Bikers. Don't come to Edinburgh.

Bikers. Don't come to Edinburgh.

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Prof Prolapse

Original Poster:

16,160 posts

190 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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I've been a resident of (near) Edinburgh for 18 years, and I have never seen so many bikes get stolen as I have in the last few months, so much so I feel the need to warn the collective.

They are being lifted from homes, garages, streets, and parking spaces. In broad daylight, in the centre of town. Outskirts as well. All bikes, all types, no apparent preference. Tourist bikes are being targetted as well. We've even had attempts at high-jacking at traffic lights, so take care there as well.

The big rise seems to be in the brazen little fkers are just riding stolen bicycles/bikes around in their balaclavas identifying bikes and lifting them. When they steal them they're riding around the streets like miniature little "Mad Max" type groups, picking fights with people. Pretty sure I saw them lift a bike in less than a minute on Tuesday night in Craigentinny (a bad spot).

The police are now sufficiently ineffective it's clear vigilantism is what happens next, but in the mean time, avoid coming here. If you're doing the NC500 this summer, seriously consider alternative places to stop, and don't leave it outside your B&B unless you're taking shifts watching it.

Bad times chaps.









Marquezs Stabilisers

1,215 posts

61 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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Mate of mine moved to Edinburgh, gave up biking after having two bikes nicked in less than a year. I'm sure they turn up in Pilton or the like.

scorcher

3,986 posts

234 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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Marquezs Stabilisers said:
I'm sure they turn up in Pilton or the like.
Why would they turn up in Pilton?

WinstonR

130 posts

80 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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My bike was stolen in broad daylight in Haymarket on 9 June. I've had 3 bus lane enforcement notices for 9, 10 and 11 June showing the bike being ridden. I also had a message just yesterday that someone saw my bike being ridden in Dalkeith yesterday evening. Someone is clearly driving around on the bike with absolutely zero repercussions for them. Can understand why they steal bikes as literally nothing happens to them. I've called the police to report but they won't take details from me, it has to be the assigned officer who isn't on duty until x date who I give the details to so I just have to wait.

some bloke

1,050 posts

67 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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Yeah, They are a real problem here now. I saw 3 run a red light on S Clerk St/Newington road. No plates, no helmets, one popping a wheelie and the guy at the back filming on his phone.

Prof Prolapse

Original Poster:

16,160 posts

190 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
quotequote all
They turn up in Pilton because it's a st hole and it's where the fkers live. Same goes for for Craigentinny and other st areas. Here in Midlothian, there's a huge spat in sttest parts Dalkeith as well.

They're going around on stolen bicycles or motorcycles in pairs or groups. There seems to be a lot of them who do a reccy on bicycle though, so they stay in cycling distance. That isn't to say some clearly don't make the jaunt into town for a good old rob.

There's clearly professional thieves in the area as well, farms out in midlothian with a half dozen MX type bikes, adventure bikes, and the odd superbike as well.

I was calling a couple of them knobheads the other day in their balaclavas dressed in black, in all honesty I hoped they retaliated. They're such cocky little sts.

It's absolutely fking ridiculous the police haven't done anything as they're totally fking brazen. I had the police around twice in the past few weeks over absolute fking non-sense going on in the area, like grass verges damaged by lorry drivers, and meanwhile this is going on.

I try and be understand of police priorities but this is a fking joke. It's like the wild west at the moment in an otherwise nice city at tourist season, it's fking embarrassing.






Edited by Prof Prolapse on Thursday 23 June 13:18

Dog Star

16,132 posts

168 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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It's hard to comment on stuff like this without coming across as some sort of "daily mail reader" or "gammon".

These feral kids doing literally whatever they want aren't just Edinburgh, it's any big town. The issue is being liberal and soft with them - I, and doubtless anyone else on this forum - don't do stuff like steal and other criminal activities because I am frightened of the consequences.

There is no point fining them - they won't pay. And even if they did they'd simply just sell more drugs or nick more stuff. Pointless. Suspended sentences etc - what the hell point is that?

I don't know what can be done; it has to be something so unpleasant THAT THEY CANNOT GET OUT OF that it deters them. There must be something that is awful to them that the bleeding heart leftie crew won't be able to object to.

moanthebairns

17,937 posts

198 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/s...

With any luck a few more will end up this way. Seem to remember a spate of similar stories.

Se7enheaven

1,717 posts

164 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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Yep a sign of the times. Several generations down the line now of liberal crap and see where it gets you. Society is in a total mess .But of course the media highlight the “poor” wee souls when they pass away, trying to find blame in someone other than the feral fkers that plague and blight the good and decent folks.
The police will be unable to do anything even if you could find one . What an absolute fking diabolical mess we are in. Shocking !

andburg

7,286 posts

169 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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yeah not just Edinburgh, seems a real national problem right now.

Brazen as you like, 18-24v angle grinders with cutting disks and they're away, makes you question how manufacturers have not managed to get a half decent immobiliser. Cars thefts are now generally with keys or with the keyless ignition replication things.

sheffield has also seen a jump in traffic light highjackings

Edited by andburg on Thursday 23 June 14:37

poo at Paul's

14,147 posts

175 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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Sounds grim.

I gave up going after they closed the Wollen Mill

FourWheelDrift

88,510 posts

284 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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andburg said:
Brazen as you like, 18-24v angle grinders with cutting disks and they're away, makes you question how manufacturers have not managed to get a half decent immobiliser.
They sell more this way as insurance paid replacements.

OutInTheShed

7,597 posts

26 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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Dog Star said:
It's hard to comment on stuff like this without coming across as some sort of "daily mail reader" or "gammon".

These feral kids doing literally whatever they want aren't just Edinburgh, it's any big town. The issue is being liberal and soft with them - I, and doubtless anyone else on this forum - don't do stuff like steal and other criminal activities because I am frightened of the consequences.

There is no point fining them - they won't pay. And even if they did they'd simply just sell more drugs or nick more stuff. Pointless. Suspended sentences etc - what the hell point is that?

I don't know what can be done; it has to be something so unpleasant THAT THEY CANNOT GET OUT OF that it deters them. There must be something that is awful to them that the bleeding heart leftie crew won't be able to object to.
You could dump them all in places like Silverknowes and Pilton maybe?

That is something unpleasant that they cannot get out of....


Edinburgh has this image of swanky 'old Town', bankers and loads of money around the Wee Pretendy Parliament, but most of it, like most of urban Scotland, is a ghetto.

tim0409

4,405 posts

159 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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I've lived in or around Edinburgh all my life, and bike thefts do seem to be out of control at the moment. After university I worked for the Police as a temp collating and cataogrising crime reports, and it was always the usual suspects from Pilton/Muirhouse/Craigmillar etc.

I tend to go into Edinburgh 2-3 times a week on my bike from the gentile metropolis that is Gullane, and up until recently I've been quite relaxed about parking my bike on Waterloo Place or George St; I know Edinburgh really well, and feel "safe" there, so didn't really worry too much about my bike. Last month I was sitting in Starbucks on Leith Street when I heard revving bikes and saw people stopped and staring as two (stolen) bikes went racing up and down the street (one with three up, the other with two, with hoods and balaclavas). It was pretty intimidating so I called the Police, then made my way back to my bike sharpish. I was talking to a local police officer about it later, and she said officers are hamstrung as they can't pursue them if they don't have helmets on, and the scum know this.

The Scottish Government is taking a "softly softly" approach to sentencing, with the presumption against short sentences, so I doubt this situation will change any time soon. When I studied law many years ago, I remember one of my lecturers recounting the story of the Glasgow "chain gangs" of the 1960's IIRC; they went around coshing people with impunity with their weapon of choice (a motorbike chain). Fed up with the mayhem this was causing, a sentencing judge decided to forego the usual 2-3 year sentence, and started handing out hefty sentences of 15-20 years. It soon stopped the gangs.

If only we could adopt a similar approach now, although we would have to catch them first....

catso

14,787 posts

267 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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WinstonR said:
I've had 3 bus lane enforcement notices for 9, 10 and 11 June showing the bike being ridden.
Good to know the law is being enforced, UK style...

epom

11,514 posts

161 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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A nice decent pick axe handle is the only answer.

shurm

329 posts

248 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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A lad at work and his mates are all off to Scotland some went early on Tuesday that night one got his MT09 SP stolen in Edinburgh.

Marquezs Stabilisers

1,215 posts

61 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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moanthebairns said:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/s...

With any luck a few more will end up this way. Seem to remember a spate of similar stories.
Absolutely no acknowledgement in the article that it's illegal to ride on the road at 14 and use a picture of the lad when he was about nine to drive the emotions. You can't expect that much from the Retard but you'd hope the Polis could at least make that point.

XR

282 posts

51 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
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It sounds bad up in Scotland but its just the same in most cities,

3 bikes stolen from Skelton Lakes Services near Leeds this week, not old runabouts they are targeting higher end stuff, the vermin wait for the owner to go in the services and there off with it.


andburg

7,286 posts

169 months

Thursday 23rd June 2022
quotequote all
Round here they are using zero’s so they can sneak up on them when off road