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Anyone else have the police come knocking this week?
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lillam


Posts: 129
Joined: Apr 2006
Post: #1
23-01-2008 09:47 PM

Im just wondering if anyone else had the experience of a detetective of some sort come knocking on their door this week, supposedly making enquiries about a spate of robberies that took place 'a few mies away' (supposedly East Dulwich).

Im all up for detective work, but what was unusual was that I was asked to give the names of everyone who lived in my house [duely written down on forms], the names of my neighbours, how well I knew the neighbours, how long I had lived there, had I seen any suspiscious people.

Im all up for helping catch burglars, but I did find the questions a little bit intrusive. Also, what made me suspiscious was that he said he wa asking everyone in the area, but when he filled in the details I gave him on a form he filed them away in a folder that looked next to empty - hardly full of info from every house.

Really Im just wondering if it happened to anyone else - or am I right to be a little paranoid about the true nature of the event?

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #2
23-01-2008 10:02 PM

I think there is a thread about this elsewhere on this site- I don't think you are alone. The Forest Hill SNT have advised that more and more people will be interviewed at some point in the immediate future. It relates to a major case of violent robbery and assault that made the national news and Crimewatch at some point.

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davidl


Posts: 180
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #3
24-01-2008 10:12 AM

roz wrote:
I think there is a thread about this elsewhere on this site


I believe this is the thread you are looking for.

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lillam


Posts: 129
Joined: Apr 2006
Post: #4
25-01-2008 02:08 AM

davidl wrote:

roz wrote:
I think there is a thread about this elsewhere on this site


I believe this is the thread you are looking for.


Thanks for that.

Investigative policing should be applauded, but I worry about the creeping amount of information the police have, and want.

We already have the largest DNA database in the world, and the most CCTV cameras. The police are very keen for ID cards as they would then have all kinds of biometric and non-biometric data at their fingertips. A recent head policeman has called for all our DNA to be taken at birth for the police database.

As a result I cant help but be a bit suspiscious when police are carrying what amounts to a census of our area - asking who lives in each house, writing down names, asking who feels suspiscious of which neighbour etc. After they finish this they will draw up a database of sorts with all the possible houses in SE23 that they would consider 'suspiscious', and act accordingly.

The balance between protecting us from crime and creating a surveilance state is a fine one. Before anyone says 'if you're not guilty you've nothing to worry about', for me it is above all a point of principle: as a point of prinicple I do not want to live in a police state.

...apologies for rambling post!

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Perryman


Posts: 820
Joined: Dec 2006
Post: #5
26-01-2008 12:02 PM

Agree lillam.

Presumably this is related to the serial granny rape cases - the incidents radiate from Forest Hill it seems.
To make suggestions on how the police run their investigation would suggest they do not know what they are doing.
But rather than interviewing everyone in FH, surely it would be better to target certain groups - like those who work in old peoples homes, and hospitals, anyone who has regular contact with older people.
This may sound unfair, but you have to focus and be logical and start somewhere. Old people are as vulnerable as children so I'd prefer police checks run on all staff dealing with them in any case. This would establish their address as a minimum.

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #6
27-01-2008 03:30 PM

I think they probably know who they are looking for, but do not know where he lives.

There is a ?40,000 reward for information.

I think he is active in our area.

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Hopman


Posts: 11
Joined: Feb 2008
Post: #7
06-02-2008 10:28 PM

I had the same experience a few weeks ago, yes.

I got the impression that the criminal's method was to poke around houses until he found a back way in or a window not scure or something, which is why they wanted to know about suspicious activity neighbours had seen.

Call me old-fashioned but if the police catch a rapist, violent burglar or whatever I have no problem at all with them having my name on a list somewhere or asking my neighbours about me.

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grahamw


Posts: 58
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #8
07-02-2008 10:54 AM

?There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time.? George Orwell, 1984

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TSRG


Posts: 6
Joined: Feb 2008
Post: #9
07-02-2008 09:06 PM

I did have a visit and happily provided my details. I fully support the police in the approach they are taking. It seems a very sensible way to find someone and they clearly have good reason to suggest they live or are active in our area. Does anyone have a better (and feasible) idea?

On the police/surveilance front state - does anyone seriously beleive that the police have the resources to waste time keeping tracks on people they do not find suspicious?! I think not.





lillam wrote:

davidl wrote:

roz wrote:
I think there is a thread about this elsewhere on this site


I believe this is the thread you are looking for.


Thanks for that.

Investigative policing should be applauded, but I worry about the creeping amount of information the police have, and want.

We already have the largest DNA database in the world, and the most CCTV cameras. The police are very keen for ID cards as they would then have all kinds of biometric and non-biometric data at their fingertips. A recent head policeman has called for all our DNA to be taken at birth for the police database.

As a result I cant help but be a bit suspiscious when police are carrying what amounts to a census of our area - asking who lives in each house, writing down names, asking who feels suspiscious of which neighbour etc. After they finish this they will draw up a database of sorts with all the possible houses in SE23 that they would consider 'suspiscious', and act accordingly.

The balance between protecting us from crime and creating a surveilance state is a fine one. Before anyone says 'if you're not guilty you've nothing to worry about', for me it is above all a point of principle: as a point of prinicple I do not want to live in a police state.

...apologies for rambling post!

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