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Thread: Have A Look At This

  1. #1

    Default Have A Look At This

    Thought this would make interesting reading. Have a look at the archive log for

    http://coord.info/GC2H9A2

    Over reaction by the police? Things blown up (excuse the pun) out of all proportion and the story embellished?

  2. #2

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    I saw the news report on BBC Look North news; the bomb squad brought one of those little Wall-E type crawler robots and everything:

  3. #3

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    Don't you think permission should of been aquired by the Geo-cacher from the Cafe owner or whoever owned the building. That way no one would of called the police as it would of been known as a game.

    Yesterday I did a series and one of the caches was in a hedge in some-ones garden and another was across a field surrounded by an electric fence and full of horses. Which was telling me it was PRIVATE and not to enter. I am not knocking anyone as I really enjoy geo-caching. But surely the regulators should not allow these sort of caches to be published. I don't attempt them and walk by.

    If that cache was in a place I felt I was putting myself in danger, school playground or on Private land I don't do them.

  4. #4

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    I think that you are getting the wrong end of the stick. The planter was on the street and didn't belong to the cafe owner. Permissions is always going to be a sticky subject, especially for those who haven't placed any caches. It comes down to common sense. I have a similar cache out. It is near a bank, takeaway, supermarket and flower shop. If I had to go every shop trying to explain what I was doing then I wouldn't have bothered. Part of the fun of the urban cache is the stealth that needs to be deployed in retrieving it, not only for the finder but also for the CO who has placed it.

    The cache was misrepresented (as usual) in the news report as the CO has categorically denied that any wires were sticking out of the container.
    Last edited by Jacaru; 2nd July 2011 at 03:02 PM. Reason: Adding extra wording

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jacaru View Post
    The cache was misrepresented (as usual) in the news report as the CO has categorically denied that any wires were sticking out of the container.

    But The cache was covered in black tape, and DID have a cable tie attached to assist removing it, so anyone looking under the planter where light isn't going to be good, might not be able to make out the difference between a cable tie and a piece of wire. Also it sounds like the cache was a snug fit (see comments on the cache page about having to wriggle it to get it out), so putting yourself in the position of a bomb disposal chap:


    • Someone spotted acting suspiciously, on their phone (it looks like the bloke involved is an iPhone cacher) and hiding a box under a planter.
    • You can't get a good look at it but there's clearly a box of some kind which someone has taken steps to wrap up in order to ensure that you can't see what's in the box.
    • There's something 'wire like' attatched to/sticking out of the box.
    • The box can't be easily extracted for a closer look without wriggling/shaking it.

    So you have 2 options:

    • Risk it and pull it out for a closer look.
    • Take the the safe option and send in a robot to blow it up.


    What are you going to do, it's your call but it could be the last decision you ever make :-(
    Last edited by martybartfast; 2nd July 2011 at 03:40 PM.

  6. #6

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    I have just received this posting on my blog which is from the cacher whose cache was blown up.

    "I was the cache owner. As soon as I became aware of the suspect package, I phoned the police to identify myself as the owner and the cache as innocuous.

    Today the police came to visit me. I have got off lightly but less so than the poor Geocacher who visited the cache yesterday and was arrested. When I asked as to his fate, the policeman said it would be wrong to tell me what had happened to him but that he had been dealt with without going to court, but it would likely affect his future career. Read into that what you will.

    This was the first that this particular set of police had heard of geocaching.

    The police also got me to show all other geocaches in the area. They then instructed me to pass on the following message to everybody in the area with caches on or near the A1:

    "Sergeant Bilton - The device in Wetherby caused massive disruption for a period of about 4 hours. An estimated emergency services bill is around £35,000, not including loss of revenue for businesses who had to shut for most of the day. I can see from the website there are several next to or close to the A1. These need to be removed ASAP. If you wish to discuss it with me by all means please contact me at Wetherby police station on 0113 2855374."

    I am terribly upset at the disruption and ramifications my cache has caused. I'm upset on many levels: the stress caused to locals, the use of resources, the effect on local businesses etc. and on the caching community.

    I would ask those who know my identity please treat it as confidential to avoid potential repercussions should the local media identify me as being responsible for the whole thing."

    My opinion.

    That no one in that particular force has heard of geocaching, it has had enough publicity in the last few months that surely someone would have heard of it. The One Show, BBC Breakfast, Countryfile.

    To ask that caches along the A1 be removed ASAP seems to be an over the top reaction.

    I for one will be calling Sgt Bilton tomorrow to let him know my feelings. I wonder whether one of the GAGB committee should also give him a call to put forward the positive aspects of caching.

    Bearing in mind that there are A Road Anarchy caches all over the country.

    I know of one close friend and prolific cacher, finds and placements, who has today withdrawn a number of their urban caches due to what happened in Wetherby, this person is a retired police officer. I know of quite a few cachers who are members of the police force in the country.

    If this is the way that caching is going, I can see a lot of experienced and respected cachers giving up, leaving the caching community a lot worse off.
    Last edited by Jacaru; 2nd July 2011 at 07:24 PM. Reason: rewording

  7. #7

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    I think we will avoid urban caches for a while and enjoy the countryside for now.

    I personally feel that this is a gross over reaction by the police sgt concerned, just who does he think he is when he can declare an exclusion zone around the A1.
    If the cacher who was arrested has been given a police caution that will affect his future then I feel that he has good grounds for an appeal.
    Last edited by DrDick&Vick; 2nd July 2011 at 08:37 PM.

  8. #8

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    A lot of people only do urban caching, for one reason or another, so I don't think just avoiding them is an answer, joking or not.

  9. #9

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    This reminds me of a cache that was blown up in the US some years ago - not the only one to suffer that fate there, by any means.

    If memory serves me correctly, the cache was in a little one-horse town in the desolate open spaces of the south-west, under a coin-operated children's ride outside a drugstore. It had been placed with the permission of the drugstore's owner.

    Someone saw a man with two young children apparently acting suspiciously by the ride, and called the local Sheriff, who unfortunately was a man of very little brain. The Sheriff took a look and saw a lunchbox under the ride. He immediately sealed off the area and called in the bomb squad, who blew the lunchbox to kingdom come.

    You can choose a location that couldn't possibly have any strategic or military importance, you can gain the permission of the landowner, and you can label your cache and include contact details, but you can't protect your cache against a little man with a big badge and absolutely no common sense.
    ​​Do not go gentle into that good night.
    Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (Dylan Thomas)​


  10. #10

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    In January this year, Wemnog and I found a cache, albeit a nano, just outside New Scotland Yard in London. The police saw us furtively reaching for the cache, wound down the window of their car and asked what we were doing. We explained, the officers reacted humoursly. No heavy handed tactics, no arrest and we signed the log and went happily on to another cache around the corner. That's central London, not a (forgive me) unasuming town in Yorkshire.

  11. #11
    FuzzyBears Guest

    Default GAGB Reply???

    Can I ask a few things
    Has the GAGB contacted the policeman to explain geocaching and to sort out this problem.... because if they contact geocaching.com these caches will be GONE no questions Gone just like the London parks
    What is being done to help the cacher who now has, it seems, a criminal record for just looking for plastic.. it could be any of us next
    You say you represent geocachers in the UK now's your chance to do so

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jacaru View Post
    In January this year, Wemnog and I found a cache, albeit a nano, just outside New Scotland Yard in London. The police saw us furtively reaching for the cache, wound down the window of their car and asked what we were doing. We explained, the officers reacted humoursly. No heavy handed tactics, no arrest and we signed the log and went happily on to another cache around the corner. That's central London, not a (forgive me) unasuming town in Yorkshire.
    The difference is that the Met know all about Geocaching, they know where the caches are hidden, they have a description and pictures of them, and they even have a Geocaching liason officer:

    https://www.gagb.org.uk/agreement_view.php?p=40

    Maybe North Yorkshire Police should do something similar.

  13. #13

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    Just to add a little bit of context to the whole thing, I don't expect many of us really know what's involved in a controlled explosion, perhaps you have visions of windows shattering and a plume of smoke, well here's a video of a recent 'controlled explosion' in Skengness: Youtube link , go to about 4:25 to get to the 'exciting bit'. As you can see it's effectively a robot shooting the package with a shotgun shell, not terribly exciting.

    I've also just read a post on the offending cache page from someone who works for the Police who finished up by saying

    not sure what grounds they would have to Caution or otherwise dispose of the Cacher who was arrested, Refuse charge/No Further Action would have been the sensible option!
    Which seems eminently sensible and proportionate to me, pity the officer dealing with this incident didn't see it like that!

    (just posted the same on the Frog site forum)

  14. #14

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    To bring this down to my level.....I notice that the cache has been marked as "needs maintence"

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by FuzzyBears View Post
    Can I ask a few things
    Has the GAGB contacted the policeman to explain geocaching and to sort out this problem.... because if they contact geocaching.com these caches will be GONE no questions Gone just like the London parks
    What is being done to help the cacher who now has, it seems, a criminal record for just looking for plastic.. it could be any of us next
    You say you represent geocachers in the UK now's your chance to do so
    Just back from a weekend away and have been reading up on this incident. We intend to approach the Police. Would anyone with further information related to this please contact me through my profile.


    Caching since 2001
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  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jacaru View Post
    If I had to go every shop trying to explain what I was doing then I wouldn't have bothered.
    All true, and further; you'd have to go along every day just in case a shop had new staff, or in case someone was on holiday when you first explained it and is now back, or in case there's a new business there (etc.). Hardly practical. Permission is neither here nor there as it wouldn't have prevented such an incident.

    What should have happened is that the policeman takes the report and says "It's a geocache. There's a few of them on my beat and I check them regularly. It's harmless; don't worry about it.".

    I had an urban geocache once that the police were aware of, and apparently they used it for training purposes (search skills, presumably).

  17. #17

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    Journo now wanting to do an interview with some cachers to discuss the subject - https://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/in...c=277184&st=50

    One for someone from the GAGB??
    @T_S_S on Twitter

  18. #18

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    I decided to broach the subject with my local policeman and he was very interested in knowing more, so am going to have a more detailed discussion with him and the other area officers to see if we can avoid any over reaction or time wasted etc in future, at least in my area. I will let you all know how it goes.

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