Another iPhone mugging in Dublin

lima

Happened on Nassau st as my gf was getting onto a bus. The heroin addict got on the same time as her and 'bumped' into her, taking her phone and leaving the bus.
Called the guards but you can't report over the phone and we do not have time to go to the station to report it.

Dublin is a complete dive, I came back after 7 years and the place is ruled by junkies. Everyone in the nice areas turn a blind eye.

Advice to anyone thinking of moving here - it will be the worst mistake you make

liffeylite

lima wrote: »

Happened on Nassau st as my gf was getting onto a bus. The heroin addict got on the same time as her and 'bumped' into her, taking her phone and leaving the bus.
Called the guards but you can't report over the phone and we do not have time to go to the station to report it.

Dublin is a complete dive, I came back after 7 years and the place is ruled by junkies. Everyone in the nice areas turn a blind eye.

Advice to anyone thinking of moving here - it will be the worst mistake you make

Sorry to hear that. Can you report it tomorrow? It is sad but you have to be really careful where you use your phone in public. It isnt just Dublin its any large city.

Its a bad thing to happen for sure and the junkie issue is in my opinion Dublins biggest issue. That said, its still a great place and it wont be long before your girlfriend sees an act of kindness to restore some kind of faith.

Hope you can replace the phone.

Jev/N

lima wrote: »

Advice to anyone thinking of moving here - it will be the worst mistake you make

Sorry to hear about the story but jesus, the above is a serious overreaction.

lima

Jev/N wrote: »

Sorry to hear about the story but jesus, the above is a serious overreaction.

It's a wet grim unhappy hole of a place run by cronies and populated by heroin addicts, with nothing worthwhile to do but drink.

Luckily we are pretty happy people so we get on with it. Wouldn't bring my kids up here though.

TheVoodoo

Are you talking about City Center living, or Dublin as a whole?

Jev/N

lima wrote: »

It's a wet grim unhappy hole of a place run by cronies and populated by heroin addicts, with nothing worthwhile to do but drink.

There are a litany of people on this forum, including myself, who would and have argued otherwise.

I don't live there at the moment but having moved there from the country and lived for 7 years, I thought it was a great city. I won't bother with the whys and hows of it all as I expect it will fall on deaf ears.

Suffice it to say, the unfortunate incident you mentioned happens in most if not all cities across the world and doesn't make Dublin any less worthwhile to live in than anywhere else.

CharlieZeroOne

you can get iphone apps now that photograph the thief and report the gps co-ordinates to an email address. not much good to you but for anyone reading and for the future a pretty good idea.

emilyjmc

Sorry your girlfriend was robbed, that must have been upsetting for her. To be fair though if you can't make time to go down to the cop shop to report it there's no point whinging about it on Boards! If you don't report a crime when it happens to you how can you expect anything to be done about it?

I've lived and worked in Dublin for most of my life and I don't think it's much worse than any other European city. I've had phones and wallets robbed before but sh!t happens and it can happen anywhere if you aren't careful with your belongings or become distracted.

You say that people in the "nice areas" turn a blind eye but imo you're mistaken - the reason that these areas stay "nice" is because antisocial behavior isn't tolerated.

Personally I love living here I think that we have a beautiful city and that the vast majority of people are good.

I lived in another country for a time and was never more happy and content as when I returned to Dublin and I think it's a great place to live.

Piriz

its a shame phones get stolen, on another note you should leave dublin.

melekalikimaka

lima wrote: »

It's a wet grim unhappy hole of a place run by cronies and populated by heroin addicts, with nothing worthwhile to do but drink.

Luckily we are pretty happy people so we get on with it. Wouldn't bring my kids up here though.

lost any credibility with that statement mate

Tom_Cruise

Try living in a small county town for a while, then you can really use the excuse that's there's nothing to do apart from drink.

freddiek

lima wrote: »

It's a wet grim unhappy hole of a place run by cronies and populated by heroin addicts, with nothing worthwhile to do but drink.

Luckily we are pretty happy people so we get on with it. Wouldn't bring my kids up here though.

agree 100%. its a grim, dark, depressing and hopeless place

Piriz

freddiek wrote: »

agree 100%. its a grim, dark, depressing and hopeless place

god it must be awful for you that this is your perception of Dublin... or are you just trying to be offensive? anyway im glad i dont perceive things as you do...

Ben D Bus

lima wrote: »

It's a wet grim unhappy hole of a place run by cronies and populated by heroin addicts, with nothing worthwhile to do but drink.

Luckily we are pretty happy people

Non sequitur?

freddiek

is there another major city in western europe where junkie trash and the underclass in general are given such free reign to harass the general population?

EyeSight

emilyjmc wrote: »

Sorry your girlfriend was robbed, that must have been upsetting for her. To be fair though if you can't make time to go down to the cop shop to report it there's no point whinging about it on Boards! If you don't report a crime when it happens to you how can you expect anything to be done about it?

I've lived and worked in Dublin for most of my life and I don't think it's much worse than any other European city. I've had phones and wallets robbed before but sh!t happens and it can happen anywhere if you aren't careful with your belongings or become distracted.

You say that people in the "nice areas" turn a blind eye but imo you're mistaken - the reason that these areas stay "nice" is because antisocial behavior isn't tolerated.

Personally I love living here I think that we have a beautiful city and that the vast majority of people are good.

I lived in another country for a time and was never more happy and content as when I returned to Dublin and I think it's a great place to live.

i actually think that anti social behavior is tolerated almost completely in dublin. The OP has a point, there are way too many junkies around with nothing being done about it. i find it hard to go to an ATM without having to step over a junkie and being asked for money while i withdraw some.

also i constantly see scumbags on the street picking fights with easy targets. if they get punished at all it's usually a weak punishment

sure other cities have crime, but most of the major ones i lived in have a very tough stance on anti social behavior and drugs. people actually fear the police and the police act on any wrong doings. i don't find the same attitude here.
i've walked around some cities in other countries late at night alone and unless you go to a notoriously rough area or you're unlucky, you won't be hassled. Here i can't walk down the street in the city after 11 without having at least one drunken asshole shout something at me or approach me

emilyjmc

Fair enought EyeSight, you are right that there are issues with begging at ATMs and our laws regarding punishing criminals often seem far too lenient. I do still think that in the "nice" areas where there isn't much antisocial behavior it's because when it does happen it is clamped down on quickly and people don't just put up with it and do/say nothing.

I live and and work in the city centre and have to say rarely see a fight, not saying they don't happen - I just don't seem to see it. Living near Harcourt Street and work just off Talbot Street so I walk right through the city at least once a day most days.

Also I would walk through town after eleven on a regular basis and rarely get any hassle. The odd drunken eejit or creep might make a remark late at night (ok, sometimes during daylight hours too!) but I've experienced that in most cities I've spent time in, I don't think that we are any worse for it.

Signing off now

A happy Dubliner

budgemook

Dublin is a grand spot. Phones get stolen in every city every day. I'd say Dublin probably one of the safer capital cities. Sure didn't new york have first day without a murder for yonks only recently.

Also Open, how do you know the thief was addicted to heroin?

ThisRegard

lima wrote: »

It's a wet grim unhappy hole of a place run by cronies and populated by heroin addicts, with nothing worthwhile to do but drink.
.

I think you'll find junkies have lots better to do than drink, such as doing drugs. That's what makes them junkies after all.

highdef

freddiek wrote: »

is there another major city in western europe where junkie trash and the underclass in general are given such free reign to harass the general population?

Completely agree. Dublin city centre has turned into a complete $hithole in the past few years. Junkies wander round off their faces and NOTHING appears to be done about it. They really do rule the roost! I'm sure action is taken from time to time but I'm sure if I decided to become a junkie for the day (and not be recognised as one of "the regulars"), I'd be banged up, charged and convicted pretty quickly for drug possession, dealing, being under the influence of drugs, harrassment and god knows how many other crimes yet those junkies you see wandering around every day are rarely "bothered" by the law because the people who our taxes pay to protect us cannot be arsed to do anything....not because they do not want to but because they know that they are basically powerless to do anything that will stop this scourge to our society and as a result their own confidence is hindered. They know that arresting any of these scum (yes I know some will disagree with this description but from the few dealings I have had with them, I see this term as being quite apt and fair) will amount to them being in the cell for the night at most and they'll be back "earning" their wage for their fix the following morning.

OP, I agree, the city has gone to the dogs. Dublin is a beautiful city. If I were a tourist visiting, I would most definitely state that the junkies are the most off-putting thing when touring the city by foot. I know other western cities have similar issues but many others do not so I'm sure it's not an unfathomable thing to suggest that we can try curb this horrible wart on our capital city. Such widespread junkies is a relatively recent thing and it could be sorted. The cost of making our streets clear of what is very much an extreme minority must be many many times less than the loss of money from tourism due to non-returning tourists and tourists who have advised their friends (and their friends....and their friends, and so on, so forth) not to travel to Dublin (and probably Ireland in general) because of the unpleasantness of being approached by junkies off their faces....this being the most optimistic of situations when encountering a junkie!

Celly Smunt

freddiek wrote: »

is there another major city in western europe where junkie trash and the underclass in general are given such free reign to harass the general population?

London,Glasgow,Edinburgh,most major UK cities,paris to some extent,cologne,madrid,barcelona will i continue?

highdef

pmcmahon wrote: »

London,Glasgow,Edinburgh,most major UK cities,paris to some extent,cologne,madrid,barcelona will i continue?

We appear to be turning into another one those cities in your list.....or should I say we have turned into another one of those cities. Other major cities in Europe suffer to a much much lesser effect. With a bit of political "oomph", we can join those much more pleasant cities

Mr Simpson

Some lovely generalisations here. Yes, Dublin has problems with Heroin, thieves etc, but show me a capital city anywhere in Europe that doesnt have similar problems. OP theres no point moaning about something happening if youre not willing to report it, it takes about 5 minutes and you can do it in any Garda station.

Theres nowhere in Ireland I'd rather live than Dublin. It's a shame you had a bad experience, but Dublin has a lot going for it. Nice Restaurants/Bars, some great museums and Galleries, great guided tours and some brilliant visitor attractions.

Cienciano

lima wrote: »

It's a wet grim unhappy hole of a place run by cronies and populated by heroin addicts, with nothing worthwhile to do but drink.

Luckily we are pretty happy people so we get on with it. Wouldn't bring my kids up here though.

Interesting that your username is "lima". The biggest shíthole in south america!

bigron2109

You can't tar the whole of Dublin with the same Brush. Every city has a couple of undesirables.

highdef

MarkMc wrote: »

Some lovely generalisations here. Yes, Dublin has problems with Heroin, thieves etc, but show me a capital city anywhere in Europe that doesnt have similar problems. OP theres no point moaning about something happening if youre not willing to report it, it takes about 5 minutes and you can do it in any Garda station.

Theres nowhere in Ireland I'd rather live than Dublin. It's a shame you had a bad experience, but Dublin has a lot going for it. Nice Restaurants/Bars, some great museums and Galleries, great guided tours and some brilliant visitor attractions.

Completely agree, there really is so much to do and see in Dublin and to do everything would take at least a week. The actual nice stuff is there, it's just those people stealing/mugging/harassing/begging to feed their habit that are ruining the experience for many, not just tourists. As I have mentioned, Dublin really is an amazing city with so much culture and history. It's just a shame that such a tiny amount of people are making the city so less desirable. My parents are from Dominick Street and Dorset Street on Dublins inner city northside, as are their parents so I would consider myself a true Dub so I'm not just some typical jackeen giving bad light to our city. I love Dublin but this issue is my main qualm.

superblu

I love dublin but like any major city in the world you always need to keep your wits about you. This incident could have happened anywhere.

lima

TheVoodoo wrote: »

Are you talking about City Center living, or Dublin as a whole?

City Centre living is what I'm talking about here

lima

emilyjmc wrote: »

I've lived and worked in Dublin for most of my life

You are then blissfully unaware that this carry-on happens more often in Dublin that many other places.

lima

Piriz wrote: »

its a shame phones get stolen, on another note you should leave dublin.

I would but I am earning quite a lot of money here in a good job. It was the only thing that made me come back. I will leave again once I decide to have kids.

listermint

lima wrote: »

You are then blissfully unaware that this carry-on happens more often in Dublin that many other places.

Id love to see your stats, because frankly your talking through your arse with that statement.

My mate had is phone stolen on Sopot in Poland a supposedly affluent area of the country. We phoned it and phoned it and eventually someone picked up. Ended up handing over 25 Euro to a polish junkie outside a KFC restaurant. Does the experience colour poland for me ?

No it doesnt id go back in a heartbeat.

Il tell you why, im not an idiot and i realise this sort of thing goes on the world over..

Roll eyes...

lima

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Non sequitur?

I lived abroad for 7 years, didn't buy a house. Have significant savings.

My other half is not Irish.

Happy.

lima

listermint wrote: »

Id love to see your stats, because frankly your talking through your arse with that statement.

My mate had is phone stolen on Sopot in Poland a supposedly affluent area of the country. We phoned it and phoned it and eventually someone picked up. Ended up handing over 25 Euro to a polish junkie outside a KFC restaurant. Does the experience colour poland for me ?

No it doesnt id go back in a heartbeat.

Il tell you why, im not an idiot and i realise this sort of thing goes on the world over..

Roll eyes...

Of course there are places worse than Dublin. But out of all the cities I have lived in it is the most unsafe in regards to heroin addicts roaming the main city thoroughfare.

Plus people seem to still have some sort of celtic tiger era reasoning that Dublin is actually a nice place, I'm just posting on here so that people who are thinking of visiting the place can see both sides of the coin.

lima

budgemook wrote: »

Dublin is a grand spot. Phones get stolen in every city every day. I'd say Dublin probably one of the safer capital cities. Sure didn't new york have first day without a murder for yonks only recently.

Also Open, how do you know the thief was addicted to heroin?

Blissfully unaware..

Heroin addicts routinely mugging women (easy targets) in the main streets of the city is not something that you come across every day in other capital European cities. I travel regularly (can PM you a list as want to keep my ID on the downlow) and nothing comes near to seeing junkies on o'connell st puking and smoking heroin on the strees and dealing benzo's in public with the guards doing nothing.

Seriously, the people sticking up for the place either live in nice areas or came from even ****tier holes!

Gyalist

pmcmahon wrote: »

London,Glasgow,Edinburgh,most major UK cities,paris to some extent,cologne,madrid,barcelona will i continue?

Yes, but do they give their drug addicts free disability passes that enable them to move around their cities terrorising law-abiding citizens?

dfx-

lima wrote: »

Blissfully unaware..

Heroin addicts routinely mugging women (easy targets) in the main streets of the city is not something that you come across every day in other capital European cities. I travel regularly (can PM you a list as want to keep my ID on the downlow) and nothing comes near to seeing junkies on o'connell st puking and smoking heroin on the strees and dealing benzo's in public with the guards doing nothing

Routinely? I have never seen it and work and spend until midnight in the heart of the city centre and get everywhere on Dublin Bus and my bus home is also served by the 27, 77A and 40. What parts of the city can I see this routinely happen so I can plan the next journey?

This thread needs to be re-read after this topic:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056804840

ibarelycare

lima wrote: »

Blissfully unaware..

Heroin addicts routinely mugging women (easy targets) in the main streets of the city is not something that you come across every day in other capital European cities. I travel regularly (can PM you a list as want to keep my ID on the downlow) and nothing comes near to seeing junkies on o'connell st puking and smoking heroin on the strees and dealing benzo's in public with the guards doing nothing.

Seriously, the people sticking up for the place either live in nice areas or came from even ****tier holes!

Lol...

lima

dfx- wrote: »

Routinely? I have never seen it and work and spend until midnight in the heart of the city centre and get everywhere on Dublin Bus and my bus home is also served by the 27, 77A and 40. What parts of the city can I see this routinely happen so I can plan the next journey?

This thread needs to be re-read after this topic:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056804840

Happened last night on Nassau St as she was getting on the 15a, a junkie must have been watching her text me and as she put phone in her pocket and got on bus he came onto bus and bumped into her and went to put change into machine only to pretend he didn't have enough change and got off.. bam - phone gone.

Also happened by brother in north strand

Also happened a mate on Mary St

Also happened her friend waiting for the Luas.

Also I was in the Ben Dunne gym on Jervis st 6 months ago and saw a woman chasing a little knacker down the road with her phone in his hand.

lima

ibarelycare wrote: »

Lol...

Kiss x

Logical_Bear

freddiek wrote: »

is there another major city in western europe where junkie trash and the underclass in general are given such free reign to harass the general population?

london and amsterdam come to mind.Lived in both and strangely enough the same type of sh1te goes on

dfx-

lima wrote: »

Happened last night on Nassau St as she was getting on the 15a, a junkie must have been watching her text me and as she put phone in her pocket and got on bus he came onto bus and bumped into her and went to put change into machine only to pretend he didn't have enough change and got off.. bam - phone gone.

On a weekday, Dublin Bus says it carries 400,000 passengers on 1,000 buses at 5,000 stops. If it is routine, it should happen more often than that surely. Someone who uses the bus frequently as I do to get around the city (possibly 4-5 times a day, or more) should see this everywhere..

Then add the car journeys, people who live/shop in the city centre, especially at a busy time like Christmas - there is going to be 100, maybe 200 occurrences naturally. It's not routine.

rgmmg

lima wrote: »

Happened last night on Nassau St as she was getting on the 15a, a junkie must have been watching her text me and as she put phone in her pocket and got on bus he came onto bus and bumped into her and went to put change into machine only to pretend he didn't have enough change and got off.. bam - phone gone.

Also happened by brother in north strand

Also happened a mate on Mary St

Also happened her friend waiting for the Luas.

Also I was in the Ben Dunne gym on Jervis st 6 months ago and saw a woman chasing a little knacker down the road with her phone in his hand.

How do you know she wasn't trying to mug him? The hunted becomes the huntress. Poor little knackers have no chance with this attitude.

Duggys Housemate

There are two issues here.

1) Statistically Dublin is pretty safe and has small enough pick-pocketting.
2) The perception is much worse. O'Connell st will always seem more violent than the Champs Elysee, or Oxford st because the Junkies are taking it over. There is always an incident along that street, always some hollering or yelling, somebody shouting "leave it ouh". Then Talbot st. God almighty. Like the Zombie apocalypse some times.

Put the cops on the corner there, and on all the city streets.

lima

rgmmg wrote: »

How do you know she wasn't trying to mug him? The hunted becomes the huntress. Poor little knackers have no chance with this attitude.

What a stupid thing to think!!

A women in business attire desperate to get her expensive smart device back from a teenaged boy. Hmm.

rgmmg

lima wrote: »

What a stupid thing to think!!

A women in business attire desperate to get her expensive smart device back from a teenaged boy. Hmm.

Hmm. Did I actually think it? What a stupid thing to think! :pac:

lima

dfx- wrote: »

On a weekday, Dublin Bus says it carries 400,000 passengers on 1,000 buses at 5,000 stops. If it is routine, it should happen more often than that surely. Someone who uses the bus frequently as I do to get around the city (possibly 4-5 times a day, or more) should see this everywhere..

Then add the car journeys, people who live/shop in the city centre, especially at a busy time like Christmas - there is going to be 100, maybe 200 occurrences naturally. It's not routine.

iPhone's are routinely getting stolen in the city centre, it is well known that organised criminals are getting youths and junkies I steal them for money. It is routine, and happens more often than other cities, for example London, where I lived for 6 years when I never had to grip my phone with both hands on the street.

super_furry

It wasn't a mugging incidentally. It was a pick-pocketing.

lima

rgmmg wrote: »

Hmm. Did I actually think it? What a stupid thing to think! :pac:

You must have if you asked, else somebody asked you to say it

TheVoodoo

How long ago did you live in London? Genuinely not nit picking, but, like you; I travel a lot with work too, and see it everywhere!

lima

lima wrote: »

iPhone's are routinely getting stolen in the city centre, it is well known that organised criminals are getting youths and junkies I steal them for money. It is routine, and happens more often than other cities, for example London, where I lived for 6 years when I never had to grip my phone with both hands on the street.

Source? Stats?

lima

super_furry wrote: »

It wasn't a mugging incidentally. It was a pick-pocketing.

Kind of. He stared at her and put so much fear into her that she froze. She couldn't snap out of it until he had gone and the bus driver asked her did something just happen as she was white with fear. He knew what he was doing.