[Closed] To catch a thief - Advice needed!

What evidence have you for his guilt?

Sounds like very little.

PI?

Wait until you see him with the bike.
Classifieds looking for bits and pieces and his mobile number.

Good luck.

You've got no chance but to either stalk him and hope to catch him with it, or try to find out who his fence is.

That's reasonable grounds.......Police should get a warrant and search the address.
Ask to speak to an Inspector at your local nick.

What Don said, really is your only hope.

Do you think he cut off your lock and stuffed your bike into the back of his van? Do you have any evidence of this?

What's the evidence?

If there is a security gate and a security door is there also CCTV?

I remember reading Zaskars first post on this, and apparently the CCTV cameras are dummy ones!

Anothedeadhero appears to have the only solution of stalking/following this person, really not sure that the police would work off these suspiscions just yet, but even if ZC follows the guy and gets a home address, there might still be a lack of proof that the wheel clamper has anything to do with the theft, so the police in this day & age are probably more likely to charge ZC with a stalking offence rather than find his bike 👿

What is the basis for this belief?

cynic-al - Member

What evidence have you for his guilt?

Sounds like very little.

PI?

That's the thing - I have no hard evidence that he took it. I noticed him inside our apartment block when he was talking to the person who had been clamped. He was looking over at my bike then, but I thought no more of it. I also noticed him about 10 minutes earlier (before the car owner got home), and he was peering through the communal door of the apartment block.

It's so hard to explain why I think it's him, other than saying that I have a really strong gut feeling that it is because, in hindsight, he was acting very suspiciously.

duntstick - Member

That's reasonable grounds.......Police should get a warrant and search the address.
Ask to speak to an Inspector at your local nick.

That's what I was thinking. They would have to obtain the address from the clamping company first but it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

hora - Member

Do you think he cut off your lock and stuffed your bike into the back of his van? Do you have any evidence of this?

He did not cut the lock off, as the bike was not locked to anything. Unfortunately I am unable to store it in my apartment (been moaned at by my landlord), and I am not able to lock it to the railings in the hallway directly outside my flat (fire regs). The only place I am able to store it is either outside in the car park, chained to a bike rack (and in full view of everyone who walks past), or inside in the communal hallway (which I'm not really supposed to), where there is nothing to lock it to. The bike was locked in such as way as to make it unrideable, so the thief would have either had to carry it away with him (very conspicious), or put it in the back of a vehicle.

cranberry - Member

If there is a security gate and a security door is there also CCTV?

No, there is no CCTV (there are warnings everywhere but I've since learned that they are dummy cameras).

toys19 - Member

What is the basis for this belief?

Because I've lived there for 9 months, I know my neighbours and none of them are the 'dodgy' type, no one has access through the front door unless someone lets them in or unless they know the door code, and the one and only time that I notice the wheel clamper at the apartments, and see him acting suspiciously, my bike gets stolen.

So. You break into the clamping company's offices, and use their phone to call this guy's mobile. Tell him he's got to do a job urgently, and he's to come to such-and-sucha a carpark at such-and-such a time. (Obviously, you're pretending to be from the clamping company at this time).

When he turns up at the car-park, whack him over the head with a crow-bar, or a pick-axe haft or something (you'll need to be wearing a balaclava). When he's down, get his van keys, put him in the back of his van and zip-tie his arms and legs together. Then cut him or smash his fingers until he tells you where he lives (or maybe try his Satnav). Drive his van to his house, and use his house keys (which were in his pockets) to go in there.

He works for a clamping company, so he's presuambly got an arse-faced dog with tattoos, some skanky girlfriend and probably a load of children with piercings. Your quarrel isn't with them, so just tap them lightly with the crow-bar and zip-tie them, there's no need to cut them. Then search the house for the bikes.

If you find them, excellent. Put them in the van, drive it back to where your car is, transfer the bike, then torch the van. Make sure you take the bloke out of the van before you torch it though.

If the bikes aren't in the house you've got a problem here. You can try cutting the bloke or breaking some more fingers to find out who his fence is, as ADH suggests. But by now we'd have to be pretty worried that he doesn't have a fence, and never had your bikes. In which case you're going to be in big trouble if you leave any witnesses. You're going to have to finish the kids and the skank, then torch the house. Then drive the van somewhere secluded. Bash the bloke out again, cut the zip-ties off him, push the van into a ravine, an old quarry or something and torch it. Then make sure you burn all your clothing and get absolutely clean yourself - really scrub yourself down. Next up, go to a barbers (not your usual place, somewhere out of town) and get your hair-style completely changed. Then, almost exactly 24 hours later, pick up a prostitute on the street. Someone really unhappy and confused-looking wh's pretty out of it. Tell her it's Thursday (if it's really Friday). Your alibi is now sorted, you've dealt with the witnesses and you've covered the forensic angle. But you've still not got a bike. Te logical answer is that the detective who wouldn't investigate this bloke is the thief. Obviously, you know where he works, so this is going to be child's play.

Can you not find a "witness" to give the police more reason to search his address?

That's the thing - I have no hard evidence that he took it. I noticed him inside our apartment block when he was talking to the person who had been clamped. He was looking over at my bike then, but I thought no more of it. I also noticed him about 10 minutes earlier (before the car owner got home), and he was peering through the communal door of the apartment block.

It's so hard to explain why I think it's him, other than saying that I have a really strong gut feeling that it is because, in hindsight, he was acting very suspiciously.

That's reasonable grounds.......Police should get a warrant and search the address.

I'm not a rozzer but that smells of FAIL.

I have no hard evidence that he took it

Unfortunate, then 🙁

BigDummy - I like the way you've come up with an entire scenario!

ben - Member

Can you not find a "witness" to give the police more reason to search his address?

I've actually printed out 40+ sheets today with my contact information on it, and a brief description of what happened and when. I'm going to post one through each apartments letterbox when I finish work tonight. I've already done this with all of the apartments in my particular block.

I'm sure that someone must have noticed the van if it came back later that evening to take the bike. Residents are in and out of the apartments all the time - a lot of them are young so they would have stayed out quite late on the Friday night (when the bike was nicked), so perhaps they noticed the van there when they got back... It's worth a try.

I've managed to blag a story with the Worcester News tomorrow too - so that's 42,000 more people who'll see a picture of the bike.

Is it insured?

Take this as a very harsh lesson and move on for your own sake, this is starting to reek of the obsessional.
It wont be good for you health in any way

Next time buy the bike bag and store it in your pad.

Oh dear, sorry about your bike. I don't think the police will do anything. If I was you I would do a saved search in ebay, so if he tries to sell it on there you will get an email and can bid on it, then when you go to collect, take the police with you (hopefully).

How did the landlord know you had your bike in the flat? Does he live in the same block? Maybe with your next bike you could put down some plastic, protect the wall in some way, and show your landlord that you aren't going to damage his property, then keep your bike inside.

i assume you have a photo of the bike

you said you had the mobile number

have you looked on gumtree? 😉

U31 - Member

Take this as a very harsh lesson and move on for your own sake, this is starting to reek of the obsessional.

Hardly.

Expensive bike stolen within the past week or so, any normal person would be hacked off and have the matter very much on their mind.

Not everyone is a jaded fatalistic recluse.

The bike bag is a good idea though.

+1 for BigDummy's plan. Seems the obvious answer.

(Note to self: don't piss BigDummy off).

Come on, posting flyers?
The blokes in their flat who's mate nicked this will be pissing their pants when this lands on the mat.

No one in the complex whos dodgy? My arse, patently there possibly is.

just change your username and move on

although id stalk him make sure you have a camera on you at all times to get photo evidence

used to have a wheel clamper as a next door neighbour and quite frankly he was dodgy as **** and not to be messed with, be careful

U31 - Member

Take this as a very harsh lesson and move on for your own sake, this is starting to reek of the obsessional.
It wont be good for you health in any way.

U31 - Member

Come on, posting flyers?
The blokes in their flat who's mate nicked this will be pissing their pants when this lands on the mat.

No one in the complex whos dodgy? My arse, patently there possibly is.

Oh yes, sorry U31. How unreasonable of me to want to try every means possible to get my bike back. If it was a £100 Halfords special, then I wouldn't really care less.

I'm sorry, but I'll take my chances. I'd rather post the flyer through 50 letterboxes on the off chance that 1 person may have noticed something, than not do it and give myself even less chance of getting my bike back.

****ing hell mate, you must have more money than sense if you can honestly say you'd "take it as a harsh lesson and move on". Unfortunately it took me ****ing ages to save up for that bike and, as such, I'd rather like to get it back and I'll try to do so by any means.

That's reasonable grounds.......Police should get a warrant and search the address.

Good luck finding a magistrate who agrees.

Completely left field on here but, given you have been asked before not to not to store the bike in your place, or the hall, or communal hall, has someone moved it for you by way of a (harsh given it's a week now..) lesson?
I know, looooong shot but..?

Also, how many flats in the block and who has regular / open access i.e. does clamping guy (or anyone else) have open access (spare to key to 'pop in and get the ironing' type of thing) to the building - might open up avenues investigation?

When my sons (ex wife) BMX's got nicked, the neighbours told the local scrotes i was on my way, driving from Bolton.
Before i got there the bikes were back in the garden.
Long story short, a local to them bike fence had them in his yard. I now know where he lives and he knows who's door i will come knocking on if they go missing again.
Basicly the kids were being kids, left them unattended.
The scrote next doors mate saw the opportunity. My lads got a short sharp lesson from me and the police. They were very lucky to get them back and needless to say they are now locked when not being used

Have you got that kind of clout in your community? I doubt it as you would'nt post here and get on with it. Remember your dealing with absolute scum if you go down the getting it back yourself route.

I KNOW how wounding it is to have something you have worked hard for stolen, but you set yourself up for being the victim from the first. But its NOT YOUR FAULT. the rules of your building stink, and now you KNOW this.
Next time that bike LIVES IN YOUR APARTMENT.

YOU ARE GOING TO BE VERY VERY LUCKY to see your bike again, and i for all the world hope you do. Lets get that clear.

Good Luck!

Get a mate to call him and say he's interested in the bike he's got for sale. You might get lucky that he's advertised it somewhere, he might fall for it, it might not work.

My 2p's worth.

lol @ BD - there's a man working out time before leaving an employer!

Good luck with finding it. I was thinking "unlocked bike - asking for trouble" when I realised my bike's not locked to anything in the garage. U31's suggestion of a bike bag sounds the way forward.

Or BigDummy's. But make sure you get someone to film the whole thing and sell it. You'll need the cash in 15 years when they let you out again.

timbur - Member

Get a mate to call him and say he's interested in the bike he's got for sale. You might get lucky that he's advertised it somewhere, he might fall for it, it might not work.

My 2p's worth.

I've got a spare PAYG Sim lying around somewhere, perhaps a text would be in order just to see what response I get.

U31 - Sorry for the rant before, just pissed off about the bike that's all! I appreciate what you're saying.

As for me being in a financial position to take the hit of my bike being swiped?
Hell no, i'd be as wounded as you.
But the difference is i KNOW i was unbelievably lucky last time.
My bikes are never left unattended.
My main bikes live in the house.
When i transport my bike, its locked to the floor of my locked thatcham alarmed van.
When my main bike is taken from the house to the van and vice versa, the van is reversed right to the door, to minimise visibility.
I never ride the main bike in my own street.

Can you see a pattern here? they cant covet what they dont know you have, and even if they find out, i have minimised to the best of my ability to take it from me.

An aside for all our benefit...

The bike thief told me the best method of getting thier hands on stolen bikes is they watch the rider, get to know a pattern or route then wait till he is riding and the hit the rider round the back of the head with a rock, brick, wooden stave.
Not even Surf mat would see that coming... 🙂

Hey mate, no offence meant or taken, i know how raw you feel, and i really do hope there is a good outcome

Realistically, the only way you're going to get it back is if you see someone riding it or you see it advertised for sale.

Option one is easy enough - mug them for it. I've done that before. A mate and I got tipped off that a bunch of scrotes were riding in the local park on track bikes stolen from Herne Hill velodrome so we went down there in the car, saw them and just cut them up in the car, jumped out, grabbed the bikes from under them. It was made easier cos they had no clue of how to ride fixed gear so most of them just fell off!

Option two is more tricky. You can turn up with a big bunch of mates or the police but there's no proof that they actually stole it, only that they're selling it on. You also need cast iron proof that it's yours, the police won't be interested unless you can prove ownership.

Other thing you've got to watch is that the person doesn't exact some sort of revenge. Coming back and nicking it again or beating you up...

Do as suggested on your other thread. Get a bike bag, store it in that in your flat.

Option two is more tricky. You can turn up with a big bunch of mates or the police but there's no proof that they actually stole it, only that they're selling it on.

That's what the copper told me, despite the prints they could only do them for handling stolen goods.
If the copper had witnessed them bringing them back, i think he said the charge would be more serious?

Do you know some of the sorts of people that you wouldnt normally speak to ?
The big lads from school , or pub or footy who are alright , just maybe abit dim , but are good at hitting people.

If you do then get one of them to go round to his house and say they are there to look at the bike he has for sale.

It shouldn't be too hard to follow him home, and he is a clamper and they really are a bunch of ****ers. You never know , the bike might just be in his hallway or front rooom. Clampers aren't renowned for having a high IQ .

If its there then depends on the size of your balls. I wouldnt even bother with the police. Get a 5ft gas bottle , oxy acetelyne or CO2 , they weigh a ton, smash front door in , bike out , job done.

Take an old football and throw it in his garden ( jungle) get a backie and have a good look over his fence / gate etc. "just trying to get my football back mate"

Sounds like he is a likely candidate, bike might have gone already though

Good luck with it