You may have noticed the increased presence, and persistence, of the bin rakers of late. In my case, I am fed up of rebagging my rubbish every fortnight before the binmen come, especially when it gets ripped open again during the night. However things reached a nadir last week when I left an electrical cable running out under my garage door for the use of a builder working in the back lane. The rakers cut the cable at both ends and made off with 20m of electrical cable, value probably little more than 50p. In doing so they pulled as much cable under the door as they could, ripping the electrical socket off the wall and leaving mains cabling dangling dangerously in my garage, and cost the builder £20 – it was his cable.
It is time to fight back, albeit legally. I have spoken to the police at Gorbals Police Station (in particular PC Ali Martin) who are aware of the problem, and are keen to identify the culprits. While they are planning plain clothes patrols in the lanes in the next few weeks, we can also help. We need to do more than just move them along, and if you do not wish to intervene, call the police on 101 (the new non emergency number, not 999) immediately. If they have someone free they will come round and try to catch them in the act.
If you feel more proactive, the issue is one of identification; this is best achieved by two collaborating witnesses, and photographic evidence to identify the individual. I almost got a photo of the protagonists last week and regret not doing so. While I have sympathy for those less fortunate than ourselves, it stops when they begin causing criminal damage, and this needs to be nipped in the bud. Happy snapping, but of course, no taking the law into your own hands. It just isn’t the Bungo way.
What happens to the unwanted goods donated to The Hospice on Pollokshaws Rd When they are put out for the bin men the bin snatchers lift then carry them round to the lane at Torrisdale St go through the bags and leave what they dont want lying in the lane We are then left with the mess to get cleaned up .
I completely agree that we should be calling the police whenever we see bin rakers. I also think that we should be making more of an effort to move the bins out of the lanes and into the gardens when they are not out for collection.
The most worrying for me is that they are looking for food.
As we know, it will get worse in the New Year
Caught one last week in Pollokshaws rd. Raiding the neighbours bins.