Beware of petty thieving in Dulwich Library

[Shetypatr]

This wonderful Victorian property with four bedrooms plus a study room, is situated in the very popular Dunstans Road, just a short walk to Goodrich School, Dulwich Library and the great local amenities of East Dulwich. Call haart to arrange a viewing.

[robbin]

Ha ha - you are a wind-up! I get it now.

[gge12]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

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> BTW, this has made me realise how utterly helpless

> and unsupported you are as a victim of crimes that

> don't involve violence, lots of money or something

> media-worthy. Another example of how ordinary

> people count for nothing other than as the

> politician's favourite placebo phrase 'hardworking

> families'.

>

> The Victim Support website doesn't even include

> theft in its list of crimes.

Victim support do excellent work in supporting those who are left traumatised by crime. Like many charities, they are probably stretched at the best of times. At King's, they provide the independent domestic violence advisors service. Realistically they are not going to have the capacity to help out with a pair of lost glasses in Dulwich library.

[Robert Poste's Child]

I didn't say I asked them to: I just pointed out that their website doesn't include theft in their list of crimes. Tch.

[Loz]

Spaceat61 Wrote:

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> The library staff were kind at the time and helped me to phone the police (obviously I had no phone

> to do it myself) but the library has no CCTV in the bathroom lobby area so there was never any use

> in the police looking over the library CCTV anyway.

You could have a high-definition picture of the person holding their passport id page in one hand and their drivers' licence in the other and the police still probably wouldn't take any interest...

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

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> BTW, this has made me realise how utterly helpless and unsupported you are as a victim of crimes that

> don't involve violence, lots of money or something media-worthy.

... because, in my experience, that is pretty much the criteria they decide what is worth sending someone out to investigate.

[JohnL]

Loz Wrote:

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> Spaceat61 Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > The library staff were kind at the time and

> helped me to phone the police (obviously I had no

> phone

> > to do it myself) but the library has no CCTV in

> the bathroom lobby area so there was never any

> use

> > in the police looking over the library CCTV

> anyway.

>

> You could have a high-definition picture of the

> person holding their passport id page in one hand

> and their drivers' licence in the other and the

> police still probably wouldn't take any

> interest...

>

> Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > BTW, this has made me realise how utterly

> helpless and unsupported you are as a victim of

> crimes that

> > don't involve violence, lots of money or

> something media-worthy.

>

> ... because, in my experience, that is pretty much

> the criteria they decide what is worth sending

> someone out to investigate.

Hate crimes must be investigate (not that this could be put in that category)

But for anyone who is a victim of a crime involving hate it's worth knowing.

[lavender27]

alice Wrote:

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> Calm down it's a pair of glasses annoying, yes

> but hardly makes s library a hotbed of crime or a

> remotely sensible place for a pc to be based.

A friend of mine had his glasses stolen and whilst waiting for the new pair to be made he fell and hit his head. Glasses are like gold and if stolen should be treated as if a shop had been raided. Although some people have left their glasses in church and never went back for them.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Not sure if I'd go that far but they're a very personal thing in that most of us spend a long time choosing the frames, then getting exactly the right fit to your head and then getting used to the prescription. As mine were bifocals and I used them for everything except distance I'm now swapping from one poundland pair to another and back again, and as neither is quite right and my eyes have slightly different prescriptions I'm getting headaches adjusting.

So not a big disaster in the great scheme of things (message to the universe: I don't need proof of that thank you) but a problem nonetheless.

[JohnL]

lavender27 Wrote:

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

> alice Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Calm down it's a pair of glasses annoying, yes

> > but hardly makes s library a hotbed of crime or

> a

> > remotely sensible place for a pc to be based.

>

>

> A friend of mine had his glasses stolen and whilst

> waiting for the new pair to be made he fell and

> hit his head. Glasses are like gold and if stolen

> should be treated as if a shop had been raided.

> Although some people have left their glasses in

> church and never went back for them.

I'm beginning to think it's just me that paid ?500

I'd be really annoyed if I lost them.

[Nigello]

Not theft, but an unpleasant man using a computer today was chuntering away somewhat threateningly to a woman (who may or may not have given him reason to be annoyed). When he swore I asked him to stop and he got all huffy and stood up and asked me to keep my nose out, which said it was my business if me and other people were being disturbed by unsuitable language. I told a librarian about thirty feet away and he twigged and then started off all over again, swaggering and the like, so I told him I had said my peace and was leaving. The library staff have a lot to put up with...

[JohnL]

I thought libraries were meant to be quiet and if not Shhhhhhhh :)

[Lynne]

Quiet? As an ex-librarian I've had someone try to punch me, had to stop someone urinating in a corner, ripping up newspapers, eating, stealing, had a chair thrown at me, rung the police because of a major brawl and so on and so on.

[Robert Poste's Child]

As well as being a library, it acts as a study hall, a place to access the digital word, education and services, a community centre and somewhere warm and dry for people to go and sit for a while without having to buy anything. I think that's strengthened its value but it does mean you get all sorts.

[ianr]

> I'm now swapping from one poundland pair to another and

> back again, and as neither is quite right and my eyes have

> slightly different prescriptions I'm getting headaches adjusting.

Cannibalise a pair from two Poundland pairs matching your L & R lens strengths respectively?

[Robert Poste's Child]

Both eyes are different and need different prescriptions for reading and computer. Plus the poundland ones are the same thickness all the way across whereas prescription ones for me would be thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, the opposite of short-sighted.

Finally had a new eye test and got the cheapest reasonably viable combination, but still over ?200. Went to a Boots where they gave me 25% off - unbelievably kind and I was very grateful.

[Sue]

Oops sorry brain malfunction

[Sue]

Over ?200???

Seriously, check out Asda next time. My partner got decent thin lensed varifocals for under ?50.

[Robert Poste's Child]

My last-but-one pair came from Surrey Quays Tesco and either an arm or a nose pad fell off about once a week the entire three years I had them, which put me off going for the absolute cheapest, sorry to say.

[rendelharris]

I buy Sainsbury's reading glasses (about ?8, some perfectly good rimless styles) and have them relensed by CilliaryBlue (online company, just send them the glasses and your prescription (prescription obtained from whatever optician's doing free tests) for ?15 and they last well past the time it's time to get a new perscription. I'm not a cheap person, honest, but I balk at paying ?200 for frames which are, ultimately, a few pieces of bent wire with a logo stamped on them.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Wish I'd known that before as I've still got a pair of old frames I really like but high street opticians charge you as much to reglaze as for a new pair.

[Lynne]

The last frame I sent to be re-fitted with lenses (a rather nice vintage Dunhill one, courtesy of Deptford market) got broken. Sometimes they can't stand another fitting.