nightshade18

Folks,

It's been a tough week with my Giant Defy stolen from outside work on Wednesday. Work can't help and it wasn't insured. On Thursday I appealed for witnesses at work and it transpired that a colleague had seen the theft and reported it to the police. She'd overheard a first name (which is an unusual name) and the police had said he was well known to them. A quick google and I'm fairly certain of his identity. There are articles in the local paper about him going to court for theft to pay drug debts and wasting police time. The paper named the road he lives on and I've found his facebook profile with pictures and his place of work too.

Initially I wanted to go round, bang on doors till I found him and set about him. I've since calmed down - I'm not a fighter and I don't want to do anything that would jeopardise a prosecution. I also realise that my bike will be long gone - he likely shifted it on the day he stole it.
It's been really difficult. I'm still annoyed and upset and frustrated. The bike is on our nation cycle to work scheme, so it's not even paid for and I have to keep paying for the next 6 months. I do have a winter bike but I can't bring myself to get on it right now.

I keep thinking that I should contact his work. Do you think there'd be any ramifications for him? It's a fairly large company, so maybe their HR dept would be interested to know they're employing criminals? Again I wonder if the police would take a dim view of this?

Anyway, I'm completely peeved and just felt the need to rant.

thin_concrete

I'm not sure what going to his employer is going to do unless you have proof he stole it, and it doesn't seem like you do. It seems like you have anecdotal evidence, if you can even call it that. If it is a big company with an HR department, they probably did a background check on him before hiring him anyway.

Work with the police first.

nightshade18

I hear what you're saying, though I could check his picture with the witness and then I'd know for sure.

ahanulec

That is a very difficult situation for sure. You need to let the police handle this.

Any action you take will likely jeopardize official police investigations or worse.

Cyclist0108

It could also get you killed (at least it would in The Land of The Free).

There is also the possibility (however remote) that this person did not steal your bike.

CliffordK

I agree with others... go back to the police. I find it odd that they apparently had a couple of police reports, and haven't followed up on them.

Here in the USA, I think the do police line-ups and photo line-ups.

If you take a photo to the witness and say, "Here is the photo of XYZ, an alleged bicycle thief, is this the guy"? That is a very leading question and contaminates the whole case.

On the other hand, go into the police station and look at 20 photos, and pick out the one individual out of the 20, and one has a much stronger case.

Show the person the photo first, then do the line-up... and still it is contaminated evidence.

nightshade18

You guys are right, I guess it's just so frustrating when you're fairly sure who took your bike.

CliffordK

Just talk to the police again. Have them do the photo line-up with the witness. If they haven't done it (but already have a name) is bad as one should do it while the memories are still fresh.

And, based on the witness and lineup, conduct a search. Any surveillance videos? WHY NOT? The thief may be smart enough to flip bikes quickly, or stash them somewhere that they can't be easily located. Timing would be important.

Oh, and talk to your employer to see if they have some kind of theft insurance. Paying for a bike that you don't have would be the pits.

nightshade18

Thanks - I've been through all that. Works insurance doesn't cover it. We all park right underneath a camera and after this incident work admitted that it's a fake, not connected to their cctv at all. Given that I asked if they could help with goodwill rather than out of some legal obligation or insurance..... I got told where to go.

It feels like its been too long already..

thin_concrete

No doubt it's a frustrating situation - I hope it works out the best for you.

chaadster

Yeah, down to Leeds to call up some Gipton boys...

CliffordK

A FAKE?

I have to wonder if the company would have any liability for installing a fake?

The fakes give you as an employee a false sense of security. When did you learn that it was a fake?

Sometimes security videos are hard to interpret unless the company actually invests in good quality video cameras, but you would have enough evidence that any video might be enough for a court case.

How well do you like your job? Shake the tree too much and you might find yourself cleaning toilets and getting coffee for your boss. But, on the other hand, I do think the company has some obligation to help with employee safety including the employees property (which they are "selling" to the employee).

Oh, also, it is a bit late now, but what kind of lock were you using? Time to get the strongest lock available, and the ugliest bike?

Maelochs

Call the cops back and demand they follow up ... they might not be very motivated to act but if you show that you care ... you might have to file some kind of complaint ... but do follow up. If nothing else, you might stop him from stealing your next bike.

Oh, and sincere condolences.

nightshade18

The CCTV is so frustrating. They spun some line that camera's are not intended to identify suspects and are intended as a deterrent only.
As for my job, yes I like it a lot. I'm also financially tied to the firm for paying for my qualification for the next two years. So I have rounded up all the regular cyclists and rocked the boat but not enough to capsize it. We've been invited to a meeting to discuss what we can do to improve security and one of the suggestions is to get the bikes inside. Helpful for the future but no use for my missing Giant.

Meantime the cops just called back to say they're dropping the case. They've taken a statement from our witness and apparently the description doesn't match our suspect. I'm so deflated. I guess it was unlikely to be him after all. Glad I didn't go in guns blazing, but now what?
It's so depressing.

CliffordK

One thing is not all security cameras are created equal.

And, fortunately, there have been a lot of changes in the last couple of years.

A few years ago, someone stole a car from where I work. Captured on security video, with so low resolution that one could only identify race, and perhaps sex/height of individual (maybe if one did a comparative analysis).

Anyway, look at new super high res cameras (4K?), with perhaps two cameras from different directions, and be careful with the focus.

Also consider a bike cage or secure storage room with secure access granted to those "bike commuters" who register. Electronic key codes can track who goes in and out.

Jiggle

The government has a monopoly on violence so if they decide your problem isn't worth their time, then you are simply out of luck, unless you want to make yourself the target of their law enforcement. And come after you they will; the police don't like competition.

The advantage thieves have is that their victims have to risk their livelihoods if they take matters into their own hands, while the low life leeches skate through life without a care in the world.

Just consider the loss of your bike as the price you pay for living in a "civilized" society. Pay it off and move on.

Maelochs

Only positive spin I could possibly put on such a crappy situation---at least now you get to shop for a new bike.

Everyone believes different things. In my belief system, karma catches everyone. The theif will get what he deserves.

Losing a bike still sucks ....

dim

My daughters folding bike was stolen here in Cambridge UK a few years ago .... I let some local lads know that if anyone could give me information as to where the bike's whereabouts was, I would reward them with £100

3 hours later, the thief returned the bike and left it at our front door and ran away

the police had no interest

jeichelberg87

No you would not "know for sure." A single witness is not enough for even a criminal trial; besides, the witness could have stole it, then pinned it on the other guy, knowing the other person's reputation.

Sorry about your bike.

nightshade18

Well here's to Karma. I wish them flats on every ride and saddle sores.... Although, I suspect that road bikes like this aren't being ragged round the local council estate by the scum that stole them. My guess is someone will try to pass it off as genuine and convert it's value to cash.

I won't be replacing it - not soon anyway. The summer almost gone, so it would have been tucked away for the duration and to be fair I probably shouldn't have bought it in the first place - it was my first decent road bike but it stretched the budget a little. I'll either use the car or fix up my old bike and use that till the spring when I can re-assess.

gsa103

Keep watching the craigslist of nearby metro areas, talk to the local shops, let them know. At some point the bike will likely turn up on a more legitimate channel where you can recover it. At some point someone is going to want to sell the bike for more than a $200 BSO, and that will require reaching a larger market.

RiPHRaPH

Always take a picture of the serial number that is stamped on the bottom of the frame near the bottom bracketon your phone.
Do you have a receipt from your shop..

nightshade18

Yes, I do have the receipt and have asked the shop to confirm the frame no.

prathmann

I suspect that fake security cameras are pretty common. Our local transit agency recently got some bad publicity about this. After an assault on one of the trains it turned out that only about a quarter of the prominent camera housings with blinking red light and warning sign actually have a camera inside. They're now busy retrofitting the empty ones.

builderguy

See if you can talk to the police about going to the guy's house with you. If he answers the door, tell him the police said you could drop the charges. Tell him you agreed to drop the charges, if you get your bike back. He will say he doesn't know what you are talking about. Tell him, if you find you bike somewhere, you can still drop the case and then ask him if he were looking for a bike, where would he look. He may give you a lead on where to find it.

There is a chance he took it, just to get someplace. Then he left it there. Check the police impound. The police don't check incoming bikes against the stolen report. You would think so, but no.

As said above, check every pawn shop and craigslist. Constantly. Pawn shops don't want stolen stuff. I realize you may not have craigslist, but you surely have something. Don't bother checking any ads that you have to pay for space. Criminals don't do that.

Check all the bike shops. Someone could have come in trying to see if they could sell your bike. They will most likely tell you about it. At least it will be a lead.
Don't be afraid to go some distance. I once found some stolen property 1 1/2 hours away, at a pawn shop.

I doubt your bike will be parted out. It's not like a car. Someone has it, just like they got it. Just waiting to find a buyer.

Also, look at all the bikes you see. There is a chance you will see someone riding it. Keep your serial number with you. If you find it, call the police right then. The person riding it may think they bought it legitimately. As long as the serial number matches, you get to take it back. Also try to remember any distinguishing marks. Serial numbers can be filed off.

Good luck.