Thieves!

Right! You must be warned: there are thieves operating everywhere, and these days they seem to really be picking up the pace at which they steal.

Incident numero uno:

On Monday 15th of February, I was in Waterstone's in Cardiff looking at the books. A guy came into the store and started speaking quite loudly in a foreign language. He was pointing at books, and picking books up and asking me about them in his gibberish language. I felt something brush very lightly against my leg and then he continued with his gibberish and then left the store. Little did I know that he was a pickpocket and was just that moment making off with my phone.

You think it's not going to happen to you, or you think you'd be able to spot it when it does happen, but then it does happen, and you're left without a phone. How very miffed I was. The first thing I did was toddle off to the Orange shop and buy the cheapest phone they had so that I could tell people not to reply to any messages from my old number. I also cancelled my old sim card, just for good measure.

The art of the pickpocket is a tricky one, but should you encounter someone who has mastered it, you won't even notice that your stuff is gone until they are gone. Be careful.

Incident numero dos:

On Friday 19th February (i.e., the day just gone), my mother was shopping in Caerphilly. She had parked her car at the top of town near the train station as she had intended to go to Cardiff. She was walking to her car, when a man ran past my mother and grabbed hold of her bag as he did so. Unfortunately for him, my mother grips the strap of her bag when she wears it on her shoulder, so she had him looped. She yanked him back, and knocked him to the ground. My mother stood on the man, holding him to the ground.

At this point, I am told, a man came running out of his house shouting, "I've called the police, I've called the police!" He thought that my mother was hitting the man for no reason. She replied, "He just tried to rob me! I'm not going anywhere until the police arrive, and you'd better keep your nose out or you'll be on the floor with him!"

Luckily for my mother, there were three witnesses (two people from the dentist nearby and a bus driver), and the entire incident was recorded on CCTV. The police arrested the man, and I am told that he wouldn't tell the police who he was, where he lived, etc. and that he was known to the police. My mother and the witnesses gave statements and she was allowed to leave.

Of all places for thieves to operate, I wouldn't think of Caerphilly town. Robbery like this is the sort of thing you would hear about on the news or see in TV shows, but lately it all seems to be getting a little closer to home. Be careful.

So there you have it; two robberies on members of my family (me being one of them) in the space of five days. I cannot stress this enough: BE CAREFUL.

I'm sorry if I sound a bit preachy, but I don't want anyone else to be robbed. That is all.

Until next time,

Good day.