On Thu, 6 Jul 2006 23:09:37 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:


No insurance. We've paid out thousands over the years, we decided that it
wasn't worth it.

I take it you don't drive then? no buildings or contents insurance?

Sorry, I meant buildings and contents insurance. I thought everyone round
here knew that :-)

So you do or do not have:
Contents insurance?
Buildings insurance?


Who would want to key a car?

Um, I don't know what that means.

sigh .. so worldly wise ... when you run a nice big scratch down
the side of someone's car with a key .. seriously though, if you
don't know the risks you can manage them ?



I wasn't asking for names :-) I do think it's easy to exaggerate risks.

Of course.

Recently there was a public meeting about a local ginnel which some folk
want closed. I shan't go into the details but someone said that it was
dangerous, people were scared of being mugged and raped every time they
walked through the ginnel. The police were there. I asked them how many
people had been mugged or raped in the ginnel in its seventy year history.

None.

So they would only be aware of the *reported* instances though then?

But people are mugged on the main road, someone was shot and killed a couple
of years ago. No-one suggests closing that and people walk along it.

Of course, more people will be attacked where there are more people?

Look, Tim, I'm certainly not saying that you and your ladies are wrong or
that I'm right, it's just different points of view.

Of course ;-)

My personal take is that
I wouldn't want to be looking over my shoulder (as it were) all the time.
Life's too short.

There are quite a few places round here that if you were to walk
through them at the wrong time of day (or wearing / doing the wrong
things) you life would be short if you *didn't* look over your
shoulder?

Do you allow them to walk down the street without you? People are mugged ...

The wife rarely walks anywhere (bad knees / no need) and the daughter
will generally be with someone (or her group) during the day and would
be taken / collected by one of us if moving about at night. An older
lady neighbor was mugged at the cash point at the top of the road
recently (lunchtime), many neighbours have been burgled (houses) or
stuff stolen from their outbuildings. Neighbour 3 doors along has had
3 motorbikes stolen out of his front garden (before he moved). I
watched a couple of lads acting suspiciously in Gregs the other day ..
turns out they were stealing a bottle of drink (they say it happens
all the time) and the Police patrol most of the time. The local tramp
was beaten up and had his bike stolen. Yes, we are careful.

So out of interest, are the Neighborhood watch, Security companies,
the Police, Locksmiths, banks, CCTV system suppliers etc all wasting
their time?

Not all of them but I do think that fears are played on for the sake of
profit by some companies.

I'm not aware of any company that would invest thousands of pounds in
security systems / staff if there was no problem to address? Some
local companies are having difficulty getting insurance and this is
not particularly a 'bad place'? Our local Dorothy Perkins fitted a
nice new 'vandal proof covert dome camera system to protect the shops
back entrance for staff exiting / unloading. Lasted two weeks before
it was stolen. Our daughter enrolled in local Tai-quan-do classes ..
in the hope that if something should happen she might just have a
chance ..?


I'm officially the NW co-ordinator in this street.
I don't do anything. Don't need to with all the 'protection' people have
installed for themselves - at high costs

'High costs' compared with rising insurance premiums or the disruption
caused by loosing all your stuff?

and, sadly, resulting loneliness.

Suits us fine. On our door it says "No religious, political, cold
callers or free papers thanks". Last thing I want is the neighbours
wandering in and out taking our sugar! ;-)

Bad things which people do to other people are awful but they happen
everywhere, not just in houses.

Indeed, but I think you will find something like that happening in the
home is more destructive than if it happens outside it?

We simply can't protect against everything.

Correct, but we can resist being 'victims'.. by not being in the wrong
place at the wrong time, not advertising our possessions to all and
sundry (how many un flattened "Huge Plasma TV in here" empty cardboard
boxes do you see sitting like an advert in peoples front gardens)?

Perhaps I'm too lazy to think of what might happen.

Or just a frightening old witch with no valuables? ;-)

I don't rejoice in advance of possible good luck either :-)

Probably (god forbid) just as well! ;-)

Love ..

T i m