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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Odd man in my alley way...

40 replies

Loric · 10/05/2015 00:50

Ok so around quarter past nine I'm coming back from the local shop ( essential gin run) the quickest route is the alley behind my house. There's plenty of lights plus most people have garages or drives there instead of on their respective roads so it's more like an unnamed road than an alley. There's a man walking his very small dog up the road. It enters my road at an angle. He basically walked up the alley and then walked back a fair distance back to the road he came from. I was 20 ft behind him. It was still daylight. He kept swerving from one side of the alley to the other and sticking his head over random people's back gates. Including my friends 12 doors up froom mine. Even though the dog was usually pulling in the opposite direction. he got to mine (which is due to being an end terrace have a huge garden footprint) and he looked over 6 times. I caught up to him and recognised him as the local scrap man I had a brand new bike in the garden that i'd left out as only my ex can open the gate on the outhouse. Every time he looked over he was focusing on it. I put it straight into the outhouse with my ex's help but I'm still worried not just for my bike safety but for anything else he was eyeing up in the alley. When he realised I was behind him he attempted to appear drunk to excuse his peering into random gardens but I'd watched him for a good 10 mins before he realised I was behind him. We've had a spat of 'scrap men robberies'in the area. Really don't know if I'm over reacting or not at this point. (Also I know said scrap man doesn't live nearby so it's really unnatural to see him walking a dog he clearly doesn't know)

OP posts:
EastMidsMummy · 10/05/2015 00:54

Report this to the police via 101 (non-emergency) in the morning.

DarylDixonsDarlin · 10/05/2015 00:55

Well you've had several hours to warn your neighbours, surely? Not much good telling them now Grin and if you've put all your valuables away you've nothing to worry about then.

Perhaps he was looking for dogs?

MmeLindor · 10/05/2015 00:57

I think the dog is a red herring, because my dog pulls in the wrong direction, despite me knowing her well, but I'd call the non-emergency police line and ask advice.

Might be an idea to tell your neighbours that you spotted someone acting suspiciously and to be sure to lock their sheds - you don't have to say you recognised him.

Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 00:57

It's more cats round here. Plus there's 120 neighbours that use the alleyway from too different roads

OP posts:
Jacana · 10/05/2015 00:58

I'd phone my local cop shop now, tell them what I've seen and ask if they'd include the alleyway in their nightly sweeps. Our lot are great at stuff like this.

Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 01:01

Sorry didn't mean to drip feed either (well deserved gin at this point its been a long ass day) rang 101 when I got in before I put my bike away. They logged it but they were very dismissive.

OP posts:
EastMidsMummy · 10/05/2015 01:03

That's OK. They'll have a strong line of enquiry if anything goes missing.

Jacana · 10/05/2015 01:07

Dismissive? Sorry about that. I'm on a monthly mailing list from ours where they alert you to what's going on so that you can spread the word and then sometimes we get alerts, like shed break ins etc., as and when.

Told you our lot are goodSmile

Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 01:08

I explained the previous thefts and that he was obviously looking into yards that had items in it then pretending to be drunk when he saw me. Also that when he left the alley way and walked down my road the same road he came from and I went to my door the entire time he kept looking behind him looking at me And checking where I was and what i Was doing. I pretended to to fumble with my keys at my door to watch him leave the street. He looked back 11 times once he hit the road. Although the dog was pulling him forward he slowed down.

OP posts:
Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 01:12

I'm tempted to make an anonymous fact sheet about it and mailing it through the alley users mailboxes so their forewarned or am I being overly paranoid??

OP posts:
goddessofsmallthings · 10/05/2015 01:19

Tell your immediate neighbours tomorrow what you observed tonight and let them know that you have logged it with the police.

If you have a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area alert them too, or make contact with your local community police officer who should be less dismissive than whoever was manning the 101 line tonight.

Jacana · 10/05/2015 01:21

I don't think you're being paranoid at all! I think I'd do the same, cept I don't think I'd be anonymous. Might be the start of a good neighbourhood watch (something else our lot supportSmile)

Something to think about?

Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 01:23

I've already let the neighbours I know by name plus my friend further up the street who is letting her neighbours know. I think my main issue is that this guy come on a Sunday so by the time the police act it will be too late

OP posts:
Jacana · 10/05/2015 01:25

Hey goddess I've been reading your book tonight. Love itGrin

I thought the 101 no. Was the local community line, btw. Anyway, loric you're doing exactly the right thing,

Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 01:26

What book am I missing lol?

OP posts:
goddessofsmallthings · 10/05/2015 01:28

If you have the time to create a mailshot such as you've described, I have no doubt that many will be grateful for a heads up and a timely reminder to lock up any easily removable items they may otherwise leave in their gardens overnight.

CindyEcstacy · 10/05/2015 01:28

Still lol every time at at the MN coverall solution - ring 101

goddessofsmallthings · 10/05/2015 01:30

Volume 2 may well be in the offing Jacana Grin

Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 01:33

Ok so I've designed and printed 150 single sheet flyers for the alley way and other close houses I saw him looking in. Going to post them now. Have my big torch, rape whistle and my 'extra deterrent'

OP posts:
Original poster
Loric · 10/05/2015 01:35

GODDESS ( I don't know how to tag people yet) I wish to read volume 1

OP posts:
goddessofsmallthings · 10/05/2015 01:49

It's at the bottom of the 1st page of this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2375120-to-ask-if-anyone-has-had-a-psychic-reading-that-was-extremely-accurate Loric.

It was intended as a response to the previous posts from BobbyDazzler and MaidofStars but seems to have been somewhat taken out of context Confused

I will happily swear on any oath and undergo any test to prove that all I've had for the past 24 hours is tea but, hopefully, I won't be saying the same in 12 or so hours time Grin

Jacana · 10/05/2015 08:09

Good morning all Smile

Last night, replying to godess I was making mention of my current bedtime reading by Arundhati Roy 'The God of Small Things', a Booker prize winnerSmile is all, but I'm interested in the thread you linked to and I'll check it out in a bit.

Phoning 101? It's the non emergency number and would alert the police who are doing their nighttime panda car drive rounds that there's someone about who's possibly/probably casing places to rob. All helps to keep our area safe and crime free and a Good Thing to do.Smile

Well done loric have thisStar I'd imagine that, as we're coming into good weather, a lot of children's bikes,etc,will be left out in gardens and the scrap value of metal is still high.

desertmum · 10/05/2015 08:17

while I realise this is a potentially serious issue your thread title made me snigger Grin

ConnortheMonkey · 10/05/2015 08:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mrsstarlord · 10/05/2015 08:39

Sounds like you did the right thing (I would have phoned the police and told the neighbours) but just to lower the tone you may have got more traffic if you'd called the thread 'there's a strange man in my back passage'

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