Cycle path attacks warning

by jod Tue Jun 03, 2008 14:41

It seems a few mates of mine have had a similar experience possibly from the same gang... Two girls and a guy walking down the cycle track, the gang distracted the bloke asking if he wanted to buy any drugs. All of them declined, whilst the two girls edged away the guy was beaten and then the two girls mugged.

Is nothing being done about this???

by Not amused Tue Jun 03, 2008 15:35

Brave little sods aren't they? Is anyone interested in starting a patrol? Maybe then Plod would get their fingers out.

by clive hammond Tue Jun 03, 2008 18:38

When the target system is gone and we have more Police on the streets then maybe such cycle paths will be safe again.

When the paperwork is reduced to a minimum then we may be able to have more police on the streets and less in the office adding up their points for the week.

When the ridiculous target system where the theft of a mars bar gains the same points if solved as a murder then we may get safer streets and footpaths.

The mainstream press is all over the government over violent crime.

Good to see BIM being used to flag it up as well.

Hope your sister and boyfriend recover.

But I would warn against anyone trying to sort the problem out yourself - I was stopped by a particularly officious and unpleasant policeman about 18 months ago and asked why I had a screwdriver in the toolbox of my car. He threatened me with his "being able to arrest me for having a weapon".

So in my view they will just arrest whoever they can regardless of "blame" - the system just makes them want to make their targets - not make the streets safer.

by Deconspiracist Wed Jun 04, 2008 07:06

Could these youths be some of Ray Priest's little darlings from the "Academy" that New Labour has been bribing to study for exams with hundreds of pounds, making insidious false promises that they can all become doctors and lawyers if not million pound football players, popstars and glamour models?

These artificially bloated and gross "aspirations" kept people quiet for a few years, but were never going to be fulfilled - can never be fulfilled. The only result of ZanuLab's false promises will be hundreds of cheated young men and women crowded into the area and seething with anger and frustration.

Being a local resident, I hope this vicious attack is not a sign of things to come, but I have long been afraid that it might be.

As to the police, they have been turned into pen-pushing managerialists and bureaucrats, in large part by the pathetic ideologies and policies of New Labour being forced on them, so it's hardly surprising if they are not very effectual. Their hands have been tied by the politicians when it comes to really dealing with real crime.

by Crime Victim Wed Jun 04, 2008 07:40

Nice to see the police have got their priorities straight. My step-son was attacked and mugged by a gang of youths in the city center and depite all the CCTV there was not footage of the event that was of any use. My step-son was a bit freaked out by it all but was willing to give a statement (a couple of others kids attacked were too scared) but did the police turn up? No, a couple of phone calls saying they wanted to take the statement in person and then nothing....

So when I read about police actions for people copying music
http://torrentfreak.com/british-police-confirm-oink-arr...0602/

Or wearing a t-shirt
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/03/trave...ustry

You see the priority seems to be economics first and people second.

by guerrillagardener Wed Jun 04, 2008 14:00

Its a real shame about this and there is a lack of information on the cycle path regarding the attacks; if there were a call for witnesses, a sign would have been put up by the police. If there were police patrolling on bikes this it may make it feel a bit safer. I think community patrolling the path is a good idea, but where, how and when?

The other shame is that i will not want to cycle on the path now at night, which will make the situation worse; the less people on the path, the more likely these attacks may happen.

In the last couple of weeks the path is getting quite overgrown which doesn't help as it gives the little bastards hiding spots. Perhaps a little guerrilla gardening is required...

by stuffit Wed Jun 04, 2008 14:30

There is much to agree with from comments here. I was nearly mugged myself recently, and 2 friends have recently been mugged on the cycletrack.

We spoke to police patrol who are recomending that people don't use the path as there have been over 30 reported incidents in 6 days.

Surely less people using the path means less safety tho? We need to stick together so i think the idea of a patrol is a great one. Or maybe buddying up with fellow users to ride/walk together. Obviously this is a short term defensive measure that doesn't address why this stuff is happening. The IWCA in Oxford seem to have some good ideas for tactics for both short and long term responses

Short term: Community self defence:

http://www.iwca-oxford.org.uk/blackbirdleys/news/nws070...5.htm
http://www.bliwca.fsnet.co.uk/news/nws06025.htm

Long term:
The soul of man under neo-liberalism:
http://www.iwca.info/?p=10111

by nickleberry Wed Jun 04, 2008 15:39

I've just got off the phone to the Avon and Somerset police. They confirm that there have been a spate of robberies in the area mentioned in this article. They also said that five people have been nicked and that police have increased patrols in that area. Mainstream media are going to run with this story tomorrow morning (The Post and BBC Bristol).

He went on to say some important things:

- the police are treating this as a series of robberies, not "gang activity" as such. I guess the notion of a gang makes things sound that much more scary, as it sounds more organised. The police don't see this as the work of a gang.

- he wouldn't make any comments about the ethnicity of the people involved. As far as he was concerned this was the work of the five people who have been nicked, and they're looking out in case any one else is up to it.

As for myself: I hope the victim of this attack is recovering rapidly. Let's not allow this to scare us, or divide us.

by Kai - Self Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:49 kaipaulden at hotmail dot com Greenbank, Easton 0117 939 0523

I was attacked Friday evening about 10:30pm in Riverside Park area of Easton. My injuries will take a couple of months to heal if I am lucky. Violence on cycle routes has been happening for years, and many people do not report it. Because it has now reached an extreme level I would recommend everyone to report every incident. The benefit of this is that policing will increase, better lighting will be installed, and many innocent people will be more aware of the danger, and be able to look after their own safety. Parents of perpetrators may also become more aware of what their children might be up to in the evening and at night.

Most of all we need youth clubs and activities to be properly funded. So many millions have gone to the wrong people, the wrong projects, and been lost paying white collar workers to push paper and computer keys. We are now seeing the more serious results of starving the youth sector of facilities and skilful workers.

by Easton Resident Thu Jun 05, 2008 14:38

Hello

After the recent spate of attacks in Easton and along the cycle path I have
set up a petition on the Bristol City Council's website to demand better
lighting between the Easton Community Centre and the Chocolate Factory and
for more police patrols in the area. You can now sign this petition and
make you voice heard at:

http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/view/cyclepathsecurity

One of the most infuriating aspects of these recent events is the suggestion
that people should stay clear of the cycle path after dark. I appreciate
that people must be allowed to look after their own personal safety, but I
strongly believe that we must use the cycle path more not less if we are to
make it safe for other users.

I would like to encourage a few weekends of peaceful action to reclaim the
cycle path in the evenings. The idea is to arrange for groups of
friends/neighbours to meet up at Gratitude Road to walk down the path at
around 9.45pm onwards, maybe have a pint somewhere down near the Easton
Community Centre and then to walk back the same way at around 11pm. This
will give residents and cycle path users the opportunity to look at things
like street lighting and to consider other ways to tackle this problem. By
making our presence felt in a peaceful but persistent manner, and having an
input into how we as a community respond to these sorts of incidents, I
believe that we will be able to reclaim the path and make it safer for other
users.

A small group of us will be meeting up next weekend (13/14/15 June) and I
will be in touch with details early next week. I am away this weekend so I
can't coordinate anything for this weekend, but if anyone else is interested
in coordinating social gatherings along the cycle path this weekend please
get in touch and I will pass the word around.

There is also some good news:

Statement from Avon and Somerset Police Press Office

Extra police officers are patrolling the Bristol to Bath cycle path near
Easton after a significant rise in the number of robberies and assaults.

Police have stepped up patrols to reassure users of the path and identify
anyone acting suspiciously. Officers on foot patrol are also being assisted
by police motorcyclists using off-road bikes. Police are investigating
several incidents in the last week and enquiries are ongoing to identify
those involved. Detectives have arrested five people in connection with the
incidents. Anyone who has any information about the robberies is urged to
contact the Bristol Robbery Team on 0845 4567000.

Have the robberies been committed by gangs?

Police believe that some of the robberies may have been committed by the
same individuals. However, at this stage there is nothing to suggest that a
particular gang is responsible for all of the offences.

- ends -

I have also just heard from Andrew Whitehead, Team Leader for Cycling,
Walking and Public Right of Way, Traffic Management:

I am really sorry to hear about the sickening attack on your sister and her
boyfriend on Saturday night.

It is always a difficult to know what to do in terms of advice. I have been
made aware of the incidents by a number of parties via e-mail and this, I
feel is a good way of disseminating the information to the users in a
balanced way. The Police have been known to advise people not use the path.
In our view this is not the best course of action as the busier the path is
the less comfortable criminals will feel. I will filter the information to
my contacts.

We will lobby the Police to encourage them to be more visible on the path
and seek their advice to see if we can provide some active vegetation
management to try and address dark spots to which you refer.

In terms of additional lighting, this is something that we hope to provide
but not something we can commit to in the short term due to funding. It was
a part of our bid to deliver lighting as part of our Cycling Demonstration
City application and we hope that this will be successful. The announcement
is due in mid June. I hope to have something positive to report.

- ends -

Peace and Love
Sally Reay

by D Thu Jun 05, 2008 16:14

nickleberry said "he wouldn't make any comments about the ethnicity of the people involved."

What the fuck has "ethnicity" got to do with anything?

by Soophy Thu Jun 05, 2008 19:36 sophyyy at hotmail dot com

My mum was attacked on the cycle path last Saturday, some guy who was clearly wasted just picked up her back wheel and chucked her off her bike. Luckily some girls helped her up and told the guy to eff off and my dad and I were along shortly after. It's just really unfair that in an age where we have both an obesity problem and global warming concerns that events would happen that put people off something that combats both of these. Cycling also saves a lot of money when fuel prices are going up at the moment, it's something that I've recently discovered the benefits of. Just as I have started doing it however I am tempted to stop because I am a young woman on my own, not the fastest of riders and I travel at off peak times. I just think it's really really unfair.

by Cycling commuter Fri Jun 06, 2008 07:11

It was good to see a number of PCSOs patrolling the cycling path as I cycled home from work yesterday.

I also have it in good authority that as well as the high vis presence, there are a number of "under cover" offices patrolling the path as well.

I avoid using the path, especially round Russel Town Avenue junction as I find the actions of a small minority of the school pupils very intimidating. I have had water thrown at me in the past and at times walk hand in hand along the path so that it is impossible to cyle past without having to stop and ask them to move.

by Jim Sat Jun 14, 2008 09:20

I have been following this thread as I was attacked near here and very badly beaten up by an afro-caribbean drug addict who only wanted a cigarette. I did not have one, and so he beat the living hell out of me, and crushed my spectacles in his hand for added cruelty. He broke my nose, blacked both my eyes, cut my head wide open, dislocated my jaw and strangled me. I feel this attack was racially motivated because he only stole my bike (and kept calling me 'white boy' as he beat me) in the interest of escaping because I was shouting for help - he left me with my phone, shoulder bag, wallet - he only pounded me to a pulp, broke my body and destroyed my spectacles... not a robbery but a hate crime created by the mythological view that every person of pale skin must be this 'whitey' that has been so painstakingly created by pop media.

Since then, I have taken a strong interest in violence on Britain's streets, and in particular on the Bristol-Bath Cycle Path - which is both where I took my beating and the jewel of the National Cycle Network. This is a treasure that needs to be protected.

I know two people personally who have each been attacked, one Wednesday night, the other on Friday. Same place, same group. One has a fractured jaw and the other has a huge cut on his head and three broken ribs. Both happen to be white, which I think is a major determining factor in who gets chosen to be attacked. No CCTV, no witnesses coming forward, no action taken. I understand the police have been showing off their helicopter, as they did the night I was attacked, but helicopters aren't going to catch people running under the cover of trees to their own homes nearby - not unless they use Agent Orange!

So this is still ongoing as of Saturday 14th June. Good luck everybody, stay safe. I would like to do whatever I can to see this problem come to an end, community patrols, nagging the Council and our MP, whatever I can do.

by periolus Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:42

This is a real shame. I have just moved with my wife and baby daughter to the Bristol area and work promoting cycling in schools. A big bonus for me in moving here was the fantastic facility of the railway path. We mustn't let this be destroyed for the majority by the actions of the few.

I agree, as with any problem area, that by deserting the path, we give owenship to the 'gangs' (and I'm sorry, but by definition of grouping together to cause violent injury - they ARE gangs) and make the path less safe.

I really do hope, especially with Bristol & South Glos going for Cycling Demonstration City status, that the Police can do something quickly to sort this out.

Out of interest, is it just the Easton section that is affected by this. How safe is the section from Fishpons to Staple Hill and beyond towards Bath?

by stuffit Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:14

i'd be cafeful drawing conclusions over why people are being attacked, and if it is race related. If most of your friends are white - and I'm not saying they are - then you are only going to hear from white people who have been attacked.

I was warned on the night my friends girlfriend was attacked (few weeks ago now) on the cyclepath by a black guy, who had himself been attacked. If i hadn't spoken to him i wouldn't have known.

s

by Deconspiracist Sat Jun 21, 2008 08:58

Hi Jim,

Your experience sounds appalling. My sympathies are with you, for what it's worth.

".... kept calling me 'white boy' as he beat me ..."

Unfortunately little or no sympathy is likely to come from the police or the inverted racists - of whom we have too many in Easton.

However, Support Against Racist Incidents(SARI) can be more reasonable, and it may be helpful to talk it over with them. It's certainly worth reporting it to them as they keep their own statistics to build up a picture of what's happening on the ground. They are getting to grips with the fact that there are racists in all communities, and that anyone can be victimised on the simple grounds that they are a different ethnicity, or just look different from the attacker.

http://www.sariweb.org.uk/

You are certainly not alone. A white friend had some experiences with racist aggression on the cycle path and nearby. When you're threatened or attacked by people using racial abuse such as "white meat", "honky", or from Asians, "gora pakora" it kind of gives the game away doesn't it? Only the most dogmatic and blinkered people could even begin to try and explain that away - to fit their ideology.

Another friend of mine was attacked by the Devon Road bridge by a gang of Somali youths using the stone bridge structure itself as cover. It is possible to come down from both sides and pen down the prey (that's you, me, or any other innocent walkers or cyclists) underneath the bridge.

" I would like to do whatever I can to see this problem come to an end, community patrols, nagging the Council and our MP, whatever I can do. "

I agree, Jim. Interestingly one of the Easton councillors lives in a house right by Devon Road bridge, so tackling these attacks should be a top priority for him!

http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Council-Democracy...Id=80

It is of course only a minority of the local young people who are violent aggressors, but they are giving the rest a bad name. The police have feather-bedded the bullies for too long and we are now seeing the results. The thugs are confident that nothing serious will happen to them. That's why they, or others like them, will keep on, and eventally someone will be maimed or even killed.

by Steve Thu Aug 21, 2008 18:51

So what do the police do, patrol the cycle track at the top end near Morrisons and avoid the Easton area.
There are still gangs of kids hanging around jumping out at cyclists and trying to throw sticks through wheels.

Maybe the bus lane wouldn't have been such a bad thing after all?

by resident Mon Sep 08, 2008 15:40

Siince we moved in its been nothing but hell. Bad neiighbours. People trying to pick up my g/f by claiming to be bob marley. One guy put a curse on me lol(bloody mentalist). and to cap it all three attempted muggings in the last month!!!!! What are they putting in the water Thats not to mention the asshole that keeps knocking on my door pretending to be a policeman to gain access (high as a bastard every time so must keep forgetting he's used his ingenius ruse before)
Before this i lived in southmead. It was the french country side compared to this pit
I feel like I'm living in a grand theft auto game