Reasonable security concern, or paranoia?

[Skizzer]

This afternoon there's four lads in an OMG SLAMMED Polo sitting outside my house smoking dope and watching my house.  There's a couple of different car loads who do this from time to time.  This makes me uncomfortable, from a security point of view:  I don't imagine they're immediately about to burgle the place or attack the fleet, but because it's quiet here and not much overlooked that would be very easy to do, if (say) they wanted somewhere comfy to smoke while we're away.  

 

Should I be concerned or am I just being hopelessly middle-aged and middle-class?  Should I:

A. have a word, or

B. do I just need to get a life?

[Micrashed]

 

B. do I just need to get a life?

B.

Deffo B. Ignore.

 

But then maybe I have more experience of scuzzballs than you do. The time to break out the cricket bat or golf clubs ( for preference a pre 1980 driver) is when they actually do something.

[richardmorris]

Call 101 and say that you think drug dealing / taking / is happening and as a good citizen you're concerned about crime. Presumably you can make a note of the reg plate?

[Lacquer Peel]

Ask them for a toke.

[Doctormop]

Wouldn't have thought it could do any harm to let them know, subtlety of course that you have noticed them and are aware of their presence.

Most likely they are not upto anything majorly naughty but a detailed description of them and their vehicle might be useful if they are up to no good.

We are a bit out in the wilds here and my wife reckons that I could go on Mastermind with 'Vehicles and people that have passed our house; 2007 to present day' as my specialist subject. Never had any problems though, touch wood.

[DSdriver]

Go out there with your camera and say "Ace car, mind if I take some snaps for the blue forum?"

[purplebargeken]

Nod at them, the talk about their choice of wheelz and go into magnificently obscure detail about the subtle differences between the Mk2 and Mk3 Polo. This will overload their already addled brain cell and throw them into a tailspin which will ensure that they put it all down to a bad stash and never go near your house again. 

[Skizzer]

Already photographed them - so they know I'm aware, but that does kinda rule out them not knowing it's me if the rozzers do roll up.

 

If it was a mk2 Polo I'd have been more interested.  Sadly it's a loser mk4:

Smoking dope and acting suspiciously by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Mrs S reckons ignore them or they'll be more likely to start keying cars and stuff, which is probably true.  

[Rocket88]

Nip out with a plate of pineapples and an old suitcase??

[philibusmo]

Machine gun their car while they sit there, then set fire to the remains.

 

It's the sort of reasonable and proportionate response that I'm sure the police will find acceptable*.

 

*If you're in Florida and the car is full off black teenagers looking mildly threatening.

[SambaS]

The other week I parked the Monza up not far from someone's house and watched the sun go down. I was paranoid the house owners were gonna come out and cause trouble.

 

I wasn't taking drugs mind. Just chilling.

[HillmanImp]

I would leave it, they are just having a smoke. By treating them like they are going to commit a crime, you will wind them up and they will commit a crime.

 

The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come true. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-fulfilling_prophecy

[Skizzer]

^ Yeah, you're probably right, although there are many much better places around here to sit quietly in peace and smoke/chat/snog etc, without watching anyone's house.  I was 18 here myself once.  I'm not sure why it winds me up so much.

 

SambaS, if they were in a Monza I'd have asked them in for tea.

[fordperv]

I'd say ignore and leave to smoke, if anything does get touched which I doubt it will, you know what they drive and can find a fitting punishment

[richardmorris]

Thing is though, they are committing a crime by smoking the stuff. Not a major problem - I've smelt enough funny backy at 2cv meetings. But they are then presumably going to drive off under the influence.

[Mr Lobster]

I'd just leave them tbh. They probably are just parking somewhere quiet for a smoke. Likelihood is they'll find somewhere else given time anyway.

 

Just make sure everything is as secure as it can be and if anything does happen - which is unlikely I would have thought - then you know where plod can ask questions first.

[mercrocker]

 

 

 

 

Lowered?   Smokin'?

 

Just a coupla middle aged white boys doin' no harm

[Skizzer]

they are then presumably going to drive off under the influence.

 

This.  Four hours later they're still there.  That's a hell of a lot of smoking to then be driving around.  Does make me wonder what they're waiting for.

[EssDeeWon]

Wait until they leave, soon as they do call the rozzers and tip them off that the blue polo reg T559 JJU was just seen near your gaff and it stunk of weed and you 'think' they were drinking too   hopefully word will go out to the local traffic police and they will get a tug. Police will then have their details and if anything does happen to your property in the near future the police will already have their details.

 

And if they get a tug a couple of miles down the road there is no way they would think of you.

[Guest Lord Sward]

The above. 

[Guest Lord Sward]

Bugger.  Page Flip.  Speak to your local Community Beat Sgt, not those cardboard coppers, PissCOs type employees.  Inform them that there are 4 of them there, indulging in illegal drug use, drinking, driving under the influence and causing you severe concern to the point that you feel unable to leave your house.  

[UmBongo]

There was an episode of The Bill a while ago where a resident confronted a gang of Neds who where having impromptu car meets outside his house.

 

Anyway, he confronted them, the situation escalated and he dropped dead of a heart attack, so maybe you should leave it, Guv.

[eddyramrod]

I saw that one recently!  You do realise it was fiction?  I mean it's not Road Wars, or Police Interceptors.  The same bloke probably had a heart attack in Casualty 6 months later, and London's Burning three months after that!

[derskine]

Just moon them and they might not come back

[Noel Tidybeard]

shitters meet and surround them (in a non threatening way of course)

[Uncle Jimmy]

Just moon them and they might not come back

That was the first thing that I thought of, but nowadays you'd likely be arrested and sent to Broadmoor.

[Partridge]

Leave them. Not everyone who smokes weed is a crim. Well, technically they are but you know what I mean.

[Uncle Jimmy]

How about parking two shiters, one at either end of the VAG about one micrometer away from the bumpers.

[Partridge]

shitters meet and surround them (in a non threatening way of course)

Just stand there and go "Oh aye, it's got GTi wheels."?

[Cavcraft]

Shoot them.