“The police said, ‘Nothing can be done, we’re understaffed’,” the woman recalls. She then took to eBay and only five days later found her bike there with a £50 starting bid. She contacted the police but was disappointed again. “They said, ‘We can ring them, but they then usually vanish into thin air’,” the woman adds.
“I told them that if they wouldn’t go round and get it, I’d do it myself. ”
Accompanied by her husband, brother and three other friends, she arranged a meeting with the seller. The woman asked the man to have a test ride, leaving him to hold her old and empty handbag as a guarantee. She then used one of the nearby cars to block the seller’s view and simply rode off. Later, the officers reportedly congratulated her during a phone call.
“I did what I did as a matter of principle. It is like a military rule for me. For some people it’s just a bicycle, but it’s my bicycle.”
The police didn’t admit to refusing to investigate the matter. A GMP spokeswoman released a statement, however, explaining that some cases are simply more important than others.
“Solving crime takes time and we allocate resources to investigate as soon as we possibly can. Each incident reported to us is dealt with based on the threat, harm and risk it poses and is prioritised appropriately.”
What do you think about the woman’s actions? Would you dare to take such a risk?
