Thefts

[mini-macc]

I was camped in the Dragons field and honestly felt as though it was the best place to be to avoid all those nasty things, quality neighbours all round and i never once felt the fear of theft, the one downside was being woken up every morning by the 50's cafe at Shangri La, i kid you not that on sunday morning i woke up at 8 am to Surfing Bird, followed by Johnny Cash's folsham prison.

[Gems_GV09]

wow didnt hear of anything like that at all - however i camped next to john peel, behind dance village where there are groups of ppl up all night so i guess that could be why

[Mr.Tickle]

We were in Dairy Ground too and also had a theft, we were pretty near the hedge so had a lot of through traffic. My mate had his shorts nicked from next to his head but he was a bit of an idiot as they were between his head and his tent door.

There was no money in them but they did have his car keys in, first thing we were worried about was getting home!

Later on he went for a wander round the local area just to check and found the shorts dumped with another guys wallet, found the wallet's owner and the shorts still had the car keys in, he was VERY lucky and hopefully will learn.

[pie_and_a_pint]

I was in the Big Ground again and heard no stories of thefts. That said, being in the sightline of the Pyramid meant that although we were out and about, there were usually people about in the groups neighbouring us about all day chilling and watching bands - and thus acting as a deterrent to thieves.

[r0cky]

I was in the Big Ground again and heard no stories of thefts. That said, being in the sightline of the Pyramid meant that although we were out and about, there were usually people about in the groups neighbouring us about all day chilling and watching bands - and thus acting as a deterrent to thieves.

[MieleBee]

Blackthorn, mini rolls and penis adorned deck chair were stolen from Camp Jeff (Stelling) in Kidney Mead! sad times but the perpetrators were found and the spirit of cool glastonbury people provided guerrilla justice!

[r0cky]

I was camped in the Dragons field and honestly felt as though it was the best place to be to avoid all those nasty things, quality neighbours all round and i never once felt the fear of theft, the one downside was being woken up every morning by the 50's cafe at Shangri La, i kid you not that on sunday morning i woke up at 8 am to Surfing Bird, followed by Johnny Cash's folsham prison.

[Stashbox]

Uncle Stashbox writes . . .

Back in the day . . . before the oh_so_safe_for_us_all_saves_the licence_superfence, the 'de riguer' was that we never ever slept or left the tent group, without having two sober and awake people guarding the tents. This we arranged from the minute we arrived, till the minute we left the festival. , When it was your turn, it meant missing out on the group outings to see bands or party hard. But it meant you could relax when you had done your watch. Everyone's stuff was safe and no matter how comatose you slept, you always had someone watching over you. From 1980's onwards to 2000, there were not a lot of police or security, so you had to look out for yourself. In the main, there was less cash and belongings to steal, even if someone was minded to do so. Guns and knifes were no stranger to the festival, but rarely brandished. Folks sorted things out for themselves pretty much, as there wan't really any other viable option. A rougher element then did not equate to greater personal risk imho. You needed to mind yer attitude, show some respect and be patient with those around you, or you could end up very quickly out of your depth. However whoever you were, if you did run into trouble, back-up from unexpected quarters had a way ofstepping forward when needed . Equally, if you acted like a dick then you would as easily end up hung out to dry by the very same people.

and my user name ?

1. Lift groundsheet.

2. Dig 12'' deep and square hole.

3. Remove sod of earth and separate from top turf.

4. Place money/ dope/ bike keys/ micro-dots/ toot/ more dope/ into sealable tub.

5. Place sealable tub in hole.

6. Replace turf.

7. Open beer bottle.

8. Press beer bottle top into the centre of top turf.

9. Replace groundsheet and unroll sleeping bag.

10. Light joint.

11. Drink beer.

12. Snort toot.

13. Drop acid.

14. Say - Hi ! to your neighbors.

Apparently tho' there's this nu-fangled 'lock-ups' thingy these daze.

[oldskooldaze]

I'm not being funny but all the people here posting must read the forums. There is a post that lists countless examples of Tent theft from last year. If people continue to leave easy pickings in the tent, then vultures will always be around to scavenge.

Please leave it in the lockups, just keep on your person what you need for a day or 2, it's the only way to inhibit those thieving bastards.

[chuckley]

I was not there and will hopefully going next year (depending on my £££ situation) never been and only been to 1 day at V.

Reading all of these horror stories i'm thinking, is it all worth it? I'm 30 and would be terrified if someone broke into my tent. Especially with all the knife crime. People being slashed at Glasto, never heard that before (outside of the dance village anyway) heard some scary stories from Reading/Leeds like that.

My boss at work has been going to Glasto for 25 yrs! not one theft, I guess she's lucky.

But my question to you all is, what is the safest campsite? (if you have a choice) and which should you stay away from? closest to stages?

Cheers

Edited June 30, 2009 by chuckley

[sagray]

Does anyone know how safe the Campervan fields are in general...we had no trouble and may just have been lucky in our campervan, but I didn't her of any bother from those around us either. I figured we might have been safer because we parked in plain sight of a fire warden (by chance not design). I was worried vans might be a target as people would be tempted to leave stuff behind thinking they are safe...

Just trying to assess options for next year...

[Block]

Interesting to hear about thefts around Dairy Ground. We ended up camping there. One of our friends who turned up later was camped just behind our tent. On Thursday morning she woke up and said that there was a slash in the fly sheet of her tent. I said it sounded like someone had tried to break ina and had anything been stolen. She didn't realise that all her money had gone from her purse until she went to buy breakfast!

It was a bit strange:

1/ Only her money was stolen from inside her purse, not the purse itself.

2/ The outer tent was not slashed, only the inner fly sheet.

The girl kept saying that maybe she had come back drunk, lost her money on the way and somehow slashed her tent in the process but it seemed a bit odd - it was a very straight cut, big enough to put your hand through and looked like something that you would know if you had done it yourself!

I have to say, I was a bit worried this year as I realised that I hadn't a clue on any night other than last night, what time my boyfriend came to bed. I was in such a deep sleep! Usually I'm not so bad but this time I didn't even stir when he came in!

Another friend heard someone coming into her tent and they dissapeared when they realised she was there.

[4AssedMonkey]

We were in the Dairy Ground, near the entrance to the next field, adjacent to the walkway and had no problems. Mind you, we deliberately left the tent looking like an assault course. Anyone sneaking in whilst dark would get a broken ankle (and then a damn good f**king kicking if we were there.)

I took the minimum I needed and nothing I couldn't afford to lose apart from my wallet. That stayed in my pocket the whole weekend, even whilst asleep, and was chained to my shorts.

Course, anyone who came in our tent whilst 3 drunk blokes were asleep would have thought a long-drop smelled like Davidoff.....

[Laura_Babs]

We were in Dairy Ground too and also had a theft, we were pretty near the hedge so had a lot of through traffic. My mate had his shorts nicked from next to his head but he was a bit of an idiot as they were between his head and his tent door.

There was no money in them but they did have his car keys in, first thing we were worried about was getting home!

Later on he went for a wander round the local area just to check and found the shorts dumped with another guys wallet, found the wallet's owner and the shorts still had the car keys in, he was VERY lucky and hopefully will learn.

[meatyparson]

Out of the scrotes who were caught and taken to the police, I wonder how many if any ? would actually get done ? I am guessing none ?

Even if they do get caught there is no way of stopping them coming back year after year, after all its only a pic & any address required !

The amount they seem to be stealing is unreal, can see why they are willing to take the risk .......

Worst that happens is they get caught and get a good kicking, but when you are in bed with no shoes on its hard to catch some bugger running off, if they do get handed in then ????

My mate is a copper he worked a different fest and they got a tent thief handed to them, all they could do was take details and let them go, impossible almost to press any charges he said

Take big f**k off bear trap and leave by your door, just dont get up pissed in the middle of the night

Edited June 30, 2009 by meatyparson

[mr_smiss]

I was camped very close to camp jeff!

[Chris-TT]

I didn’t manage to see any bands or much of the festival apart from the camping area, cos I was looking for my mate Steve, I looked in 1237 tents for him but no luck!

Dunno how you guys knew it was my birthday weekend, and I’d be coming round to visit, but guess that’s just the famous Glastonbury spirit everyone was talking about.

Got £16k as people had left me out all sorts of presents, I only really wanted money so returned most of the other stuff for refunds.

Also got a brucy bonus 152 passports, I didn’t bring any ID as I’m only 17 so cheers for that guys.

Never found Steve in the end, remembered as I was leaving he’s in Bournemouth and couldn’t make it. My bad.

Will be investing most the money in getting my cousins in next year 75 hands are better than 1! It will be my birthday again then, so they can give me a hand! Looking forwards to seeing you all then.

Oh yeah just realised this was the theft thread… someone stole 2 cans of cider and my camping chair. Guess that’ll teach me for staying out all night =\

[dupes69]

We got back on Thursday night to find our tent was robbed. Luckily we never take anything valuable so there was nothing to rob. However one of the guys who was with us unfortunately got £300 robbed from his tent. He's 66 and suffering from cancer so he brought the money with him in case he felt unwell and need to get a hotel. There was also a lady at the back of us who avoided a knife coming thru' her tent and nearly hitting her face. A guy a the back of us also had his tent slashed (twice).

This all happened on Kidney Mead.

I hope the people who did these things feel really proud of themselves.

Just feel lucky we didn't catch you - next time you won't be so lucky and you'll be a statistic yourselves.

[UEF]

I think figures were down this year as there were less REPORTED thefts, not less thefts, as people are getting used to it. Every single person around me got hit this year, and I've been hit in the last 2. Very sad indeed.

[markeee]

Out of the scrotes who were caught and taken to the police, I wonder how many if any ? would actually get done ? I am guessing none ?

Even if they do get caught there is no way of stopping them coming back year after year, after all its only a pic & any address required !

The amount they seem to be stealing is unreal, can see why they are willing to take the risk .......

Worst that happens is they get caught and get a good kicking, but when you are in bed with no shoes on its hard to catch some bugger running off, if they do get handed in then ????

My mate is a copper he worked a different fest and they got a tent thief handed to them, all they could do was take details and let them go, impossible almost to press any charges he said

Take big f**k off bear trap and leave by your door, just dont get up pissed in the middle of the night

[beodeejay]

i posted at the star of this thread about using lock ups - which I still suggest - but the level of thefts reported here is shocking....re-reading my post, it sounded smug in a "I was too clever to get done" way.....which based on the tales here, was just luck.

Before taking the kids - pre 98 - I had some "wild" years on the hill under the pylon - and count myself lucky not to have been robbed then. You could see big gangs of scum arriving with nothing, then slowly amassing kit and clothing - 99 and 2000 were bad years for that, and since then we have been in the family field.

No slight on the Welsh, but in 2000 what amounted to a tribe of feral South Wales arses descended - the "leaders" sending kids of 12 - 15 out on theiving missions. Literally. So the 50 yr old Tom Jones soundalikes were telling little Evans to "go and find us a bed/beer/chair/fags". Bold as brass - and a few minutes later, the kids returned with stolen stuff. It was so brazen - the rucksacks they nicked piled up near the hedge behind them, and they obviously felt beyond the law. Arrogant, hard faced and selfish. They knew everyone was scared. So the 6am police raid on the Saturday morning was greeted with much cheering and shouts of "go away" as the losers were nicked and draghged of - about 20 of them - in handcuffs. Nice one plod...

Since 2002, the family field has felt the safest - but even then, it's been the case on and off that groups of lads pitch up, aren't moved by Stewards.....and they are the dirtiest, least respectful, most suspect and generaly leary bunch everyone thought they would be.

Its sad but true - that "rooney tan", the pinched, hard faced scowl - black socks tucked into black trainers - cliches but sadly for a reason.

This year, I spent Sunday evening towards the back of the Other Stage field - and it was just not the same as the "feel" around the rest of the site. It was manic - in a bad way.

I feel for anyone who got done over - hundreds of £££'s at a time - the worst thing is almost not that you lost the money, but that some lazy, hard faced selfish tw@t got it.

Its odd that these incidents - even though they do only impact on a tiny number of the punters - get us otherwise peaceful, liberal, left leaning weekend-hippy types so annoyed that we would gladly kick these tossers into the ground........and then, sadly, they win again.

Why are some people without any social or moral empathy ???

A big question - but that is what it comes round to. Taking a bag/tent with wallet/keys/phone etc potentially leaves the owner stranded with no transport, no means to get easy help (all numbers and details in bag ) and penniless....at a festival miles from home.......

Its callous, nasty and beneath contempt, and shows a total disregard for the consequences. The owner could be alone, could be the driver for three others....anything..

They lack humanity, for whatever reason.

Sad.

A football style ban for anyone caught would be good - hard to enforce, there would be dodges for sure, but still good. Anyone arrested for theft could be refused tickets by See/Aloud for life via a police database - like a football ground ban.

Make it clear that if they didn't buy their own ticket, then the ban would apply to the purchaser as well as anyone with them (maybe after a years notice ). Stealing stuff at big events would soon become a very unpopular thing to do if you risk getting your mates/parents blacklisted by stealing other peoples stuff. And people would maybe shun their "edgy" mates who they know get up to stuff but ignore.

Edited July 4, 2009 by beodeejay

[ShadyBlueBell]

I lost a shoe... but I think I dropped it somewhere...

Otherwise... how do you get a wallet stolen from your tent when you're there? It's night... tents aren't THAT big... hide it in a safe place? How wasted do you have to be to not notice?

[ShadyBlueBell]

First lets reply to the rude people, who think its really clever to remind people to use a lockup!

Indeed, the lockups are a good thing and last year when I took my DLSR I used it with out fail.

Leaving something of value in your tent is just the same as leaving a bag on the back seat of your car.

You may be lucky you may not be. HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! waking up to find some SHIT SCUM BAG in your tent is not a nice experience. So take your 'it did not happen to me so who give a shit' and stick it up your arse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway (feeling better) We were in Penards in the next section up from .

On the Wednesday night loads of tents around us where done (while people where in them asleep)

We talked about how the same happened last year and hope it would just be the one night of scum bag thief's.

Thursday night loads more got done including ME. nothing taking from me ( well maybe about £5 is loose change) I woke cold to find tent open and my stuff pulled outside of tent.

We spoke to other and many more had been done, some with loss other like me lost nothing, but felt very violated.

The Friday night, I was not so muntered and woke up as (like others) this f**ker came into the porch of my tent. I of course spoke very nicely to him describing exactly what might or might no happen if he came into the inside of the tent. He left and I heard him go into another tent and was told by a girl to go forth. I went and reported it.. thanks they said. In the morning. again loads around us where done again

Again we reported it to the camp staff, and then spoke to the Police ( thanks for the free torch Mr plod) they said that theft was down yadda yadda,, we said had they been told about our field. NO nothing!!

So we told them about it and they said how they had undercover guys and had arrested a number of people. for theft I asked, no drugs he said.

So, every night around us was hit inc me twice.

Saturday night, we got back to our tents around 4am. and just before 5am. I awoke to Dave (MrFunk) shouting at the top of his lungs 'THIEF' I came out to find he had chased a guy across the tents before stopping as he was naked .LOL

Funny part was he had gone the length of two tents before his sleeping back came off!!

By the time I came back out my tent Dave was gone again. looking for the guy.

I went to the stewards who called security, only because I told them if Dave caught the guy we would have an issue that would involve the police (Dave is allot stronger than he looks). We walked round looking for Dave, and found a wallet, a purse, a debit card, money and phones.

So since 1997, with out any trouble what so ever, to this year we had issue every night.. not good!! not good at all!!

As for Sunday night,, did not sleep onsight, came home losing money was and will never be an issue, having someone violate my space,, not a nice thing at all.

Thanks for reading

Doug.. not sure about the future of Glasto for me.. sad yes true yes.. camper fan.. maybe

[ShadyBlueBell]

My experience

1997 - lots of tent thefts (probably 10 in my vicinity - camped in front of the "other stage")

Luckily - had nothing to take - so was lucky that year.

Nothing since - until this year.

It's pretty obvious that most thefts are happening on Wednesday and Thursday night when you the punter have a full wallet. No point in robbing you on Sunday when you have spent / smoked / drank [delete as appropriate] the lot is there.

Also seam to me this is done by an organised gang or gangs.

They are pretty clear about what they are doing and have the nerve to do it.

The MO seams to be the same as in 1997.

This year - my mate (camping close to myself and Aragon) was done twice.

Wednesday - got £200.00 - Thursday got £20 - oh and a pair of jeans that we never found again

He did find a drunken girl in his tent on Friday - but that's another story.

Point being - that there were about 5 tents around us on Wed night that were done. IF an average of £100.00 each tent - well - that's actually quite rich pickings for the small price of a ticket.

Without "posting watch" on your camp you are unlikely to stop this completely - unless they were professionally dealt with.

Camp security (Steward - as I call him) don't seam that interested.

Here is the really strange bit. In 1997 I saw a lad running through tents - fooker actually tried to nick a bit of my breakfast. Lets call him "the leader". I am 99.9% certain that I saw the same guy again on Thursday morning early - up near the Ice Cream van near the park.

Do NOT be suprised if this happens at other - largish festivals this year.

Now - is someone going to start an "101 interesting things to do when you catch a tent thief" thread?

[ShadyBlueBell]

No. 1 son had his bag nicked - nothing much in it except his ticket (we leppers in the camper van field have to carry tickets at all times). As this was Friday I fully expected to find the house burgled as the ticket helpfully has our address on it. I'm still expecting a visit one night soon. The need to carry tickets, or ones without the address on, needs sorting for next year.