Jodster

What do you think about this, people.

I'm sitting in a short queue of traffic to a traffic light outside Sutton Train Station last night at 17:25. I have my window down and I'm listening to the radio (not too loud). Then I hear shouting from the pavement on the other side of the road, there's two blokes calling me a "*****" and other crap for no reason. People at the bus stop don't understand what's going on, as do I. Then one of them, fists clenched comes over to the car with the other close behind. I left the window down and tried to prepare myself in case he tried to punch me. He steps up to the door but doesn't touch it, he says "my mate called you a *****, are you going to get out of your car and do something about it?" I just looked at his mate who was ready for a move when the lights turned green and cars on the other side of the road started heading towards this bloke standing next to my door. I just said "yeah, right" and pulled away with the traffic.

I definately think if I had got out of the car, one of them would have tried to get in it. This shook me up a little as I was just minding my own business, it was late afternoon, plenty of people around and in my home town. What I would say is that there is an increasing number of immigrants loitering around the town these days and these two blokes were definately not English. Sorry if I sound racist but these ignorant b'stards are really starting to get on my nerves.

What would you have done? Would you report something like this to the Police?

MarkO

Reporting it to the police won't actually achieve much, since there's not a great deal you can do. However, it might be worthwhile telling them, simply because if they've been alerted they can a) keep an eye out if they're local to where it happened and b) spot a pattern if it happens again.

You did exactly the right thing though. Only 2 things were likely to happen in that scenario - either they're pissed up louts, who would have beaten you up for a laugh, or they're car theives who were simply causing a diversion in preparation for stealing your car. Either way, getting out of the car would have been asking for trouble.

What would I have done? Well, fundementally I'm a weakling and a coward, so I'd have been off up the road before they'd reached the car.

Adam_K

sutton is gonna become like croydon. i hear enough bad stuff that goes on there. I am in sutton almost every week, but usually with large groups of m8s, but i have friends who live there who won't walk down the high street on their own at night.

Adam_K

p.s keep a wheel brace under the front seat of your car, it works wonders when your telling people to **** off if u have a wheel brace in your hands and a psychotic grin on your face

Scoob99

iTrader: (1)

Wheel.........keep that in mind Adam good Idea mate......wheel get it out ready.
Cheers
Colin

paulr

I think telling the police is a good idea,at least they can keep an eye out for these things whilst driving around looking for non-seat belt wearers to give spot fines to

whip

I'd like to think I'd have agreed with them, wound the window up and drove on.

I'm just amazed that they thought they could provoke someone out of their car with such a schoolground tactic. What's the world coming to, you can't even get a decent standard of carjacker these days...

Whip

Jodster

Adam_K, what's the big attraction of Sutton that would make you come all the way from Bucks?

I won't be intimidated in my own town and I walk down the high street at night on my own. Perhaps I shouldn't, perhaps I should hide in fear in my home and never go out.

Where do I buy a gun? And don't say Sutton

stevem2k

Nah , have to go all the way to croydon to buy a gun.

Steve

(sutton resident)

Diablo

I'd have ignored them and shut the window when I heard them shout. making sure doors were locked.

Alternatively, I'd have asked them to take up the discussion with my Rottie in the back...LOL...

Always have a steel extention bar erm...Wheel brace officer .... behing by seat, just in case.

D

Adam_K

i have a lot of m8s who live in and around sutton so i'm there quite a bit.

Chris L

Not good..

I used to live in Sutton (for about 4 years) and I lived in and around the area for most of my life. I've seen a real downturn in the whole area. It started with Croydon (which has never been great - let's face it) and has spread through to areas like Purley and Sutton. There are certain parts of Croydon I would never walk through on my own at night (I'd even think twice about it with a few mates). SUtton has, I'm afraid to say, been heading the same way for a while. There has been quite a rise in violent crime in the area over the last 12 - 24 months.

I'm pleased I got out when I did and moved to Hertfordshire.

Chris

Adam_K

chris, where u live in herts??

i live in the middle of nowhere near a place called bovingdon. we have had over the 12 years we have lived here, its a private estate with 80 houses. over that 12 years we have had an almost 0% crimerate on the estate.

it just shows that high housing prices can't be a bad thing, cos it means that the scum can't actually afford to move here.

i wouldn't say that all of herts is good by any means. i mean we have hemel, which although is nowhere near as bad as inner london, its still got a very high crime rate, and places further away like welwyn ain't too good either.

[Edited by Adam_K - 5/22/2002 10:38:54 AM]

dba

Sutton house prices have shot up as well,as Londoners look for cheaper places to live.

Chris T

keep about a car length between you and the car in front when you pull up at traffic lights etc - gives you room to manouver if they start trying to break the glass etc to get inside.

Hard to hit someone with a wheel brace when you are sitting down - chances are they will take the weapon from you and then hit you with it. don't get out the car - do pick up your mobile and make sure they see you pretending to call the police....

BTW - did you see yesterdays standard - involved a young lady who was punched in the face as she unloaded her shopping - they took her car keys - the paper described the story under

carjackers steal sports car -

Car was an Audi A3 - ok not the point still terrible - but why call a hatchback runabout a sports car ?

Jodster

Sutton has never been a cheap place to live. My house cost me 145k four years ago and is now worth 240k. Perhaps I should sell up and move to Sussex or something.

All the banks have become pubs and it's getting the reputation as a place to go to if you're a punchy ******. I like a beer like everyone else but is there really a need for so many?

It can't be any worse than central London can it?

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

I live just down the road from Sutton and over the period of 5-6 years its become a victim of its own success, when the council gave licenses to any pub chain that wished to open up in the pedestrian area. As said earlier 'punchy *******' don't sh*t on their own doorstep, they come an 'arena' from miles around. There are not enough cab firms so there are large queues full of pissed agro people late at night. Nice.

However at 4pm it seems this is rare. I assume they had been in the quality establishment Pub come(F)night club called the Litten Tree since lunchtime, or they were indeed trying to steal your car.

Please report it. If you feel it was an attempted car jacking the police will take notice.

Justin

yoza

Get down to SPORTSOCCER they are doing a baseball bat and ball for a Tenner.......keep it down the side of your door sill,coppers cant say nothin coz the ball is in the glovebox
I chopped a bit off the end of mine coz I find it a bit to big when useing in close contact.Also got an alluminium one but they dent quite easy so stick with the wooden one.
WARNING if you think you need to use it for personnel protection make sure you use it properley or they will use it on you!

Chris L

Adam

As my profile says - I live in East Herts (I won't go into more detail on the BBS). You're right - no where is perfect, but I did find that both my car insurance and house insurance dropped because I'm in a much better area! I believe that we have the lowest crime rate in the country or something similar?

Sutton is a London borough and that is reflected in both its housing prices and car insurance. The cost of houses in Sutton (as in many areas) has been driven up by it's proximity to London and the number of people buying second properties as 'buy-to-rents'. My flat in Sutton was bought for £52K 4 years ago and was sold last December for £120K. To give you some idea, my 3 bedroom town house (needing a little bit of work, but basically sound)in Herts cost £135K (although prices around here are starting to shoot up as well).

At the time I moved 70% of the flats in my estate were rented (inlcuding my old flat now). A combination of low interest rates and sky high rentals (something around £750 to £900 a month) has meant that Sutton has become very popular.

I wouldn't want to be a first time buyer in Sutton now.

Chris

Katana

Kamikaze into them.

rr_ww

I cant believe the things being said on here "I won't walk throguh parts of Croydon/Sutton at night". Jeez it ain't THAT bad!!!

To the people thinking about getting breaker bars. FFS get a socket that fits your wheel bolts and fit it on the end. Some form of excuse. if you think you aint strong enough to ressit having it taken off you don't wave it, if you ain't going to use it don't carry it. if you are going to carry it don't swing, prod as it doesn't leave you off balance and "open"

To the guy who wanted to buy a gun, get a blank firing rep "Surrey Guns" Wallington or ModelZone (St Nick Centre) if you want a pellet jobbie.


At least you were paying attention and it didn't come as a complete surprise. Remember be aware of your surroundings. In best traditon "Lets be careful out there!"

Richard

Jodster

Thanks for all your comments. I was only joking about the gun

I reported it at Sutton Police station last night and it turns out a group of Kosovan refugees had recently been housed in the area and since then, a significant number of these kind of "attacks" have been recorded by pedestrians as well as car owners.

MrDeference

As if we didn't have enough native thugs we are importing them too now.
As this is an international board, can anyone who is feeling that the quality of life in their country is going up and has room for well behaved, net contributers please reply so we can form an orderly queue.