Attempted moped mugging- please be careful

[ludoscotts]

Hello. Not wanting to scare anyone but please be careful if walking around with your mobile phone out on view. On Friday at 3.20 pm I was walking along lordship lane(between overhill road and upland road). I heard lots of hooting of horns so I looked and saw 2 mopeds coming along the road towards me. They were hooting at a group of school children(senior school) on the opposite side of the road and the first moped was filming them on his mobile phone. The second moped driver saw me looking and mounted the pavement I was walking along and drove towards me. I had my phone in my hand as I?d been making a call as I left the house and it had just ended. My husband had witnessed a phone mugging by someone on a moped a few weeks ago in London Bridge area and had warned me this was happening so as soon as I realised what was happening I shoved my phone in my pocket. As he got along side me he wolfwhistled and then tried to grab my backside. I wasn?t hurt and nothing taken but I did feel shaken up. I reported it online to the police who came to talk to me last night and they said this was happening a lot in the Bermondsey area. They think that he probably had spotted my phone and was going to snatch it but as I?d stopped that happening he probably grabbed me just to shake me up a bit as he didn?t manage to get anything off me. The hooting of the horn was possibly to get people?s attention on the other moped. If this happens to anyone else even if they don?t get anything it?s worth reporting so they can get a better idea of scale of the problem. Please be careful folks as This was broad daylight.

[Earl Aelfheah]

That's really horrible. Hope you're not to shaken.

[Cora]

I would also call 999 as soon as you are safe as they are probably going to go on and do something else...

[JohnL]

Indecent Assault too then and filming children.

[ludoscotts]

Sadly it's no use ringing 999 for moped thefts etc as they won't chase mopeds incase they come off and hurt themselves. The officer who came round to speak to me said that they are only allowed to give chase to mopeds if they have had specialist training in following mopeds which they are rolling out across the area but it will take a long time for all to fficers to be able to do this so for the moment it's just report any incident so they can get an idea of the scale of the problem and hopefully some forensic evidence(they wanted my trousers to check for forensic) and they can then bring in suspects but they wouldn't chase them/try to follow them if you called 999.

[Cora]

Surely they would drive around to try and find them if only to get registration details?

[True-123]

So strange, unfortunely I had mine snatched from my hands in Bermondsey Monday 13/11/17 at around 2pm!! Shaken up as it was unexpected.. luckily there is cctv of the incident and police informed. Unfortuneatly for them, the bottom keys on the Samsung were all broken, it kept switching off and only turning on when plugged into power and couldn't do software updates so doubt they will get a penny for it! Please make everyone aware of this, id hate for someone else to go the trauma I have. It's knocked my confidence abit

[Angelina]

Sadly, while there is little the police can do - and money to be made, the best thing we can all do is keep our valuables out of sight. This is not going to go away soon.

[JohnL]

Never insured my iPhone but if I upgrade my bank account it has free mobile insurance. Might do so if I get an iPhone X - My iPhone 6 is now handover material in that situation (which luckily I've never encountered).

Laptop users working in Cafes - watch out for a worrying devcelopment.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/diners-fight-off-hammerwielding-moped-raider-with-bar-stools-after-he-storms-into-restaurant-to-a3688356.html

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/terror-as-moped-gang-storm-cafe-in-exclusive-north-london-neighbourhood-a3685106.html

[HammersHamlets]

same thing happened about 10pm monday evening - 2 scooters with 3 lads between them. looked like they were scouting.

(this was just outside foxtons)

[yeknomyeknom]

At least scooters are noisy. Now if I hear one, night or day, I check myself and keep very mindful.

[singalto]

I never, ever use my phone in the street... OP, I hope you?re ok.

[Penguin68]

Whilst robbery is clearly wrong, and victim blaming quite the wrong approach, I am concerned about the level of personal carelessness I come across - yesterday a young woman on a busy residential road (which is also a bus route), eagerly studying her phone screen stepped off the pavement in front of my car (back angled towards me) apparently oblivious of the morning rush hour traffic on that road. She made no attempt to look before crossing, and indeed, as I said, positioned herself so her back was turned to oncoming traffic. I didn't hit her (I did have to brake hurriedly) - but she was acting in a doubly risky manner - phone held out to the road and not looking for traffic before she crossed.

If I was driving whilst studying my phone (and crossed junctions in my car without looking) I would be properly condemned for careless, thoughtless (and indeed illegal) behaviour. Some pedestrians (and I'm afraid some cyclists) appear to think that acting without forethought and consideration for other users is OK.

In a society where you are at risk from robbers stealing phones (however much one condemns that behaviour) not taking any precautionary steps - indeed holding out your phone in front of you as you cross a road - is hardly the most cautious or careful behaviour. Nobody 'deserves' to be mugged but perhaps some people don't deserve it less than others?

[Sue]

I also had a young woman walk in front of my car yesterday while looking at her phone.

I think it was in Crystal Palace Road.

She just stepped into the road engrossed in her phone without looking in either direction for cars or bikes coming, and evidently didn't even hear the car.

[JohnL]

Penguin68 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Whilst robbery is clearly wrong, and victim

> blaming quite the wrong approach, I am concerned

> about the level of personal carelessness I come

> across - yesterday a young woman on a busy

> residential road (which is also a bus route),

> eagerly studying her phone screen stepped off the

> pavement in front of my car (back angled towards

> me) apparently oblivious of the morning rush hour

> traffic on that road. She made no attempt to look

> before crossing, and indeed, as I said, positioned

> herself so her back was turned to oncoming

> traffic. I didn't hit her (I did have to brake

> hurriedly) - but she was acting in a doubly risky

> manner - phone held out to the road and not

> looking for traffic before she crossed.

>

> If I was driving whilst studying my phone (and

> crossed junctions in my car without looking) I

> would be properly condemned for careless,

> thoughtless (and indeed illegal) behaviour. Some

> pedestrians (and I'm afraid some cyclists) appear

> to think that acting without forethought and

> consideration for other users is OK.

>

> In a society where you are at risk from robbers

> stealing phones (however much one condemns that

> behaviour) not taking any precautionary steps -

> indeed holding out your phone in front of you as

> you cross a road - is hardly the most cautious or

> careful behaviour. Nobody 'deserves' to be mugged

> but perhaps some people don't deserve it less than

> others?

Pokeman ? or has that passed

My view on this is they pick on the vulnerable although will be opportunistic.

It's sad that the most vulnerable people in society who have enough problems then have to put up with being the most at risk also.

[alex_b]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Never insured my iPhone but if I upgrade my bank

> account it has free mobile insurance. Might do so

> if I get an iPhone X - My iPhone 6 is now handover

> material in that situation (which luckily I've

> never encountered).

Be a bit careful with "free" insurance, often it's not worth the money you pay for it due to exclusions etc. That said, also check your home insurance, on mine (John Lewis) phones are covered on our personal items cover in and outside of the house.

[Robert_F]

Penguin68 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Whilst robbery is clearly wrong, and victim

> blaming quite the wrong approach, I am concerned

> about the level of personal carelessness I come

> across - yesterday a young woman on a busy

> residential road (which is also a bus route),

> eagerly studying her phone screen stepped off the

> pavement in front of my car (back angled towards

> me) apparently oblivious of the morning rush hour

> traffic on that road. She made no attempt to look

> before crossing, and indeed, as I said, positioned

> herself so her back was turned to oncoming

> traffic. I didn't hit her (I did have to brake

> hurriedly) - but she was acting in a doubly risky

> manner - phone held out to the road and not

> looking for traffic before she crossed.

>

> If I was driving whilst studying my phone (and

> crossed junctions in my car without looking) I

> would be properly condemned for careless,

> thoughtless (and indeed illegal) behaviour. Some

> pedestrians (and I'm afraid some cyclists) appear

> to think that acting without forethought and

> consideration for other users is OK.

>

> In a society where you are at risk from robbers

> stealing phones (however much one condemns that

> behaviour) not taking any precautionary steps -

> indeed holding out your phone in front of you as

> you cross a road - is hardly the most cautious or

> careful behaviour. Nobody 'deserves' to be mugged

> but perhaps some people don't deserve it less than

> others?

Totally agree. I see this all the time.