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news
Tim Michell's bike and trailer“There's more to this story” – Surrey Quays bike theft victim says security staff are “complacent”
A man who had his electric bike stolen at Surrey Quays shopping centre in South London has accused security staff there of being “complacent” when it comes to cycle theft.
Tim Michell, whose bike was stolen in September 2019, got in touch with us after our story on Sunday showing thieves stealing a Trek e-bike by cutting through the lock with a portable angle grinder.
> “Possible ID” on member of Surrey Quays angle-grinder bike theft gang passed on to police
“There is a lot more to this story,” said Michell, who is originally from Canada and has a houseboat at South Dock, close to the shopping centre.
He claimed that “Security have been complacent over the thefts to the degree of forcing bikes to be locked there.”
Michell is a street performer who has taken his Timothy Terror (aka Stickman) act around the world, and regularly performed in London’s Covent Garden, with fellow entertainers there raising money after a motorcycle crash.
He used the money to buy an e-bike to enable him to tow around his trailer with the various props that he uses during his act, including chainsaws and knives that he juggles with.
He had been leaving his e-bike with a friendly security guard at the Surrey Quays branch of Tesco for around a month prior to it being stolen on the weekend of 21/22 September 2019.
“I stopped off at this mall and went into Tesco where a friendly security guard used to let me leave my bike with him, since he knew of the thefts outside and didn't what to see my bike stolen.
“He wasn’t there and instead I was escorted by five security staff, both from the mall and Tesco and told I had to leave the bike outside if I wanted food and to use the toilet.
“It was stolen within 10 minutes. The police were called and security both from the mall and Tesco refused to provide video footage to police.
“To this day they've refused to acknowledge the incident, or even return a phone call.
“Needless to say the £1,500 bike that was stolen was more than performers had raised to help. I had several more months off work, and had to replace the bike before I could work again,” he added.
We contacted the Metropolitan Police about the theft, and were told: “When all available avenues of enquiry were exhausted, the case was closed pending further investigative opportunities becoming available.
“Local enquiries were undertaken by officers, there was no CCTV available and no suspects were identified.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- HalfDanHalfBiscuit 1 sec ago
Per capita thefts isn't all that useful a metric as it doesn't take into account levels of bike ownership. Cambridge is probably the cycling...
- Critman 1 hour 25 min ago
"30mm outer diameter 18mm inner diameter 13.4mm". Good luck finding a skinny tire.
- Destroyer666 2 hours 54 min ago
Ahem, the recommended lockring is just a common through-axle specific lockring, so nothing Miche specific there, and the required tool for it is an...
- Destroyer666 3 hours 49 min ago
Nonono, not those, but those that have constructed Italian cars and motorcycles that have been driven to hundreds of race and championship...
- RoubaixCube 3 hours 57 min ago
This may well be the case although Im unaware of the brands popularity on their home turf. I used to see them being advertised more in the UK...
- qwerty360 4 hours 28 min ago
Arguably sticking it in a bank account is bad....
- Sredlums 5 hours 27 min ago
I'd counter that those brakes were in fact so inadequate that they eventually developed a whole new type of bicycle that was actually suited for it...
- levestane 5 hours 28 min ago
Unfortunately, Africa is heavily exploited both for resource extraction...
- CitizenSmith 5 hours 55 min ago
There seems to be no support for TOO) now - their email and website are defunct. They are inactive on Facebook. Aftter less than a year the rails...
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35 comments
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19713050.serial-bike-thief-targeted-...
"Due to his crimes, the planning that went into the thefts and his “significant record of dishonesty offences”, he was given a four-week sentence suspended for 12 months."
that'll learn 'im !
I did a bit of digging. Whoever at Tesco that refused to give footage to the police should fall under section 89(2) police act 1996
"The offence of obstructing a police officer is committed when a person wilfully obstructs: a constable in the execution of his duty, or. a person assisting a constable in the execution of the constable's duty."
So im curious why the police backed off when tesco refused or maybe they were PSCOs that attended the scene and lacked the same level of authority to see the footage?? any ex-police will be able to answer that for me?
If it was private property and the footage was covered under GDPR, they'd be in breach of the act if they gave it to a police officer without a warrant.
I guess you havent read my previous post then. debunks your theory quite well.
Perhaps not - from the ICO website: "the processing of personal data by competent authorities for law enforcement purposes is outside the UK GDPR’s scope".
unfortunately you are both wrong. Jh2727 completely, Billder partially. @JH2727 There is a carve out specifically for law enforcement purposes.
@Billder - processing has a special meaning in data privacy and it's specifically about what the business is doing with the cctv. All that phrase is saying is that active collection of cctv by the police or a similar authority (eg council) is covered by different legislation. The police physically collecting it for the purposes of investigating a crime is different.
Almost sounds like the security guards are in cahoots with the thieves, no you can't bring it in, lock it here. Oh stolen you say? Well we won't let the police see the cctv.
Well that's what I was reading between the lines of 'theres more to this story' not so much complacent as complicit, but they arent really implying that...are they ?
"Oh, stolen you say?"
And so soon after you left it there... what are the chances?
It isn't just Surrey Quays that has this kind of issue.
Several years ago, my wife had her bike stolen from her school car park, and the school were great in assisting with the investigation (which still got nowhere) and prompted improvements to the positioning a security of the bike racks, as well as installation of CCTV.
The replacement bike was stolen on its first trip out, after being locked up outside Princes Quay shopping centre in Hull, in full view of the security guard who watched her lock it up, then, 5 minutes later, watched the thief cut off the lock and ride off without even attempting to intervene.
5 further minutes on, my wife came out, found the remnants of the lock and challenged the security guard who acknowledged he had watched it happen and basically said "it's a problem for the police, we don't get involved in that sort of thing".
Notwithstanding guards could at least call the police, or perhaps even shout out, there is a limit to what a private citizen (which security staff are) can do: if the crim is carrying something that can cut through a steel lock, it's a reasonable assumption that the guard isn't heavily protected himself against reprisals - and they know where he works!
To be cynical, security staff are there for the insurance and in the interests of the shops, not the shoppers.
Very much this - A lot of the public dont understand why security staff are there. They are mainly there to protect the shoppers and the shopping mall themselves who pay their wages. Most retail shops inside would have their own security. Their obligation is not to the general public.
Mall security does not cover theft of your personal posessions. That is a private matter and most of them wont get involved unless you initiated a chase through their mall. had the thief pinned and were having a bit of a tussle on the ground with them.
Security are also there in the interests of health and safety - such as getting people out of the building should there be a fire etc etc. A lot of guards should have been trained in fire safety as part of their employment.
You'd think those interests might include people actually wanting to visit their shops, though. If potential customers are put off coming because there isn't a safe, secure environment, it's hard to see how that serves the interest of the shops.
Unless they want people to travel by car so that they can buy more stuff
Trailer !
Agreed, but given that the bike parking belongs to the shopping centre, is located on their property, and the security guard worked for the centre rather than any of the individual stores, his unwillingness to do anything whatsover (including calling or even talking to the police) rankles somewhat.
I used to live not far from there. The security in Surrey Quays has always been poor. The proximity to the estates was always a reason for it to be a regular ASBO appearance. Theft from scooters of mobiles/bags as well as other similar issues were a normal thing. Unfortunately I don't think that will change anytime soon, as that shopping centre has never been a "highlight."
Bike security must be one of the biggest barriers to more bike usage. It's pathetic how many shops still have the old wheel-bender bike stands outside, as if they are providing a facility for cyclists.
And it's disgusting that these so-called security guards were partly responsible for the theft of the bike. Disgusting but depressingly unsurprising and predictable.
100% this is what stops me using my bike for shopping trips. The only time I cycle to my local Lidl is when we are out together and one of us sits out with the bikes. There is zero chance of me leaving it to be bent or stolen outside, so generally I drive.
Get yourself a cheap bike off freecycle or ebay, get it rideable and use that for local shopping or pub trips. If it gets nicked console yourself with the fact that someone else is riding a bike and repeat the operation. Driving short journeys is very bad for the planet.
Yes that's my solution, a £120 twenty-year-old Saracen Mantra that's actually a laugh to ride, is bombproof and looks tatty enough not to attract the attention of the light-fingered fraternity while the four-figure machines stay safely indoors.
This is exactly what I saved my old bike for. Trips to the pub and shops, even used it to commute to the station for a time. Frankly if someone had nicked it they would at least have been clearning a bit of space in the garage and giving SWIMBO one less thing to complain about, 'how many bikes do you need??'. I don't think I've cleaned it in 20 years, just the odd bit of oil on the chain.
Unfortunately my son has now started to use it to commute to work so it's never bloody there when I want to nip up to the local shops. I'm certainly not leaving either of the other two outside to be nicked whilst I pop into Morrisons.
I remember going through car stereos like water in the 90's when the car locks were too easy to get into and also there was a market for knocked off stereo units. There definitely needs to be some thought given to how the bicycle manufacturers can help with this just like car makers had to.
Problem is that apparently such sites can be where stoilen bikes turn up for cheap and so the wheel turns.
Probably not an issue for most here but I'd agree that this is a mental barrier for lots of people using bikes for transport. (It's not the major one of course.) It's not just that 100 quid is a lot of money for some people. For the majority of the population using a bike in this way is already a stretch / something novel so it doesn't take much to make them give up (e.g. go back to the car / the bus). Plus folks new to this probably don't have n+1 yet or appreciate what's a good lock and how to use it best.
If you check seller feedback and their other items for sale I'm pretty sure you could find one that isn't stolen and freecycle is free. When I say cheap I mean cheap. The last ones I got were £20 for 2, needed a bit of work mind. Best ones are 5 or 6 speed with friction changers which last foreever and rarely need adjusting. Try and find one with mudguards as they are necessary and often more expensive than the bike if bought new.
I think that's the answer - I have an old no-suspension mountain bike which cost me £35 off eBay (but needed new brake cables) and I've been locking* it up outside a local train station in London for years now without it getting nicked.
*(The high-quality U-lock I use cost about £50 though)
Agree that lack of secure parking is a major deterrent to greater use of bikes for shopping etc.
My 'old' bike is a 30+ year old Spesh Rockhopper that I've had from new. It's well beaten up but has sentimental value so I would hate it to be stolen. The benefit of a Brompton is that you can take it into the shop with you.
My "shopping" bike is an old Spesh Rockhopper, too (mine's probably more like 15 years old). Left it locked up outside Cabot Circus in Bristol whilst I watched Dune and some bugger nicked my seat, seatpost and an almost empty top tube bag. I've replaced them now and changed the QR seat clamp for an allen key one. It's especially annoying as I had a Fly6CE mount on that seatpost and I bet the 30.9mm seatpost was the wrong size for whoever stole it.
The Lidl near work has recently replaced their wheel benders with Sheffield stands. However the retail park where the local Iceland Food Warehouse is located doesn't have cycle parking space of any description - despite being located adjacent to a national cycle route. Cyclists have to lock their bikes to a trolley bay, or whatever other "suitable" furniture they can find. Bringing in a bike is not allowed, even when 2m social distancing was required.
Tesco refused to provied any CCTV footage to the police?? Isnt that obstruction of justice??
Having done a CCTV course. If a member of the police asks to see cctv footage of an incident or have copies made for an investigation - I am unable to refuse their request (should they I.D themselves as an officer)
Im not sure if there are any legal avenues that Tim could have explored to get his bike back or at least money towards a new bike... Normally when you lock your bike in public - Unless you locked it in a proper secure location. You leave your bike there at your own risk.
Tim could have had a solicitor writing up a strongly worded letter to Tesco threatening possible legal action for refusal to provide CCTV footage to the police.
But this wouldnt of happened if the police that attended had more balls and didnt back off the moment Tesco refused to give them the CCTV footage.
If there was a manager present at Tesco when the police turned up for CCTV footage and he/she turned them away then Tesco hasnt trained their staff correctly and the manager should have called their HQ and ask what they should do if getting in touch with their area manager wast possible.
You escalate the issue to someone above you so that you dont have to take responsibility should something bad happen as result of your decision.
It should really be the Polices job to enforce the laws though and they dont seem to be doing much of it.
I'm not sure if that is actually true. If the cctv looked onto private ground on private property (e.g tesco car park for example) tesco is within its right to refuse access to the recording. It sounds like the CCTV course you did was regarding publicly funded cameras overlooking public areas like a high street.
It's like if I had a camera over looking my garden and a crime happened in my garden I would be more than within my right to refuse access to the files showing the crime. Unlike France for example not reporting a crime or otherwise is not a crime.
It's the same with tesco and their own car park. It may be an area where public have access to but its permississive. The only problem tesco may have is if that particular shop sold alcohol they could be seen as being unfit to hold a licence.
It would be a long stretch to say they are obstructing justice, you could use that argument for witness who don't want to get involved. Where would that argument lead?
There's also been a legal case in the uk regarding Ring door bells. Another example would be dashcams, there's no legal obligation to provide footage.
There's a difference between a moral and legal obligation.
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