This afternoon on Lordship Lane

[stacey-lyn]

At about 3.20pm this afternoon, a shed load of notes were being frantically scooped up on LL near the corner of Frogley after a foiled attempted robbery (unarmed, snatch & grab, opportunistic crime). Given this was a busy time with lots of passers-by, only 1 other person (young mum with baby in pushchair) seemed to pay any attention other than myself & hubby. After some 20 years in ED, I wonder if this is a sign of the times. . .

[stacey-lyn]

Thanks for your pm's. It was the edt's takings.

[Alan Medic]

Do you mean noone else noticed except a mum, hubby and you?

[PeckhamRose]

I was at home, Officer, but I don't have an alibi.

[granadaland]

How many notes did you get?

[stacey-lyn]

That's right - noone else noticed, or so it seems. It went like this: 2 men carrying a bag with the loot (weekend takings) are heading from the edt to the bank on LL when would be thief snatches the bag. The 2 manage to snatch the bag back and in doing so, the bag opens and money spills on to the road on LL. Now, that in itself would grab anyone's attention, yes? Would be thief then runs down Frogley and disappears while the 2 are on all fours on the road gathering up the money. While we are dialling 999, other 'regular folk' are walking by nonchalant without a second glance or a pause. Money recouped, 1 heads back to the edt while the other waits for the met (btw, response time was very impressive). Just a few minutes later, the school kids were all out and about - now that would have been fun. How many notes did we get - at the risk of being run over by the 176 or 185? What do you think ;/ ?

[henryb]

Yeah people are more honest these days. 20 years ago it would have caused a riot of stabbing and robbing.

[Sue]

Maybe the EDT need to review their security arrangements.

[Damian H]

I am more inclined to think it is an example of a common phenomenon in social psychology:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect

[Sue]

Is the point being made that nobody actually intervened to help, or that nobody seemed to notice?

The bystander effect was originally put forward when a young (I think) woman was murdered in the well (I think) of an apartment block in New York (I think) and despite her screams and many people hearing them, nobody even called the police.

In the present case, it would depend whether anybody was actually perceived to be in need of help, apart from help to scoop up the money?

If not, maybe people just thought it was none of their business? I'm assuming the robbers had scarpered by this time?

[Alex K]

@Sue: Kitty Genovese.

This makes sorrowful reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese

[vxr8owner]

WHY ON EARTH DO PEOPLE CARRY LARGE SUMS OF MONEY IN THAT CRIME INFESTED AREA AND TOILET??THEY DESERVE TO GET ROBBED ..BUT LUCKILY THEY DIDNT LOSE MONEY..COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE

[DulwichDeviant]

DELETED

[ozzy]

hi,i work in a shop close to where this happened ,i came out when i heard the commotion and saw the mugger running up frogley rd ,i got a good look at him ,i then turned to LL where i saw one of the EDT men picking up the money and he asked me to phone the police who arrived very quickly,i was asked by said police to go on a drive round to see if we could locate the mugger ,unfortunately we didnt .i do agree that considering it was broad daylight nobody seemed to go to their aid as there were many people about .thankfully the EDT men were unharmed and didnt lose any money to the mugger.

[Sue]

ozzy Wrote:

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

>i do agree that considering it was broad

> daylight nobody seemed to go to their aid as there

> were many people about .thankfully the EDT men

> were unharmed and didnt lose any money to the

> mugger.

xxxxxxx

Were the people carrying money to the bank actually physically threatened?

I'd be somewhat worried about going to the aid of people being mugged if I thought I might be knifed - cowardly I know :-S

[SilverSurfer65]

Sue - It's better to be a live coward than a dead hero in these circumstances.

[the-e-dealer]

Sue Wrote:

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

> Is the point being made that nobody actually

> intervened to help, or that nobody seemed to

> notice?

>

> The bystander effect was originally put forward

> when a young (I think) woman was murdered in the

> well (I think) of an apartment block in New York

> (I think) and despite her screams and many people

> hearing them, nobody even called the police.

>

> In the present case, it would depend whether

> anybody was actually perceived to be in need of

> help, apart from help to scoop up the money?

>

> If not, maybe people just thought it was none of

> their business? I'm assuming the robbers had

> scarpered by this time?

Kitty Gervaise it was on the Street. Everyone assumes someone else is doing something. But you wonder whether th motivation to do that is associated with not wanting to be distracted from whatever you are doing or to take risk.

[Applespider]

I had my handbag snatched from me in my street several years ago around midnight. I screamed and 5 different neighbours came out to check that I was OK. One jumped in his car and headed in the direction of the mugger, one called the police and took me in for a cup of tea (police arrived before the kettle had boiled) and the other three (in their underpants) headed back off to bed. So... not everyone in ED ignores things all the time... thankfully.

Perhaps as others have said, they thought everything was under control or had no desire to chase after a potentially armed robber. I know sometimes I've passed accidents and so long as there are a few people who looked like they were dealing with the situation, I've carried on rather than be a rubbernecker.

[ozzy]

what actually happened was the two men from EDT were crossing frogley road when a man ran up behing them and tried to pull a rucksack from off the back of one of the EDT men ,they said he didnt appear to have a weapon .