OK, lots of supposition going on here with very little fact to back it up.
First comment:
But I am suprised Popham cannot afford a night guard, for the amount of activity going on there.
Or at least a half-decent security system with auto-dial via GSM so it cannot be cut off. You cannot do a job like this in 5 minutes...
Night Guard paid for on our £6 landing fee, very relaxed parking fees for visitors and our cheapest fuel (plus or minus 1p) in the country. .... yep, loads of spare cash in a country that has had more than normal rainfall for most of this year. Pray tell what you base Popham's turnover assessments on?
Or 'Half Decent Security System'. What the hell does that mean, Sharks with fricking lasers?
To begin with no one at Popham is going to discuss the security arrangements with anyone that is not in the loop. The FACT is there has been an arrest and it is from first line security triggered last Sunday. Forgive us if we do not mention the systems that were also triggered.
Sir George,
It's beginning to feel a lot like a vendetta
Not really, it is a well known pattern that another attempt is often made after the first as 1) the ground has been surveyed and 2) some of the kit has been replaced or 3) there was more than we thought
Doesn't a pattern have to have more than two elements? Otherwise it is just decorative binary
Maxred
There is a subtle difference between theft, and vandalism.I was a bit surprised when the Popham event seemed to have both. A large degree of damage, coupled with some theft.
Agreed. Basingstoke is a town that has a lot of Class A drug abuse, there is more in other local towns. That does add a certain 'random' element into crime. It is not a classic 'countryside' crime.
Plod are next to useless, being reactive, instead of proactive. Sometimes a call to the local, Private Security Company, may deliver more in the way of protection, and may nip the offending 'people shaped things' in the bud, however, it is always just a PITA.
The 'plod' that spent from 8;00 to 17:00 and possibly more ( I had left) were far from useless. A lot of work was done and evidence collected. Oh, they got an arrest or two as well. They fitted that in between bouts of uselessness.
Private Security Company? You pay, we will tell them where to sit.
The Popham events, and I am in no way an expert, and far removed from it, does appear to be a case of someone upsetting someone else, and are now paying for it, unfortunately, the business owners and aircraft owners, that is.
It is true, you are in no way an expert, sorry to appear rude but what do you base this on?. Where does all this 'popham upsets everyone stuff come from?' We have very good relations with neighbours and do whatever we can to accomodate them. Does anyone know here what proactive work we do?........anyone?...... mmmmmmm....silence here........
There was a thread on here a few weeks back from someone that took offence to something. If we have gone for 25+ years and that is the only complaining thread then we have not done too badly, especially when, in my opinion, the original posters argument held no water. His actions (going public before a proper attempt to speak to the airfield manager) were unnecessary and badly done. The fact that people sprang to his defence, just seemed to show people jumping on a perceived bandwagon.
Now a few points of interest.
Popham generally has very good relations with people, we just prefer it that way. There are occasional transgressions of sense and they are dealt with sensibly. One day over a beer I will tell you how I refused to allow the RAF to issue a testiclectomy to a pilot who bust through our circuit at less than circuit height. There was no point, no one would have gained anything and they did not do it again so, right course of action. It made sure we were maked on his maps!
There have been comments on here and on Flyer about Popham's security. If you have ever been burgaled (heave forbid) and have had a visit from Crime Prevention, you are told that if someone wants to get into your house, they will. Regardless. What you can do is try to dissaude them.
Clearly I am not going to go into any detail about Popham's pre-existing security but one point, Popham has a gate. It also borders on open country and probably has close to five miles of boundaries. No one is ever likely to come in through the gate.
We got broken into, but the security has worked. The last 8 days have not been fun and they have been expensive. Most, if not all, that was moved last night has been recovered, but a lot of us were doing stuff we preferred not to for most of today.
It is not nice to get break ins but it is not nice to have speculation and supposition. We actually have done pretty well with the first incident (admittedly 8 days long) in 25 years.
And, in between all of this, the work experience lad (Sam) was taken flying today. Free of charge on someone's goodwill as Popham has always tried to get kids interested. Good for that pilot, who will never get thanked publicly, but that is what is important.
Popham is a great airfield. Come and visit us. And please stop talking about our security. It is none of your business unless you come through the fence (Hungarian Lorry drivers who lose control excepted).