PlayStation robbers put boy, 12, in hospital

[wraggster]

Source (http://www.barnettimes.co.uk/news/barnetcrime/display.var.718844.0.playstation_robbers_put_boy_1 2_in_hospital.php)

Police are urging children to leave expensive gadgets at home after a violent robbery landed a 12-year-old boy in hospital.

The boy was robbed of his PlayStation Portable (PSP) games console on Friday at about 4pm, as he was leaving school in Hendon.

The games machine was one of this year's best-selling Christmas presents, but the £200 device is proving attractive to muggers.

Police revealed earlier this year that two-thirds of all street robberies involve the theft of expensive electronic equipment, and officers now fear that the PSP will follow the iPod as the target of choice.

The attack happened in Downage, when a group of teenagers approached the boy near his school gates.

He was thrown to the ground, injuring his hand, while his PSP and mobile phone were stolen. The boy was taken to Barnet Hospital, suffering concussion, cuts and bruising, and remained there over the weekend.

There have been two violent thefts involving PSP machines since they came onto the market at Christmas.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Murray Duffin, of Barnet police, said: "Sadly, small portable items of technology are just too much of a temptation to some of the criminal fraternity and things like PSPs and iPods that are not used in school should maybe be left safely at home or kept well out of sight when in the street.

"The amount of violence used in this attack was unnecessary and gratuitous and we would hope that anyone with any information about this incident will contact us quickly."

Sad *******s

[bullhead]

ass moles! maybe sony should put a psp locator in the next firmware. Like some people have with their cars or pets. Then if the psp is stolen it could be tracked down and whoever stole it can be burned.

[pepegomez]

well, thats why u should never show ur stuff in public...
not the gameboy in the past and not ur psp now.
but if u look like a beast or something that fears others..
i dont even if im mature enouh to not get robbed...
especially kids are perfet to rob...
i dunno if that happens only in the USA but r here in germany,, we are fairly save for theft ^^

[bullhead]

uh huh.

[Amiga]

they want stringing up by their short and curlies.

[The_Ultimate_Eggman]

*******S !!! nuff sed me thinks

[iniquitous_beast]

Ironic, isn't it? Sony designs a system that is meant to be taken outside of the user's home; however, public use of such a device is discouraged by theft. Perhaps people wouldn't be so inclined to steal them if they didn't cost so much. Used psp's sell for about $160 on ebay.

One has to wonder though about the state of our education system when a kid can find the free time to use a psp while in school. Either he was not paying attention to his classes, or he had a lot of Study Halls. Any way, his teachers should have confiscated that psp from him. If it distracts students and attracts bullies and thieves, then kids should not be allowed to have them in school.

[bullhead]

That is so true beast.

[Doom edit]

i suppose the safest use of it would be on trips in areas that u r and others arn't.

[gov1]

MOTHER F***ERS!
its the psp
play station PORTABLE
no MOTHER F***ING A** HOLE should try and steal one, and those mo fos that do should go and bye their F**KIN OWN!

i saved 5 months working weekends to buy my psp if some MO FO tried to steal it, it wouldnt be me walking away with the broken arm.

an also im still in school (15yr old) and sometimes the psp is the only one of my outlets for stress (i only use at dinners and breaks)

PS: BURN IN HELL PStealerP'ers

[rock_light]

Damn poor lil guy. On one hand I feel so bad for that kid. If I were his age with a bloody PSP I wouldn't take a s**t without that thing being away from my side let alone taking it to school.

Let this be a lesson to us all.

Not very many 12 year olds have a PSP that arent rich kids. (If any)
I sure as heck know none of my parents would be able to get me psp when I was 12. (I would have found a way anyways though just not till a price drop)

Now I kinda feel more sorry for kids like me who went to school with that kid.

If you saw a little leaprechaun running around with a pot-of-psp wouldnt you be at least a little tempted to chase him down for it?

The lesson to be learned here is...

BE DESCRETE IN PUBLIC...

-When I am on the bus or anywhere less private than a friends house I play my GBA Micro.

If you are a fiend for games that bad you probobly already have one anyways. Sure these arent free but they would be a lot less to lose than your PSP w/ your new ext battery, 2GB mem & GTA UMD eh?

$650 vs $110

-Those trademark headphones. White is VERY noticeable. Also PSP headphones are most commonly mistaken for iPODs. Now who doesnt want one of those!

Who doesnt own a pair of old headphones or earbuds anyways. Go ask your friend he does. Now you could be listening to your piece of junk Discman for all anyone knows and no one likes your taste in music anyways so bam your safe.

-Your friend has a new used psp and yours just went missing.

Well now your screwed or are you. All PSPs are in some way trackable cuz they got the MAC adress inside. Make sure to keep a record of your serial numbers and MAC adress! If those aren't enough consider scratching or painting a mark on the inside of the psp or under the battery. I have been able to expose some so called friends in the past using this method.

This is probobly not a good tip for most of you but where I live there are a lot of junkies and robberies etc. Almost everything I own is portable and thus why PSP is my fave system! I always keep portable LEGAL defensive items in my backpack. They dont have good or cheap enough insureance for cheap laptops so this is what i chose.

This PSP is safe as it's ever going to be. I hope it's enough.

So please dont taunt or tantalize those less fortunate with your PSP and practice descreet PSP usage. I know your proud. But at what price do you want the world to know?


Sorry for the rant / lesson. =p

[The_Ultimate_Eggman]

Any way to find out who the lil guy is perhaps we could have a collection ???

[yamaneko]

here in the brazil, i do play my PSP in to bus :), no problem with thiefs ;)

[John Vattic]

-edit: 1timeuser. Insulting a large group of people isnt a very good way to get your point made. Dont make posts in our forum if your going to post retarded crap like this again.

[bullhead]

I always carry a large stabbing knife. to stab if i am to be robbed or to stab if someone elses is getting robbed. to me thats grand theft and punishible by death. talk about hacking for a psp!!!! i would go to jail for cuttin up someone who tried to rob me. America sucks.

robbing other people is low. even lower than President Busch :mad: who is a robber/thug/evil/*******/scoundrel/psycho/villian/scumbag/white trash etc.
Really? You're insane. Robbing people is low. Is stabbing them and sentencing a thief to death low? Would you describe yourself as an ambassador for your people?

[felonyr301]

just be cautious when using out in public like when im on the train i tend to check the area out and if its normal then ill take it out and every couple of minutes i take a lil break and check out the scenery you know and check when ever somebody new comes in the train or bus jjust a word of advice...

[calebg]

he shouldnt have a psp out in public anyway he got what he deserved. PWNED

[Apoklepz]

I've read this article before in PSP Updates and thought I'd share what I posted over there with you guys...

I was there to prevent a similar situation...

Last saturday I was babysitting my little sister in law who is 13 years old, and loves to play Zelda games on my PSP, while in the car. We stopped at a gas station in my local neighborhood to get gas & some drinks, and I told her to stay locked up in the car, that I'd be back shortly. From inside the gas shop, I could see her inside the car playing away in Hyruleland while all the sudden these two guys, who looked ages 16 to 18 were looking at her very closely from outside the car's window. I stepped out of the gas station, dropping everything instantly, and as I quickly approached the car I looked at them & said; "You kids loose something?" I glanced at my little sis inside the car and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. One of the punks dumbly said toward me "She's got a PSP" and the other one stared back at him very seriously as if telling him to shut it. I replied; "No kidding" "How much you want for it? It's mine". There was silence, and I said "What, no money?" "Then get a job & get going". Then an adult stepped out of the gas shop & asked if there was a problem. The other guy finally talked and said No, and then they left. I'm never leaving my little sister alone even for 3 seconds....and It's not about her having the PSP, even though I get a lot of fun out of it, I care much more about her safety.

Some people over at that forum didn't take me seriously and started posting worthless insults and other ignorant crap. If anybody wants to view what went on here's the link:

http://pspupdates.qj.net/12-year-old-kid-hospitalised-due-to-PSP-theft/pg/49/aid/14184#comments

I like to view both sites for my PSP needs, but I've learned that PSP Updates sports a lot of immature jerks. I'm not even going to bother posting there any longer.

[calebg]

is this a true story

[Apoklepz]

True as day...happened last saturday here in miami, florida while I was getting gas with my relative playing in my car. Why would I lie? I'm 27, an avid gamer, proud parent of a 2 year old girl, and a great guy once you get to know me. Hello BTW.

[calebg]

My Bad

[benh]

sad ******s

[bullhead]

Holy crap, There are a lot of jerks over there (qj). Theres a lot of people like that at psp3d.
You dont get as much here.

[Apoklepz]

I know. Specially that guy Funetik, whom I argue with. I really don't like to judge people, but man....he's real messed up.

I just think it's to sad that most parents don't convey a "streetwise" message to their kid anymore, if you know what I mean. They're so sure that they'll learn everything in life from school, and that's were they fail to see many of the accidents that can surround the kids life as they grow up. And I'm not talking about being extra paranoid about their security, just having some decnt time to tell them about stuff that happens in the real world, that's all.

[bullhead]

Life may be proving a difficult experience for him. But same for me and i dont verbally assult people. Forgot his pills.

[Apoklepz]

You're a cool guy/girl, Bull. Thanks for your time and most of all for listening. The world can use more people like you.Respect. & calebg, you didn't do nothin' wrong, so chill :cool:

[bullhead]

Aw shucks.

[NeoXCS]

I bring my PSP to school every once in a while. A few of my friends got em and we play some wifi games. Also it's pretty nice to have one on finals when you get done and have 2 - 3+ hrs within the day of doing nothing. I don't hide mine or be discrete about it, of course I'm cautious and put it away when I'm not using it. (Unlike my friend who left his sitting on a table and got it swiped =P) I guess violence isn't that bad here for the most part though.

[crazy_biker420]

use the security feature

[bullhead]

You mean the wrist strap?