There is something which has worried me about the human race, or at least the local community, in the last week.
I’m not talking world issues, I’m talking the general public’s apparent inability to step in when they see something ‘amiss’, albeit they weren’t amiss.

Leo, my typical 17 year old teenage son, had left his bicycle safely secured in the middle of the town centre whilst going to see his girlfriend on the train. It’s safer in the middle of the town as he’s already had a bike stolen from the railway station. At least there are camera’s and a fair amount of people walking past to put off any thief.

In true teenage fashion, he lost the bicycle lock key and duly walked the 3 mile trip back home (why is it we start off with good memory, lose it at about 14, regain it at about 25, then lose it forever at 55?).
“Not to worry, I’ll take some snippers and a hacksaw down tomorrow and get it sorted” said helpful Dad.

The next day came and I phoned him after his College and he said he’d be there in 5 minutes. I knew this wouldn’t happen as ‘cred’ would prevail and no teenager wants to be seen as ‘accomplice’ to anything remotely embarressing.

So I find the bike, get out my snippers and start hacking away. The cables inside the plastic sleeve were stronger than I thought for the £5 lock, so I got the hacksaw out and finished the job in a total time of around 3minutes.

My worry is that during that time I reckon on about 100 people passing me by and one person parking his bike within two meters of me.

Some people glanced from the corner of their eye. They wanted to watch but didn’t want to be seen watching.
Some watched with great interest but kept going and the rest seemed oblivious to anything other than their walk into town.

The person who parked their bike even said “Got a bit of a job there then”!

So, I’m hoping that the reason for the lack of concern is that I look a fine trustworthy citizen of high regard who everyone would trust their life to - but I doubt it!
Maybe they can’t relate to someone of around the 60 mark being a bicycle thief?

Perhaps, the most likely one, is they assume that because of CCTV camera’s being there, a 60 strong procession of Police Cars will appear from nowhere and bundle me into the back with the German Shepherd Dog sniffing my jumper still quite ripe from cl,eaning the chickens before I left.
This didn’t happen because I waited a further 5 minutes for my son to turn up.

I’ve always said “If you’ve got the front to do something, you’ll get what you’re after” and this did indeed ring true on the damp warm morning in Ashford Town Centre.

Alas, it appears the days of community responsibility and shock of anything un-toward have passed.
Too many people turn a blind eye nowadays, but worst of all, they just don’t seem to care, unless of course it’s happening to them!

Worrying isn’t it!