Police on train tracks - looking for someone or something?

Archer

Been a couple of hours now and they are still here. It seems like they set up shop on scarborough road. I watched an undercover take a hammer from the boot of his car so that he could break the lock to the tracks near the ART co-op. They have flash lights, they are searching the tracks and the 'copter keeps hanging around... I can't stand not knowing what it's all about!

Archer

They had the dog unit out but only one dog. Just watched them walk the tracks towards finsbury park station. Trains still running - Madness!

Ali

Dreranged Train spotter or maybe copper theives ?

RedSturgeon

How many people here do I offend by questioning whether there isn't a redundant adjective in the phrase "deranged train spotter"?

(And if the answer is '1 or more' then I confess to speaking as one of those dads who takes the kids to wave dementedly at trains on the Oxford Rd bridge into the park. A surprising proportion toot in response, no doubt to the enormous irritation of Woodstock Roaders, for which apologies...)

andy

@RedSturgeon - Train Spotters aside, this site has more than it's fair share of grammar and usage nerds. Strictly, I think "deranged train spotter" may be a pleonasm. (cf Bruce Chatwin)

RedSturgeon

@andy - I had wondered whether "deranged train spotter" might not be tautologous but I was hesitant over my spelling of the word and think your assessment is better, having investigated pleonasm in my copy of Fowler's. I don't get the Chatwin reference and am not immediately assisted by resort to Wikipedia, but I'm learning that being set on the path of further personal study is a large part of a stroudgreen.org education, and will strive to Do Better.

andy

On one of the first few pages of Songlines, Chatwin talks about "pastoral nomads" being a pleonasm. Which is how I learned the word.

RedSturgeon

@andy - Thanks! We/you should watch out. If stroudgreen.org becomes too learned, and after 'free schools' fail magnificently, the government'll close all learning institutions and simply mandate compulsory study of this forum. I bet you'd have things interesting things to say about whether 'cf' does/ought to mean "see" and/or "contrast". I only knew it in the latter context, but for at least the second time today my mind has been expanded...

Arkady

I love ths forum.

Roy

Back to the subject of the original post, if the police had to use a hammer to gain access to the tracks, I do wonder what business they had being on or near the line. They shouldn't be doing that without authorisation and proper training, and if that was the case you'd think they'd have access to the requisite keys anyway - I thought most of these things used one of a small number of types of master key. roy

StroudGreen.SNT

Police were called to a Burglary in a nearby street. The suspect ran from police over railings and onto the side of the train tracks. The Police helicopter was called and spotted the suspect at the side of the tracks. Unfortunately the helicopter was low on fuel and had to leave for a short time to re-fuel. By the time it got back however, the suspect had gone.

It is hoped however that he has left some forensics behind and if so it will only be a matter of time until we catch up with him.

PC Paul Kane 263YR
Stroud Green SNT

andy

Is it not unreasonable to expect the helicopter to have some petrol in it?

In the event that it is needed to do some flying, for example.

sharybo

It probably had no fuel left from the hours it spends pointlessly hovering over our houses every night!

miss annie

@PC Paul Kane How much does it cost to fill up a helicopter?

Archer

Thanks for the info PC Kane. Glad to see the force is on top of these things.

The helicopter crew is obviously a different department.

Archer

On another note of burgluary. Last weekend, saturday or sunday at around 11 am I saw a black dude dressed in a White tracksuit, walking eerily up and down Scarborough road seeing if car doors were open. I was clipping the nails of my guinea pigs so I watched him for a while. He set off the hazard lights to a blue car and stole a mac computer from the boot of a silver car. Luckily, when I found out who the owners were, they told me the computer was broke and it was a rental so they didn't think it was necessary to involve police...

To the dude in the white tracksuit: I have you on video, come near or on scarborough road again I will have to bring out my vigilante citizen. I will make u eat guinea pig poop and hope u catch piggie plague. PRICK!

julieshrive

Maybe it was Banksy ?

Ali

Sasha should you not provide a copy of your Video to PC Kane

miss annie

Did you call the police when you saw someone breaking into the cars?

Archer

He wasn't breaking in exactly. What he did was walk up and down the road, really slowly. If u just glanced at him, you wouldn't think anything because. At first I thought he was a permit guy, what with the changes coming into force on the 14th, plus I've seen attendants issuing tickets without the full uniform.

Then I fort ok, he's waiting for someone, then he leans up against a blue car and the hazards went off. So he crosses the road and walks up passed my car, that's when I took the video. Then he crosses the road again and heads to the silver car, opens the boot and walks off with a package. As he's walking down the road he sees two women with prams and stops to say hello, then carries on walking off.

I pretty much know the owners of the cars up on my end of the road so I thought it was his car until I saw my daughters friends family get into the car, like 10 mins later (they just moved out and was gathering the last of their stuff). I ran out to tell them and it turns out that the car is a rental, they left it open and the computer is broke, so they didn't want to involve police.

Arkady

So you have video footage of a local thief that you’re NOT going to hand in to the police, therefore increasing the chance that one of us will be the victim of a crime? Cheers.

Archer

I Made a call to the neighbourhood watch team, but there isn't a crime until someone reports one, only a report of suspicious behaviour. The reason I didn't say anything at the time is because I had a similar situation. I have OCD so when there were no spaces left on my road, i parked the car on oakfield road, it was night time and I spent about 20 mins circling the car making sure it was locked. I was just about satisfied, when two police pull me up to ask me what I was doing (someone made a call). I had to open the car AGAIN, get my insurance papers and wait to confirm ownership and identity. I took a futher 15mins circling the car again to make sure it was locked... It was soo embarrassing - people don't understand why I do it and after what happened to my friend, you can see why.

Is the car locked?
Is the immobiliser flashing?
When it locked, could it have short circuited and locked all but one door?
Will it unlock it's self after 5 - 10 mins?
When I put the keys in my bag did it unlock accidentally?

And say u did leave the car open by accident, your almost convinced you locked it but for the life of you, you have no clue.

miss annie

Well you know that he's a thief now so you should hand the video in.

sharybo

Just because they chose not to report it doesn't mean it's not a crime! If you've got a video of someone taking a laptop out of a car, and you know from the owners that it was stolen (even if they can't be bothered to report it), then I'm sure it's something the police would want to see.

Archer

I gave the footage to them, its their crime, and like I said - I contacted neighbourhood watch. But with no actual break in or burgulary to report. There is no crime, only suspicious behaviour. They don't want video footage of a guy - maybe if it was footage of him theifing, but not just some guy standing outside my window then crossing the road. When they (the victims), if they, and not because of you arkady - make a report, they can use the footage to find the suspect. Until then, my info on this forum was for informing purposes only, not to solve a crime that hasn't been reported.

seriously ungrateful

Ali

But you seem to say above that you saw the person open up a rental car and steal a broken computer ?

Archer

If i was taking a video of someone taking a laptop from a car, even their own car - then that would mean I was thinking that he/ she was committing a crime, which as you already know I didn't.

I took the video after he leaned up on the blue car setting the hazards off. Reason I took the video was because in my mind, if he caused damage, such as denting or scratching it - I'm sure the owners would like to see who did it. (and i don't know what sets hazards off to be quite honest)

Archer

Are u serious. People read! I saw him open the boot to an open car (for all i know -could have been his) and take out a package. I found out he was a theif when I saw someone else get into the car.

And another thing, he didn't appear that suspicious so I wasn't running the length of my flat to keep an eye on him during his time on the road. I got kids and a fracking life.

Why don't u get out there and start patrolling the fracking streets and another thing if you think i'm not doing enough, why don't u just ask me to get you the video then YOU and whoever is part of your mob squad can make the report ur damn selfs.

The only crime that dude is capable of committing is a crime that you probably bring on yourself.

Keep ur fracking doors locked.

Mirandola

Didn't realise stroud green was part of Battlestar Galactica.

dorothy

It does kind of frack with your head a bit, if you watch too much of it.

Archer

Grateful if ur the victim, ungrateful if you live in the area.

Y'all have so much to complain about on these forums. Spewing out solioquies on political affairs, essays on the economy - like u know shit. Putting down and ganging up on anyone who has their own opinion, not in line with your own. My actions where more than satisfactuary to whom it CONCERNED, but that doesn't stop you from implying that i haven't done enough.

One minute, the police have better things to do with their time, next minute a stolen broken mac from an open car, where the victim doesnt want to make a report, is putting the whole community at risk.

To assume I watched the guy from the get go with knowledge of him 'attempting' to commit a crime is ludacris. Your idiots. I'm not a backwards peeping Tom. With neighbours like you guys above (NOT mirandola or dorothy), in this day and age it's no wonder why people keep to themselves, nobody wants to be judged by some know-it-all, can-do-better, arrogant f**k.

Ya'll have some nerve.