Reporting Suspicious Things

[Eve]

I was thinking about this earlier when I reported something possibly suspicious (seemingly abandoned holdall in a very busy area in a city centre in rush hour) and felt a bit daft as no-one seemed that interested.

I just felt I couldn't not as in all likelihoood it was nothing but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if it turned out to be something.

Just interested in other people's thoughts about this kind of thing. Felt a bit daft when I reported it but then coming home and seeing the news about the awful events in Norway this afternoon I feel I did the right thing.

[redcrx]

always report any unattended bags. I had to do the same in Gatwick at Easter, one lonely suitcase in middle of floor at baggage collection. I went straight to the banking bit next to it and asked if they had links to security. Within 2 mins a tannoy message was out and security were there. Some woman came and collected it but you just never know.

[Bummle]

I think you were quite right. In this day and age, anyone leaving an unattended bag or parcel must surely know the score.

As you say, you'd have felt worse if it had been a bomb and people were killed or mutilated because of it.

[Iggle Piggle]

In this day and age it is simply not worth ignoring things, better be safe than sorry.
And it might raise a smile to see some ignorant pillock have their bag blown up in a 'controlled explosion' by the Royal Engineers !

[TWR]

I know what i would have done Jenna, I am just waiting to see the sarci & stupid answers that comes up on this site lately

[Postdog]

I lie the old days. Then you didn't worry about terrorists, you just thought "When no-ones looking I'll have that!"

[Eve]

I am glad I did - even if it only reunites someone with some lost property, you do never know. It amazed me that no-one else seemed to be taking any notice, people sitting right next to it (it was on a seat at the main bus station) especially with all the local news recently with the Manchester bomb anniversary and for anyone who had seen today's news (I didn't until I got home).

I went and found an inspector who said it had been there a while and he had picked it up and it was pretty light so unlikely to be anything which would blow up (or words to that effect). I still felt uneasy (I have no idea what a potential bomb would be like) so rang the non-emergency police number and they didn't sound very interested either. I wasn't after thanks or anything, just not to feel like I was wasting people's time and be put off doing the same thing again. The police said they'd ring the bus station. Felt a bit daft but at least I feel I did something.

Im quiet amazed it was still there Postdog!

[boxtops]

I'm really amazed that nobody gave it serious consideration. Every time I travel by train, we are exhorted to report anything suspicious or any unattended baggage. I'd have reported it too.

[Buenchico]

When I ran a railway station we were constantly getting reports of abandoned bags. So guess who had to go and examine them!

The one which made me most nervous was a backpack with Arabic writing on it, and wires sticking out of it. (Fortunately, a PA message persuaded the middle-eastern owner to reclaim his bag, complete with the headphones for his MP3 player - which accounted for the wires sticking out!).

On another occasion I received a phone call from the travel agent who had an office at one of our unstaffed stations. He was very concerned about the fact that he'd just sold an airline ticket to Dublin (for travel later the same day) to an Irish guy who was in a very agitated state and carrying an exceptionally large and heavy suitcase. I was confident that there would be nothing to worry about but, to comply with the rules, I had to inform the British Transport Police. They also thought that it was fairly ridiculous but, again, to 'do things by the book', they had to apprehend him when he arrived at our station and ask him what was going on.

It turned out that guy had just had a massive row with his partner, packed his bag in a hurry and booked a flight back to his home city. Unfortunately, while the police were questioning him and searching his bag, he missed his connection to London, which probably did little to improve his mood!

[sara3]

I would have done exactly the same, sis.

I still haven't forgiven myself for not telling this woman she had her skirt tucked in her knickers.. report everything, seriously!

[Eve]

Bet it kepy you busy Chris! I have had a bit of a roll over the last 24 hours, reported a stray dog running around the estate to the Dog Wardens (no chance I was going near, it didn't look very friendly!) and liberated a moth on the bus this morning haha :)

Oh and the other week I quietly mentioned to a girl who came to ask me for a light outside a pub that she might want to let her mate know half her bum was hanging out of her trousers. She wasn't quite so discreet!

You do get some random stuff around here. I had another quandary a while back when someone knocked on looking for a girl whose bag he found in a nightclub. He drove to the address on something in the bag but no answer so knocked on up the road and got me in full weekend morning dressing gown bed head finest! He left the bag with me (I knew I'd make an effort to get it back to its owner) and I discovered more than one person's stuff inside so ended up taking that to the police just in case so the owner could claim (or not) the bag from there especially as they weren't at the address anymore (I checked later) and the police could sort anything else. One of the owners of the stuff phoned later on very grateful. You just don't know though!