quoque, composition/division or the fallacy fallacy. (http://fivejs.com/free-printable-logical-fallacy-poster/)

But addressing your argument directly, no, I'm not someone with a "self-centred delusional view of the world". It's not about me, it's about you.

I haven't had a bicycle stolen for years (because I haven't been cycling for years, until I started back a couple of months ago). At that stage I noticed that the problem which had existed all those years ago - that bicycles are constantly stolen, and that there is seemingly no serious policing effort to shut down the profitable criminal industry of stealing and selling bicycles - was still a problem. And on this board, I read my way through the 'Stolen bicycles' thread, where every day people are posting about their good, well-locked bicycles being stolen from the streets, from lockups outside their work, even from the basements of their apartment blocks.

The defensive, angry replies to this 'Why don't gardai catch bike thieves?' thread makes me thing this is not going to change.

I'd love to be proved wrong.

The_Snapper

Eru wrote: »

Seriously?

Yes, some members of the public do talk to the Police, or were you questioning the word Plod, which is a non offensive British term for Police.

are you serious

Just a few things..

Why buy a bike for €600 and lock it with a €10 lock. . . makes no sense

Why Park your bike in City Centre if you already know how high bike theft is?

A lot of CCTV camera's these days are not fixed, as in they move around to pick up new things or maybe to follow someone so although there could be a camera right at said bike rack it may in fact be turned the opposite way and zoomed a further 50yds away so it will never catch anyone.

I have to also reply like ERU about the lads having a bit of banter at the station counter... God forbid lads get along in work and have a sense of humour when working, as he said going from identifying a body in a hospital or morgue is far from easy. If we let everything get to us we'd probably all be topping ourselves with that much depression!!

Pearse Street I reckon has probably the busiest station counter in the country, what mannerisms would you prefer the lads to come to the counter with? Having that day probably already taken 2/3 bike thefts maybe and assault depending on the day and a minimum of 3 internet frauds. . . . Not to mention all the stolen phones/purses/handbags...

Your looking at a probable 2 days worth of CCTV footage (in total hours) for just one bike theft, trying to find a person you have never seen before taking a bike which you dont have a picture of. the cctv would be even longer if you like most people parked it at 8am and returned at 5pm... I'll leave it to you to do the maths on the man hours needed for one bike theft. Then you'd realise why when your asking why was there no Gardaí out walking the street to stop this happening in the 1st place... They were probably down the back of the station watching other CCTV (while having a bit of banter )

In summary my advice would be, do not park your bike in Dublin EVER!!

Qualitymark

are you serious wrote: »

In summary my advice would be, do not park your bike in Dublin EVER!!

Well, thanks. That's great support from gardai.

The_Snapper

are you serious wrote: »

I have to also reply like ERU about the lads having a bit of banter at the station counter... God forbid lads get along in work and have a sense of humour when working, as he said going from identifying a body in a hospital or morgue is far from easy. If we let everything get to us we'd probably all be topping ourselves with that much depression!!

Not when a victim of a crime is present. It shows a complete lack of respect to a person reporting a crime. Their considerations & feelings will be far from humorous having just had a bike stolen or whatever.

Potential-Monke

Qualitymark wrote: »

Well, thanks. That's great support from gardai.

It's not support, it's advice.

I can't see why people seem to think that bike theft is a high priority. Yes, it may be to the person who owned the bike, but in the eyes of the Gardai (and management, who decide on what area of crime to best put resources into), bicycle theft is not a high priority. In an ideal world the Garda who received the report could go all CSI and do nothing else until the theft is solved, but this is reality and the chances of a Garda getting the time to go through many hours of CCTV for a stolen bike is slim to none.

Why don't people put GPS tracking chips into the frame of the bike? Something like that would have the crime solved near instantly. The public need help from the Gardai when they've been the victim of a crime, the Gardai need help from the public to solve those crimes, but the latter is lacking.

And, as ERU said above, there are procedures to be followed, strict guidelines which, if found to be breached could mean a lost case. And to note what someone else said (may have been ERU again), we prevent and detect crime, recovering stolen property is not a function, just a bonus should it happen.

Qualitymark

Potential-Monke wrote: »

It's not support, it's advice.

Thanks. I'll cycle into town now to do some research in a library, and will then cause my bicycle to disappear for five hours, rather than expecting it to be safe on the street, locked with a €70 lock to a Dublin Corporation bicycle stand?

I can't see why people seem to think that bike theft is a high priority. Yes, it may be to the person who owned the bike, but in the eyes of the Gardai (and management, who decide on what area of crime to best put resources into), bicycle theft is not a high priority.

Since bicycle theft is the standard gateway crime that introduces youths to criminal behaviour, it surely makes sense to target this crime.

And to note what someone else said (may have been ERU again), we prevent and detect crime, recovering stolen property is not a function, just a bonus should it happen.

Interesting; I didn't know this.

Little gap in the market there for some entrepreneur.

Eru

Qualitymark wrote: »

Since bicycle theft is the standard gateway crime that introduces youths to criminal behaviour, it surely makes sense to target this crime.

Surely ALL petty crime is a gateway crime or is it only those that nick bikes that go on to become the worlds leading drug smugglers and godfathers? Pity those that commit robberies from the person, shops and other violent crime never go up the ranks considering they put more effort in and apparently, run the risk of being caught compared to a bike thief who will 100% get away with it. Seems a strange choice to be considered worthy for criminal promotion though.

The_Snapper wrote: »

Yes, some members of the public do talk to the Police, or were you questioning the word Plod, which is a non offensive British term for Police.

What did I quote? The term Plod usually refers to a lazy, stupid uniform officer doing nothing more than 'plodding along' and is absolutely meant to cause offence.

Eru

I just realised that the 4 pages could have been put to bed easily.

OP: Why do Gardai not catch bike thiefs? (and points to a boards thread as proof if this)

Answer: We do. (and points to a bike auction as proof of this)

The_Snapper

Eru wrote: »

What did I quote? The term Plod usually refers to a lazy, stupid uniform officer doing nothing more than 'plodding along' and is absolutely meant to cause offence.

Only if you look it up in Wikipedia, an unreliable source of information. Try looking it up in a credible dictionary like Oxford.

discus

Eru wrote: »

Surely ALL petty crime is a gateway crime or is it only those that nick bikes that go on to become the worlds leading drug smugglers and godfathers? Pity those that commit robberies from the person, shops and other violent crime never go up the ranks considering they put more effort in and apparently, run the risk of being caught compared to a bike thief who will 100% get away with it. Seems a strange choice to be considered worthy for criminal promotion though.

I live with a load of lads who made their teenage living being burgalars, thieves, car lifters, tyre robbers, arsonists... and most of them genuinely did start with bikes from garages.

are you serious

Qualitymark wrote: »

Well, thanks. That's great support from gardai.

As has already been said its not support, just good advice!

Off topic here but when someone reports their card has been skimmed to me, I tell them stop using atm machines and only ever use laser and ask for cash back... Is this also bad support...? I think not as it greatly reduces the chance of it happening again!

I would also like to point out that I myself have been a victim of card fraud and I now no longer use atm machines......

The_Snapper wrote: »

Not when a victim of a crime is present. It shows a complete lack of respect to a person reporting a crime. Their considerations & feelings will be far from humorous having just had a bike stolen or whatever.

Ok so how should one respond to someone saying they locked their bike up and its been stolen... Some people come in crying, its not like the lad/girl behind the desk will respond the same to this as someone who appears to be concerned but at the same time just want to report it...

Again everyone here seems to know the amount of bike theft that goes on so why would anyone be daft enough to leave your bike in town no matter where you lock it? I know if I cycled into work my bike would be getting left somewhere indoors!!

The_Snapper

are you serious wrote: »

Ok so how should one respond to someone saying they locked their bike up and its been stolen... Some people come in crying, its not like the lad/girl behind the desk will respond the same to this as someone who appears to be concerned but at the same time just want to report it...

I'll give you a slight hint, a professional manner.....