The Goodness of Mod-kind

It has been a traumatic time. On Tuesday night (28 April 2020), I slept very badly, racked with anxiety about various matters, and awoke at 7am on Wednesday morning feeling terrible. I looked out of the hall window and could not believe my eyes. My beloved Vespa PX125 scooter was gone - stolen during the night.

It seemed a thief or thieves had taken it, abandoning the cover (after weeing on it) and also, bizarrely, leaving another scooter, a Honda. It was one of those occasions in life (sadly, there have been a few) when what was happening was too appalling for me to comprehend fully.

I tried to stop shaking and phoned 101 to speak to the Sussex Police call centre, where an assistant took the details and gave me a crime reference number. I mentioned the abandoned Honda scooter but, after doing a quick computer check, she told me it was not "marked" as stolen and was, therefore, not a vehicle of interest.

"Not yet," I said. "The owner may not have noticed it gone."  

After notifying my insurance company of the theft, despite being dog tired I embarked on an investigation.

First, I posted the picture my Vespa - called Amy, after Amy Winehouse - on Facebook, particularly a a page dedicated to Mods and scooters.

I was overwhelmed by the response. My first posting informing people of the theft and describing the scooter, its location and other pertinent details went on to be shared 1,300 times!

That is incredible! I want to say a heartfelt thankyou to all the Mods, other scooterists, friends and wellwishers who helped me in my hour of need.   

I phoned my neighbours Chris and Anna, who live opposite. Chris is a biker with a big Indian [brand not nationality] motorbike. They immediately asked me round to look at their CCTV footage, which caught the crime very precisely.

The two crooks arrived on the Honda scooter, abandoned it in my courtyard and then wandered up and down the tunnel opposite, checking the coast was clear.

They then ripped the cover from my Vespa, managed to break the steering lock and wheeled the scooter out of my courtyard and through the tunnel to get it to a place where they could hotwire and start it without being seen. I took a clip, showing the thieves' faces, and put it out on Facebook.

My other neighbours were also on the case. Alex, who lives opposite us, found a receipt from a garage under the seat of the abandoned Honda scooter. On it was the owner's name. There was also a Deliveroo vest.

He called Deliveroo but said they didn't seem interested in helping unite one of their riders with his scooter. Luckily, the garage called back, however, and gave us the owner's number. He turned up later, with ID, and was delighted to reclaim his bike. No thanks to the cops or his employers!

I was also very lucky. The video showed the thieves struggling to start Amy the Vespa. Obviously, they did not have the key and, therefore, kickstarting would not work.

So, I went looking for it - and, to my enormous relief, found it abandoned in the doorway of a block of flats. God, I was so relieved. My Vespa, with the windshield bought by my late mum as a birthday present for me years ago and its other additions, was irreplaceable to me.

It was slightly damaged. The thieves had tried to push in an indicator light to get to the wiring, but was basically all right.

I updated Facebook and received more supportive comments and shares. The reaction, from all over Britain, shows what a wonderful fraternity the scooter world is.

Since then I have been upping up security. Gordon, who runs Gee-Whizz Cycles, got in touch on Facebook to say he had a "ground hook", which he later sold me at trade price, and my neighbour Chris bolted it to the courtyard wall.

So, my Vespa is now chained to something solid. I also upgraded my lock and chain at B & Q in Shoreham where the check-out guy, a biker, said he had had the picture of my scooter on his phone and been looking out for it.

The kindness of so many people is awe-inspiring.

By Thursday, I had recovered enough to Clap the NHS. I think this is important. Nurses, carers, doctors and paramedics are heroically putting their lives at risk during the Covid-19 crisis.

More than that, though, I feel we need to acknowledge all the other plucky public-facing workers at this time, whether they be cleaners, bus drivers, postal workers, funeral directors, prisons staff, homelessness frontline staff and other out-facing charity workers, delivery riders, supermarket and newsagent staff and the many, many other unsung heroes of our lockdown times.

It seems strange to me how few restaurants, cafes and coffee shops are open at this time when they have not been forced to close for takeaway sales.

This makes the staff of those who have stayed open for their customers all the more special.

Why have all the major coffee shop chains fecklessly closed when they could do takeaways? Caffe Nero could have been Caffe Hero instead of Caffe Zero!

Why are McDonald's and Subway (a takeaway, for goodness sake) closed while KFC bravely manages to stay open for take outs?

People like my friend Trevor at Oh My Cod on Brighton seafront - or Mark at the Pump Room, who have kept their cafes open as takeaways, with suitable social distancing in effect in the queue, deserve a clap of appreciation!

That's why, this Thursday, I encourage you all to clap not just for the NHS but for ALL out-facing workers - whatever they do!