Bike thief's top tips.
Discussion
So I work with young people who use drugs. I educate and support them to make positive changes in their lives. One of the little "cherubs" I work with is a prolific motor bike thief and although completely unapologetic and without remorse for the things he does he was willing to tell me his top tips for deterring and preventing someone like him from getting your bike. So without further ado;
1. Keep it out of sight, if they can't see they can't nick it. He suggested keeping it in your house or garage, not a shed etc. If it's out the front or even in the back yard then its fair game as far as they're concerned.
2. Get some cameras up, they won't stop a determined thief but they may put them off in favour of an easier target. They can spot fake cameras so spend the extra and get real ones.
3. Get a dog. Or at the very least a "beware of the dog" sign. Lots of barking and the threat of getting bitten is a decent deterrent.
4. Big thick chain. As big and beefy as you can find. Attach it to a wall anchor rather than the floor as this makes it harder for them to cut.
Things that don't work; steering locks are easy to break so don't rely on them. The exception to this rule is the Harley Davidson which is apparently extremely tough and has foiled him and his mates.
Battery isolation switches, hidden kill switches etc. The lad I was chatting to has not yet found a bike he and his friends couldn't Hotwire. Hidden kill switches are easy for them to find and subvert. Btw he's only 14yrs of age and has stolen many dozens of bikes, cars, vans etc.
Manual garage doors. Folding electric garage doors are much harder to open than the tradition up and over manual doors which tend to be easy to bend and buckle.
Best advice is keep it hidden. Nothing revolutionary here but food for thought there, hope it's helpful.
WaferThinHam said:
What would he suggest doing if you disturb a thief half way through hacksawing your disc lock off?
I guess it depends on how handy you feel. Don't let their young age fool you though. These lads scrap everyday with kids their own age and people older. Theyre also not averse to going tooled up; screw drivers, hammers, base ball bats are fairly standard carry for them.Call the cops would be the safest option.
The fact that he is 'completely unapologetic and without remorse for the things he does', what are the chances that this little shyte will ever change his ways?
I admire people like yourself who try to help others, but jeez, it must be a thankless task when you come across kids like this. The only way some of these people would change is with the aid of a lethal injection
I admire people like yourself who try to help others, but jeez, it must be a thankless task when you come across kids like this. The only way some of these people would change is with the aid of a lethal injection
paps said:
Fair to say it can be very disheartening to try and help these kids, knowing where they're heading and they still won't listen. Just got to keep plugging away.
Your a good man doing a thankless task in trying to make a difference. Thanks for the basic tips. I need to employ a couple of those gems.
paps said:
4. Big thick chain. As big and beefy as you can find. Attach it to a wall anchor rather than the floor as this makes it harder for them to cut
It's on my list of jobs to put a ground anchor in my new place - is fixing it into the brick wall a better option than the floor then? Can't remember if the wall is brick or breezeblock.FunkyNige said:
It's on my list of jobs to put a ground anchor in my new place - is fixing it into the brick wall a better option than the floor then? Can't remember if the wall is brick or breezeblock.
Hopefully the OP will come back on the reasoning behind this. I thought a concrete floor would be tougher than a brick wall. Supercilious Sid said:
FunkyNige said:
It's on my list of jobs to put a ground anchor in my new place - is fixing it into the brick wall a better option than the floor then? Can't remember if the wall is brick or breezeblock.
Hopefully the OP will come back on the reasoning behind this. I thought a concrete floor would be tougher than a brick wall. ...then you watch a video of someone with a battery angle grinder spend a few mins cutting through your £200 19mm bolt cropper proof chain........
paps said:
Fair to say it can be very disheartening to try and help these kids, knowing where they're heading and they still won't listen. Just got to keep plugging away.
The destruction of value that they do is just immense. I’ve had five scooters stolen in recent years, with theee being recovered but totally destroyed.Each one I worked for, picked out, loved having, and used to go to work to earn a wage, and pay taxes for the public good.
It was genuinely properly disheartening each time one went. I can’t have a nice one now, I have had to buy something unfashionable. I go out before it’s light, for a lot of the year, and have to undo three huge locks each morning, in the cold, getting dirt everywhere, because little s
ts like that will take things rathe pr than working for them.They had the same chances in life that I did. More, really, I was born in an ex mining village and left school in the depths of the death of mining and manufacturing in my region, but they live a short walk from the square mile.
Like others, I do appreciate the work that people do, trying to help. I’ve done a small amount too, organising breakfasts for school children with no positive role model, and mentoring, but some people just seem not to want to respond to anything positive.
FunkyNige said:
It's on my list of jobs to put a ground anchor in my new place - is fixing it into the brick wall a better option than the floor then? Can't remember if the wall is brick or breezeblock.
My scooters had a huge chain, from the very best (I believe)manufacturer. Top of the range lock, disc lock, and alarm.They were parked in a garage with 24hour CCTV and security guards, had datatag, and a cover.
But, and this is the critical point, in Tower Hamlets.
The last one went in three minutes.
paps said:
Fair to say it can be very disheartening to try and help these kids, knowing where they're heading and they still won't listen. Just got to keep plugging away.
I am currently doing some 'free work' to the sum of 150hrs and 'work' with people like this you mention. Its not an easy fix. Neither is it big or clever to react to people that act this way or react by their keyboard means via fb/instagram etc (trust me). I honestly dont know if some people can be fixed. They are bought up in such a way that their ways and friends around them make it difficult to get out of that circleYou then get people like me that wont stand for it but are hard working and make a good living who put them in their place and get a serious back lash from the law
As for security I agree with all of the above. I have been involved in the racing community for all my life and you can insure them. When we transport the bikes we use vans not trailers. We dont sticker the vans with race brands. The garage has a full time alarm that not only sounds horrific but also calls your mobile. Added 4 cameras around the house, outside and inside the garage a few ground anchors, chains, disc locks and a car/van parked right up against the garage door has all helped in my opinion
I know 100% there have been opportunists try their luck around my cul de sac which is a neighbourhood watch area. If its visible or easily accessible you are simply leaving yourself open. To make it worse if you put matters in your own hands you are playing a dangerous game...
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