John S
6th-August-2002, 02:22 AM
I'm working in the Midlands for a few days, and went to the Leamington Spa Ceroc night.
Lovely venue, nice people, good teacher etc, but the evening was marred because 2 villains nipped in off the street, grabbed a lady's handbag and fled.
The result was very much like the scene in Tam O' Shanter, when Tam is pursued by scores of witches (well that last bit isn't quite accurate - OK, Leamington Ladies?). About 2 dozen of us pursued the baddies across parkland and along streets for about 5-10 minutes (it seemed longer), caught up with one of them (unfortunately not the one with the handbag) and gently persuaded him to stay with us until the police arrived. Your own foreign correspondent, being pretty fleet of foot for an old codger, played his part.
It did occur to me afterwards that we are sometimes very casual with our belongings at venues - basically because everyone we know who attends is honest, and anyway all the Scottish venues I have been to are pretty safe, with Door/Venue Managers.
But unfortunately it only takes one villain to sneak in and spoil it for the rest, and really no property or belongings are worth risking a knife for. So we should only bring to a dance night what we are prepared to lose - minimum money / no credit cards / only the one key etc and (in the immortal words of the sergeant in Hill Street Blues) "Hey - Let's be careful out there."
Lovely venue, nice people, good teacher etc, but the evening was marred because 2 villains nipped in off the street, grabbed a lady's handbag and fled.
The result was very much like the scene in Tam O' Shanter, when Tam is pursued by scores of witches (well that last bit isn't quite accurate - OK, Leamington Ladies?). About 2 dozen of us pursued the baddies across parkland and along streets for about 5-10 minutes (it seemed longer), caught up with one of them (unfortunately not the one with the handbag) and gently persuaded him to stay with us until the police arrived. Your own foreign correspondent, being pretty fleet of foot for an old codger, played his part.
It did occur to me afterwards that we are sometimes very casual with our belongings at venues - basically because everyone we know who attends is honest, and anyway all the Scottish venues I have been to are pretty safe, with Door/Venue Managers.
But unfortunately it only takes one villain to sneak in and spoil it for the rest, and really no property or belongings are worth risking a knife for. So we should only bring to a dance night what we are prepared to lose - minimum money / no credit cards / only the one key etc and (in the immortal words of the sergeant in Hill Street Blues) "Hey - Let's be careful out there."