Aggressive begging/mugging

unclejoe

I was walking on the back streets from capal street to o'connell street there today on the smaller quiet roads and two junkies approached me begging for cash. They were mid to late 20's.
Span me some tale of needing the money for a train to Cork. I was trying to walk past but they blocked my way and started getting pretty aggressive. I saw one of their hands reach for their back pocket so started talking to them fairly sharpish. They got right tin my face and i gave them the little change I had. They're weren't happy until they saw the note section of my wallet and thankfully I only had a fiver which i gave them. They backed off after this and moved along.

I'm pretty sure they were about to get violent. It's ****ing disgraceful the amount of that type round that area always asking for cash. I was tempted to just barge past them them and leg it but they looked pretty strung out I'd image they would have happily opened me up. It was strange as they didn't ask for my phone or anything so it's not really a mugging. They started out just asking for a tenner but it was pretty obvious they were willing to getting violent to get it. Wonder if they would have taken more if I had it.

Wondering if anybody else has had similar experiences around there?

Faith+1

unclejoe wrote: »

I was walking on the back streets from capal street to o'connell street there today on the smaller quiet roads and two junkies approached me begging for cash. They were mid to late 20's.
Span me some tale of needing the money for a train to Cork. I was trying to walk past but they blocked my way and started getting pretty aggressive. I saw one of their hands reach for their back pocket so started talking to them fairly sharpish. They got right tin my face and i gave them the little change I had. They're weren't happy until they saw the note section of my wallet and thankfully I only had a fiver which i gave them. They backed off after this and moved along.

I'm pretty sure they were about to get violent. It's ****ing disgraceful the amount of that type round that area always asking for cash. I was tempted to just barge past them them and leg it but they looked pretty strung out I'd image they would have happily opened me up. It was strange as they didn't ask for my phone or anything so it's not really a mugging. They started out just asking for a tenner but it was pretty obvious they were willing to getting violent to get it. Wonder if they would have taken more if I had it.

Wondering if anybody else has had similar experiences around there?

Fair play OP. That was probably the best fiver you could ever spend given the fact that they were about to attack you. It's a f*cking disgrace that these scumbags are getting away with this behaviour.

dsmythy

When they're that strung out you can generally outrun them. I had a similar incident happen to me on Eden Quay. Two guys in their 30s right in my face asking for money in a 'maybe they mean change maybe they mean everything I have' kind of way. My fight or flight response was about to explode when someone passing by made a comment pretending to hurry me along or "we'd" be late and the two men slipped away at the disturbance.

I'd report it to the local station. They may have gone on to commit an even more serious crime and it could be some important information.

wesf

scum should be rounded up and shot, and i'm deadly serious!

unclejoe

Yea as it was only a fiver I kind of let it go. I'd say if they started asking for my phone I would have tried to leg it somewhere busy. I think initially they were genuinely trying to scam me with a begging story but as there was nobody really on the street they kind of up'd the ante and saw they could intimidate me a bit. I was taller then both of them but with the hint of a weapon I just wasn't taking any chances. Very strange though they way I wasn't quite sure if they were begging or mugging. Maybe they take that approach so if they do get busted the can claim innocence. Are they that crafty? I suppose i'll be sticking to the busy streets round there from now on anyways.
Where's the nearest garda station round there that I could report it? I could head in tomorrow.

dissed doc

unclejoe wrote: »

I was walking on the back streets from capal street to o'connell street there today on the smaller quiet roads and two junkies approached me begging for cash. They were mid to late 20's.
Span me some tale of needing the money for a train to Cork. I was trying to walk past but they blocked my way and started getting pretty aggressive. I saw one of their hands reach for their back pocket so started talking to them fairly sharpish. They got right tin my face and i gave them the little change I had. They're weren't happy until they saw the note section of my wallet and thankfully I only had a fiver which i gave them. They backed off after this and moved along.

I'm pretty sure they were about to get violent. It's ****ing disgraceful the amount of that type round that area always asking for cash. I was tempted to just barge past them them and leg it but they looked pretty strung out I'd image they would have happily opened me up. It was strange as they didn't ask for my phone or anything so it's not really a mugging. They started out just asking for a tenner but it was pretty obvious they were willing to getting violent to get it. Wonder if they would have taken more if I had it.

Wondering if anybody else has had similar experiences around there?

Demanding money agressively and threatening you to the extent you feel obliged to give them the money pretty much is a mugging.

Yes, you were mugged! Did you report it to the police?

That said it is Dublin, which for most of it's existence is a complete sh1thole except for the debt money flowing around during the boom. That sort of stuff was normal even on Grafton street in 1995, and you would also see it on the quays past ha'penny bridge going towards heuston.

mfceiling

dissed doc wrote: »

Demanding money agressively and threatening you to the extent you feel obliged to give them the money pretty much is a mugging.

Yes, you were mugged! Did you report it to the police?

That said it is Dublin, which for most of it's existence is a complete sh1thole except for the debt money flowing around during the boom. That sort of stuff was normal even on Grafton street in 1995, and you would also see it on the quays past ha'penny bridge going towards heuston.

Christ on a bike....i've heard it all now:rolleyes:

returnNull

mfceiling wrote: »

Christ on a bike....i've heard it all now:rolleyes:

big city has crime shocker!!!

dissed doc

returnNull wrote: »

big city has crime shocker!!!

Making excuses doesn't make it any less dangerous in Dublin. For a city with just 500k people it's very unsafe to compared to much bigger european cities like Munich, Amsterdam, Madrid, etc., .

returnNull

dissed doc wrote: »

Making excuses doesn't make it any less dangerous in Dublin. For a city with just 500k people it's very unsafe to compared to much bigger european cities like Munich, Amsterdam, Madrid, etc., .

Rubbish.

I've lived in london and the 'dam and dublin is nowhere near the level of scumbaggery I witnessed/read about in either of those 2.

And there's more 500k in dublin ignore wikipedia:pac:

John_Rambo

dissed doc wrote: »

Making excuses doesn't make it any less dangerous in Dublin. For a city with just 500k people it's very unsafe to compared to much bigger european cities like Munich, Amsterdam, Madrid, etc., .

Foolish post from someone that did a few city breaks during the boom and consider themselves "well traveled". I'd love to see your face if you were shown the dirty underbelly of cities like Munich, Amsterdam or Madrid!

Faith+1

John_Rambo wrote: »

Foolish post from someone that did a few city breaks during the boom and consider themselves "well traveled". I'd love to see your face if you were shown the dirty underbelly of cities like Munich, Amsterdam or Madrid!

Or Paris......eek :eek:

EyeSight

John_Rambo wrote: »

Foolish post from someone that did a few city breaks during the boom and consider themselves "well traveled". I'd love to see your face if you were shown the dirty underbelly of cities like Munich, Amsterdam or Madrid!

he has a point. Sure the underbelly of those cities are very rough, but the O connell street area is meant to be the main street of the city center. And it's full of scum carrying out crime regularly in the open with almost zero action.
That is where Dublin differs.

returnNull

EyeSight wrote: »

That is where Dublin differs.

But thats you're preception.It goes on in other capitals main streets/areas as well.I've seen it.And the police have done f all,because they werent there,busy off somewhere else I'd imagine.

EyeSight

returnNull wrote: »

But thats you're preception.It goes on in other capitals main streets/areas as well.I've seen it.And the police have done f all,because they werent there,busy off somewhere else I'd imagine.

i guess we will have to agree to disagree here.
I just think i see so much crime on some main city center streets that i don't see in other big cities. Then i read almost once a week about one of these scumbags actually getting caught and the judge leaving them off with a pat on the back. It all seems so hopeless to me and gets worse and worse.

snappieT

This is not begging, it's mugging.

Same happened to me on Liffey Street one evening.

SebBerkovich

EyeSight wrote: »

he has a point. Sure the underbelly of those cities are very rough, but the O connell street area is meant to be the main street of the city center. And it's full of scum carrying out crime regularly in the open with almost zero action.
That is where Dublin differs.

I do love dublin and i've lived all over the place but O'Connell street just makes me sad. the city deserves better than to have people's first impression be influenced by such a nasty part of the city.

califano

Dont stop to look, listen or acknowledge them in a similar way to ignoring a request for "Got the right time?". Thats the problem here. Once you answer they can gleen a lot from that and they're in like Flynn.

dissed doc

http://www.thejournal.ie/aston-quay-stabbing-1001371-Jul2013/

I might get a ban for this as I already got a warning, but I think Dublin *is* is a dump based on the agressive people that hang around the centre. It's way more dangerous around the centre than the equivalent european cities. In fact, Dublin is just like many other UK cities in that regard. This is not about the "underbelly" of any city, it's about the main centre area. European cities that I mentioned are perfectly safe for tourists to walk around in the equivalent areas. Dublin is not. Banning me or complaining doesn't change the fact that a tourist is not safe walking on O'Connell Street or off Temple Bar compared to walking around Marienplatz or Leidseplein.

PLaces that are no-go for tourists looking for a safe place to walk at night: O'Connell Street, parnell Street, the quays. That is simply reality and I am sad to say that I don't think it will get better; maybe people on this forum don't recall the 70s, 80s or 90s and what Dublin is normally like. Newsflash: the agression and danger of Dublin centre does *not* exist in many equivalent european cities. It's not normal and saying "every big city has it" is simply ignorant. Tourists and regular people should feel safe to walk around the centre. They don't.

The Hill Billy

[mod_hat_on]
You won't get banned for offering a qualified opinion. Just saying "Dublin is a dump" & not offering a thought-out reason why you consider it to be a 'dump' will get you a ban.
[/mod_hat_on]

I think that it is unfair to say that Dublin is a dump because of the city center areas where the majority of the anti-social behaviour takes places. If you were to say that O'Connell Street & the surrounding areas were a dump - I'd be more inclined to agree with you.

Yeah, I must admit that the centre of Dublin is an absolute disgrace... O Connell Street is supposed to be among our most famous tourist destinations and yet you can't go there at any time of the day without seeing junkies and scum scattered everywhere. I can only imagine that it must resemble what Times Square used to look like before it got an overhaul.

dissed doc

The Hill Billy wrote: »

[mod_hat_on]
You won't get banned for offering a qualified opinion. Just saying "Dublin is a dump" & not offering a thought-out reason why you consider it to be a 'dump' will get you a ban.
[/mod_hat_on]

I think that it is unfair to say that Dublin is a dump because of the city center areas where the majority of the anti-social behaviour takes places. If you were to say that O'Connell Street & the surrounding areas were a dump - I'd be more inclined to agree with you.

Yeah sorry, I mean the centre areas around O'Connell Street. It should be the safest place in the city but it's the opposite. There was Always a lot of casual crime around the centre in the pre-boom days and now it's back "to normal" I think. It's just disappointing that nothing has changed.

bobwilliams

Faith+1 wrote: »

Fair play OP. That was probably the best fiver you could ever spend given the fact that they were about to attack you. It's a f*cking disgrace that these scumbags are getting away with this behaviour.

i was chatting to a Canadian guy last week who's just back from ireland from his first trip here in 15 years.
The first thing he mentioned to me was the amount of beggers and junkies in Dublin city was a real shoke to him.
I would stick a few snippers on top of the GPO and a few other prime locations and take the junkies out,wouldn't be missed.

The Hill Billy

Any further crap posts about shooting junkies, etc - poster gets banned & thread gets locked. Keep it civil please.

tHB

John_Rambo

dissed doc wrote: »

It's way more dangerous around the centre than the equivalent european cities

Newsflash, it's not. You may think it is because you see drug abuse and beggars, but it's not! Trying to say Dublin is just like many UK cities just shows you you're A; Trolling or B; that you haven't been to many cities in the UK!

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah, I must admit that the centre of Dublin is an absolute disgrace...

Come on Bony, just look at you previous posts about Dublin, you have a chip on your shoulder about the place, you hate it and now you're jumping on the bandwagon.

bumper234

John_Rambo wrote: »

Come on Bony, just look at you previous posts about Dublin, you have a chip on your shoulder about the place, you hate it and now you're jumping on the bandwagon.

Are you trying to say that Dublin city center is not a dump? I live in Dublin and i work in Dublin city center and all i see from 7 am to 5 pm out my office window is junkies, drunks beggars and open air drug dealing. Some days on my break i walk down O'Connell street and it's shocking to see what goes on. The street is a dump and will stay a dump until they get a SERIOUS police presence there and the surrounding streets.

dissed doc

John_Rambo wrote: »

Newsflash, it's not. You may think it is because you see drug abuse and beggars, but it's not! Trying to say Dublin is just like many UK cities just shows you you're A; Trolling or B; that you haven't been to many cities in the UK!



Come on Bony, just look at you previous posts about Dublin, you have a chip on your shoulder about the place, you hate it and now you're jumping on the bandwagon.

No, it's a fair comparison and I think there is a perception that it's normal elsewhere that there are so many open drug users and petty criminals around the centre areas. It's not as bad as Barcelona but I think Dublin should be striving towards the safety you see at night in Munich, Vienna, Copenhagen, Amsterdam. All not very big cities.

Unless it is tackled (and accepting it is a problem is the first step), it will not improve. Are people happy that the it is the way it is? Saying "oh it's like that in every city" is simply not true. It's like that in cities that don't deal with these social and policing problems.

John_Rambo

John_Rambo wrote: »

Newsflash, it's not. You may think it is because you see drug abuse and beggars, but it's not! Trying to say Dublin is just like many UK cities just shows you you're A; Trolling or B; that you haven't been to many cities in the UK!



Come on Bony, just look at you previous posts about Dublin, you have a chip on your shoulder about the place, you hate it and now you're jumping on the bandwagon.

There is no bandwagon to jump on. Can you honestly say that there are not tonnes of beggars, junkies, scumbags that litter the streets of Dublin, especially the main tourist areas? These are supposed to be the safest places and yet they're not. I feel embarrassed when I see tourists walking by junkies.

I don't know what the cure might be to these - lock them up? Arm the Gardaí? I don't know. Dublin has a problem and it's not one that will be going away easily.

Micky Dolenz

Jaysus. I was going to head out to the city centre for beers in the sun. Don't think I'll bother now.

bumper234

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Jaysus. I was going to head out to the city centre for beers in the sun. Don't think I'll bother now.

Na is ok to do that. Just bring plenty for the beggars, junkies and alcos that will try latch on

John_Rambo

dissed doc wrote: »

I think Dublin should be striving towards the safety you see at night in Munich, Vienna, Copenhagen, Amsterdam. All not very big cities.

Sorry lads, out enjoying Dublin bay, I seriously doubt you two are aware of the amenities next to the city!

You choose to live in Dublin instead of these cities dissed doc? Bonyarsebogman, you recently moved to Dublin (why is beyond me as you detest the place).

How many times have you both been mugged? The truth.

I agree that the city has a problem with drugs and it's an eyesore, open problem But to call the whole city center a dump?

Get over the drama.

fusion19

When i was 17 two junkies tried to mug me in galway I was a lot bigger than them and played a lot of rugby. One of them swung for me and connected the punch was very harmless so I knew I would be able to deal with the situation so I landed both of them 2 or 3 good punches and they were on the ground apolagising......long story short this can happen anywhere Whether it be Dublin, Galway or even a huge city like paris.Also be careful as a lot of junkies are HIV Positive and one slap off their needle could land you in all sorts of bother

Caonima

unclejoe wrote: »

I was walking on the back streets from capal street to o'connell street there today on the smaller quiet roads and two junkies approached me begging for cash. They were mid to late 20's.
Span me some tale of needing the money for a train to Cork. I was trying to walk past but they blocked my way and started getting pretty aggressive. I saw one of their hands reach for their back pocket so started talking to them fairly sharpish. They got right tin my face and i gave them the little change I had. They're weren't happy until they saw the note section of my wallet and thankfully I only had a fiver which i gave them. They backed off after this and moved along.

I'm pretty sure they were about to get violent. It's ****ing disgraceful the amount of that type round that area always asking for cash. I was tempted to just barge past them them and leg it but they looked pretty strung out I'd image they would have happily opened me up. It was strange as they didn't ask for my phone or anything so it's not really a mugging. They started out just asking for a tenner but it was pretty obvious they were willing to getting violent to get it. Wonder if they would have taken more if I had it.

Wondering if anybody else has had similar experiences around there?

Pretty sure that's a mugging, mate.

Caonima

Last time I was back home, I took my Chinese girlfriend into town to do some shopping; Henry Street, Jervis Centre, Temple Bar, Grafton Street. I hadn't been home in a while and noticed something like a 'tension' in the air. I was very protective of her as, being from a city like Shanghai, she had no concept of getting hassle on the street from people as it's uber-safe over here. I had warned her that she might experience some racism, and the scobies didn't let me down - there were a few mutterings of "chink" or "go home, ya bleedin gook" on O'Connell Street, from behind my back obviously.

listermint

Walked the full length of Dublin city there on saturday, just for something to do for a few hours.

Didnt see an ounce of trouble on stephens green, dawson street, grafton street o connell street the quays or temple bar.

Am i missing this tension that is supposed to be around? because it was quite obviously not there. Just nice warm weather and smiling faces.

I think detractors tend to have louder voices or else just like to have their opinions heard.

Caonima

listermint wrote: »

Walked the full length of Dublin city there on saturday, just for something to do for a few hours.

Didnt see an ounce of trouble on stephens green, dawson street, grafton street o connell street the quays or temple bar.

Am i missing this tension that is supposed to be around? because it was quite obviously not there. Just nice warm weather and smiling faces.

I think detractors tend to have louder voices or else just like to have their opinions heard.

When I used to live in Dublin, in the cultural epicentre that was Mountjoy Square, I did long walks around Dublin when I was bored, and to get to know the place. Never once had someone say boo to me.

Kiltennel

Dublin is grand as a city. Every city has its problem which you wont notice as a tourist. It's when you live there that you pick up on what's going on. 2-3 nights on a tourist weekend away you'll see little crime. 48 weeks a year of walking to and from work daily through the city centre you'll see a lot. When I was in Berlin in a 3 night period I was accosted by a heroin addicted prostitute, asked by a group of skinheads if me and my friends would like to fight their group and saw a group of junkies openly shooting up in a park across the road from my hotel. Will I judge Berlin as a city filled with violent scumbags and heroin addicts? No, I'm smart enough not to jump to conclusions like that.

I'd happily wager that the people commenting about how obvious Dublin's problems are have never lived in a foreign city for a lengthy time. If we have the resources to sufficient police the O'Connell street area we'd have a lovely city.

Lawrence1895

Kiltennel wrote: »

Dublin is grand as a city. Every city has its problem which you wont notice as a tourist. It's when you live there that you pick up on what's going on. 2-3 nights on a tourist weekend away you'll see little crime. 48 weeks a year of walking to and from work daily through the city centre you'll see a lot. When I was in Berlin in a 3 night period I was accosted by a heroin addicted prostitute, asked by a group of skinheads if me and my friends would like to fight their group and saw a group of junkies openly shooting up in a park across the road from my hotel. Will I judge Berlin as a city filled with violent scumbags and heroin addicts? No, I'm smart enough not to jump to conclusions like that.

I'd happily wager that the people commenting about how obvious Dublin's problems are have never lived in a foreign city for a lengthy time. If we have the resources to sufficient police the O'Connell street area we'd have a lovely city.

May I ask, which part of Berlin it was?

Kiltennel

Lars1916 wrote: »

May I ask, which part of Berlin it was?

The hooker and addicts shooting up in the park was Moabit (What the area seems to be called on Google Maps, right beside the Turmstrabe metro station) while the skinheads were in the city centre. No idea where, it was at night while we were looking for a taxi.

Esoteric_

I've been mugged three (I think, could be 4) times in Dublin CC in my lifetime. However, considering I spent 48 weeks a year for about 4 years going into town a minimum of 5 days a week, I don't think that's a huge amount really. Obviously, it shouldn't happen at all, but I'm 5'1, I'm female, I'm a pretty easy target. :pac:

The few times I've been in London, I've been accosted by an aggressive beggar a couple of times a day (and this was in decent enough areas like Oxford/Bond Street, Kensington, etc). When I'm in Dublin, I might get one person a day asking me for change, which I ignore and walk on.

What I found that helped with the really aggressive beggars when I was a smoker was saying that I had no money on me, but I could give them a smoke. They always, without fail, thanked me and moved on after I gave them a smoke.

Kinda sucks that I don't smoke anymore. :pac: It was helpful for getting away from them!

I don't think it's as big a problem as some people make out, though. I'm not going to lie, I'll see people strung out any time I'm in town, but 99% of them leave me the fook alone, so I don't think aggressive begging is as bad as people are saying.

themandan6611

Esoteric_ wrote: »

I've been mugged three (I think, could be 4) times in Dublin CC in my lifetime. However, considering I spent 48 weeks a year for about 4 years going into town a minimum of 5 days a week, I don't think that's a huge amount really. Obviously, it shouldn't happen at all, but I'm 5'1, I'm female, I'm a pretty easy target. :pac:

The few times I've been in London, I've been accosted by an aggressive beggar a couple of times a day (and this was in decent enough areas like Oxford/Bond Street, Kensington, etc). When I'm in Dublin, I might get one person a day asking me for change, which I ignore and walk on.

What I found that helped with the really aggressive beggars when I was a smoker was saying that I had no money on me, but I could give them a smoke. They always, without fail, thanked me and moved on after I gave them a smoke.

Kinda sucks that I don't smoke anymore. :pac: It was helpful for getting away from them!

I don't think it's as big a problem as some people make out, though. I'm not going to lie, I'll see people strung out any time I'm in town, but 99% of them leave me the fook alone, so I don't think aggressive begging is as bad as people are saying.

sounds like you need a bodyguard

Esoteric_

themandan6611 wrote: »

sounds like you need a bodyguard

Three incidents in the space of god only knows how many hours of walking through town on my own and I need a bodyguard? I don't think so. I've had enough self defense training that I can look after myself just fine, but I always figure it's easier to hand over whatever's in my purse than face a man with a needle/knife.

power pants

to be mugged 4x is a ridiculous amount of times.

Esoteric_

power pants wrote: »

to be mugged 4x is a ridiculous amount of times.

In the space of four years, spending approximately 1,200 days (more than likely more, as I was usually in town on my days off, anyway) in town, having to walk up places like Talbot Street to get to work, I don't think so. Like I said, aside from spending a hell of a lot of time in town, I look like a target because I'm small and female.

My point was that while that has happened to me a few times, I might be asked for change once in a day out in town, as opposed to several times per day each time I've been in London. So no, I don't think the issue is as big as people are saying.

power pants

you really are not making much sense now. Im not going to argue over it, the main thing is that you don't think that having been mugged 4x in that big a deal. Others would

zenno

I haven't been mugged yet to this day, but maybe that's because they all sense a strangeness about me, as i carry a pen modified into a needle point with cap containing a poison from the puffer fish of very small doses not to kill but to paralyse and blind said attacker for a day or two as below...

Not all the poisons used by the ninja are fatal, some of them were used to merely paralyse or cause blindness. It is not always necessary to kill. I pitty the folks that try to mug me though they will surely regret it seriously.

http://www.entertheninja.com/fact_poisons.php

kilclon

Around 6 months ago I was collecting my girlfriend after work in the Mater Private. Pulled into a street parking space just opposite the main entrance and just as I switched off the car a junkie jumped into the passenger seat and said he was taking the car. A bit of a struggle ensued until he said he had a needle (I don't know if he had or not but he was holding his hand up as if he had). I jumped out of the car taking the keys and he legged it. Girlfriend now locks the car as soon as she gets in.
Lived in different areas of the city (Rathmines, Rathgar, Stillorgan, Fairview, Capel Street) for 5 or 6 years and never had any trouble up to this point. Problems such as illegal dumping, aggressive begging and open drug selling/taking do seem to be more prevalent where I am living now however(D1 NCR area), whether this is a new thing or area specific I don't know.

Caonima

Esoteric_ wrote: »

In the space of four years, spending approximately 1,200 days (more than likely more, as I was usually in town on my days off, anyway) in town, having to walk up places like Talbot Street to get to work, I don't think so. Like I said, aside from spending a hell of a lot of time in town, I look like a target because I'm small and female.

My point was that while that has happened to me a few times, I might be asked for change once in a day out in town, as opposed to several times per day each time I've been in London. So no, I don't think the issue is as big as people are saying.

It saddens me so much to hear this. Small woman, target for skag fiends. Lady, you need to look out for yourself. What can I say but invest in some knuckledusters and some good running shoes - smash them in the face and leg it.

power pants

worth considering that knuckle dusters are illegal and would land you in trouble if in posession of them

Also, the poster stated it was easier to hand these over incase they had a knife or syringe

Esoteric_

power pants wrote: »

worth considering that knuckle dusters are illegal and would land you in trouble if in posession of them

Also, the poster stated it was easier to hand these over incase they had a knife or syringe

That's exactly it.

The last time I was mugged was about 2 and a half years ago. It was 8am, I was on my way to work. Guy stands in front of me as I stopped to light a smoke, asked me for change. I said I had none, sorry. He moved closer, looked down and there's a syringe aimed at my thigh.

Now, I could have kneed him to the balls, I could have punched him, could have sprayed perfume in his face, or whatever else I would generally do if I'm in a situation where I need to protect myself.

However, that would run the risk of getting stuck with the needle. Or, if I didn't floor him with one punch, he'd be angry, and more likely to stick me. If I handed over my purse, I still ran the risk of being stuck with the syringe, but a lot less of a risk.

I am fully able to defend myself. I'm also not stupid enough to risk my life for fifty euro or whatever else is in my purse.