Be careful out there..

[glsammy]

A word of warning to everyone.
Thieves are targeting the likes of you and me that leave our cars in reserve car parks.
The way they operate is to watch what you put into the rear of your car/hatchback, wait until your gone and then smash the rear screen and help themselves.
I witnessed the end result of this today at Attenborough.
So it's no longer good enough to put your belongings out of view, you've got to take them with you, or you'll loose it.

[StuartDH]

I went to a car park in the middle of Manchester last weekend and went through the barrier, parked the car, looked on the ground and saw about 100 piles of car window glass , but it's definitely not just in the cities.

A few years ago, whilst I was surveying Cumbria I met a lot of people who lived and work in the middle of nowhere and many of them had their cars and property broken into at least 3 or 4 times a year.

It's not all bad news though - last year I was in the middle of stockport in a big area of greenspace/nature reserve and heard a motorbike whizz across the fields with a couple of young lads without helmets on the back. Apparently, they'd just broken into a car in the car park and were making their getaway. They hadn't got more than a few hundred metres away before a police helicopter lifted up from behind some nearby trees (like Airwolf ) and chased them to the river. A police motorbike turned up a few minutes later, followed by a some more on mountainbikes and even more in cars - Busted!

[digi]

Whilst at Attenborough last Saturday I was warned that thieves were breaking in to cars, in broad daylaight then speeding off with their haul. There are notices posted on the car park, I think I will avoid Attenborough for a while.

Last spring two youths tried to take my camera and lens whilst I was walking round the reserve at Attenborough, luckily when a cyclist approached they ran off. I think they have a probelm that needs to be dealt with urgently.

Digi

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by digi

Whilst at Attenborough last Saturday I was warned that thieves were breaking in to cars, in broad daylaight then speeding off with their haul. There are notices posted on the car park, I think I will avoid Attenborough for a while.

Digi

The victim this time was parked within 10 yards of one of the warning signs. She had done exactly what the sign said not to do. It happened sometime this afternoon.
I love going there, but I do feel uneasy.......

[digi]

One of the staff told me last Saturday not to park my car in their car park, but where else was I supposed to park it. Even if you take your gear with you they will still break in to have a look and you have the car damage to repair. They operate in daylight and are not concerened about being spotted since they have a gettaway car waiting outside the visitors centre.

Digi

[Tinkerbell]

This was a problem in N Yorks a few years ago, and eventually, I believe, two or three off duty policemen kept up a surveillance at one particular site - it eventually paid off and the thieves were caught. It's so sad if the threat of crime curtails enjoyment of the countryside.

[digi]

Not wanting to tempt fate I think I will avoind Attenborough for a while till they sort the problem out.

Perhaps they could use the surveillance officers that caught those people feeding the birds and put them to good use!

Digi

[digi]

Was the car parked close to the roundabout in front of the visitors center?

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by digi

Was the car parked close to the roundabout in front of the visitors center?

Yes, it was in the first disabled spot, right by the roundabout.

[Oy]

A gang of youths threatened to take my camera off me recently whilst I was photographing the canal.

I managed to convince them that it was not a good idea - but I'm sure someone with less "presence" would have been in trouble!

[John]

I'm afraid that there are no longer any safe areas around for anyone. That's not alarmist but fact. Even driving along you are not safe. Stopping at traffic lights can mean someone pulling your door open if you haven't locked it. Driving along you can have a rear shunt with another car in front of you blocking any forward move. Arriving on your driveway at home can have someone watching you and grabbing you as you get out of the car.

Car parks are the tip of the iceberg as car crime can take place anytime and anywhere in this country.

I have been to some very remote places in this country of ours and have been bewildered that cars can be targetted even here.

Possibly the only place I have felt comfortable with is the very far north of Scotland, but then again not that many people live there.

John