5
Jul
2016
By Calvin at 10:18 GMT, 9 years ago
A couple of weeks ago (while I was on holiday) the police in Croydon, in south London, provided some very sensible advice to users of Gumtree following a number of robberies across the borough in which sellers had property stolen after agreeing to meet the buyer.
These robberies occurred on
- 19 May 2016, 18:00hrs, Dell Close, Wallington - moped stolen
- 30 May 2016, 17:40hrs, Bencombe Road, Purley - iPhone stolen
- 31 May 2016, 15:50hrs, Towpath Way, Croydon - Playstation and games stolen
- 1 June 2016, 19:35hrs, Ederline Avenue, Norbury - moped stolen
No arrests were made at the time and the enquiries continue.
This sort of crime can happen anywhere across the UK and so I thought it would be useful to republish the advice.
This is the advice that Croydon Police are giving Gumtree sellers (slightly amended by me):
- Agree to meet the buyer in a public place where there will be plenty of people around
- Do not be drawn into remote areas
- Be aware of your surroundings and avoid places that have poor street lighting or places where your meeting could be shielded from view by high walls, overgrown hedges etc.
- Meet during busy times and preferably in daylight hours
- Tell someone where you are going and who you are meeting. If possible go with someone else.
- Do not allow any potential buyers control of the item before you are certain they are genuine
- Keep a record of the seller's details including their email address and phone number. Also, without being obvious, make a mental note of their description (Tattoos, scars, jewellery etc) and surreptitiously record the registration of their vehicle.
- Keep your phone switched on
- Dial 999 if you feel threatened
- If you are uncomfortable with any aspect of the meeting place or the person trust your instincts, do not stay or do not agree to meet and cancel the sale.
Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to call Croydon CID on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting reference 3815840/16.
