Seems to be getting common over here! Geo-Bomb Scare :(

[caughtatwork]

Just what was the poor guy arrested FOR exactly??

Complete this sentence
You are under arrest for......

... creating a public nuisance.

[Just a cacher]

Complete this sentence
You are under arrest for......


......wasting police time, money and resources?


......littering?

[noikmeister]

Well I guess it says something for urban nanos

[blossom*]

Well I guess it says something for urban nanos

Urban - yes. Nano - no. This cache was a container and i imagine the bigger the container, the more likely it is that people will suspect lots of explosives in there.

[noikmeister]

Well I guess it says something for urban nanos

Urban - yes. Nano - no. This cache was a container and i imagine the bigger the container, the more likely it is that people will suspect lots of explosives in there.

My exact point. I was saying that it never would have happened if it were a nano.

[blossom*]

Well I guess it says something for urban nanos

Urban - yes. Nano - no. This cache was a container and i imagine the bigger the container, the more likely it is that people will suspect lots of explosives in there.

My exact point. I was saying that it never would have happened if it were a nano.

oh

[Rainbow Spirit]

So yesterday I head out to one of my bushland caches (Koala Kapers) to do some maintenance, on the way down I notice some cops and their vehicles parked off the access road, but I don't think too much of it.

As I approached the cache, a 100mm camoed PVC pipe hung in a tree, a cop calls out that I am in danger from a possble bomb. "You mean that piece of tubing?, that's a geocache" "What's that?" he says. So I lower it down and open it, by then two more cops show up, and they are not happy. Seems a passing walker saw it hanging from the tree (it was out of position) and rang them. Just as well I happened along as they had called the bomb squad to look at it. So the next cache seeker may have just found some PVC shards at GZ! I gave them Groundspeaks address to verify what it was, they took my details, and suggested that I should put some ID on the cache, although I doubt that would help, as they didn't want to go near it! I even suggested that I could come to their station one day and give them a talk on geocaching, but they turned me down.

So you see maintaining caches is important, especially if you can save your caches from the bomb squad!

[gmj3191]

So yesterday I head out to one of my bushland caches (Koala Kapers) to do some maintenance, on the way down I notice some cops and their vehicles parked off the access road, but I don't think too much of it.

As I approached the cache, a 100mm camoed PVC pipe hung in a tree, a cop calls out that I am in danger from a possble bomb. "You mean that piece of tubing?, that's a geocache" "What's that?" he says. So I lower it down and open it, by then two more cops show up, and they are not happy. Seems a passing walker saw it hanging from the tree (it was out of position) and rang them. Just as well I happened along as they had called the bomb squad to look at it. So the next cache seeker may have just found some PVC shards at GZ! I gave them Groundspeaks address to verify what it was, they took my details, and suggested that I should put some ID on the cache, although I doubt that would help, as they didn't want to go near it! I even suggested that I could come to their station one day and give them a talk on geocaching, but they turned me down.

So you see maintaining caches is important, especially if you can save your caches from the bomb squad!

I wonder what they thought the objective of the bomb was. Koala population control?

[Rabbitto]

I have always been a supporter of cache hiders, making adjacent shop owners or home owners aware of the existence of a geocache.

It would be a case of going to see the people involved before placing the cache, explaning the sport to them showing them what will be hidden and where it will be hidden and what people will do when they find it. In most cases, there will be little objection and they will enjoy spotting geocachers and watching their exploits as they try to find the hidden cache.

If there are those who object to the cache being placed so close to their shop / home, even if is through lack of understanding the sport, the hider should thank the people, walk away and find somewhere a little further away. If they are people who do not want people acting suspiciously close to their premesis, then the hider should not put cache finders into a position where they are acting suspiciously close to their premesis or home.

Hides this close to premesis, also usually mean that the persons private property falls within the search range. The cache page should ensure that the finder has absolutely no doubt where the cache is and where it is not. It should also give the finder peace of mind to know that the nearby land owners are aware of the cache and they can search in confidence knowing that they are not causing security concerns to the nearby residents.

The hider should also take a good look at everything within 10m of their actual hide and think what private things may be broken or destroyed as part of the search. These things should be clearly pointed out on the cache page. Preferably, in these cases the hider should give exact details of the cache hide. "It is magnetised uner the green bin", "It is a nano at the base of the third lightpole from the corner" etc. These are not the sort of places for tricky hides, cryptic hints and bad co-ordinates. If it is a really well hidden or well constructed hide, the finder will be no less impressed with your workmanship just because you have told them exactly where it is. You just haven't gotten the finder to crush their garden beds, pick off suspect innocent items off of their walls and caused general concern at their loitering presence first.

Or call the bomb squad.

[blossom*]

I have always been a supporter of cache hiders, making adjacent shop owners or home owners aware of the existence of a geocache..........................................It would be a case of going to see the people involved These are not the sort of places for tricky hides, cryptic hints and bad co-ordinates. If it is a really well hidden or well constructed hide, the finder will be no less impressed with your workmanship just because you have told them exactly where it is. You just haven't gotten the finder to crush their garden beds, pick off suspect innocent items off of their walls and caused general concern at their loitering presence first.

Or call the bomb squad.

Well yes, it is definitely the way to do things in the urban areas. But what do you do about people who think any container in the bush is some sort of bomb for koala population control???

[pjmpjm]

So yesterday I head out to one of my bushland caches (Koala Kapers) to do some maintenance, on the way down I notice some cops and their vehicles parked off the access road, but I don't think too much of it.

As I approached the cache, a 100mm camoed PVC pipe hung in a tree, a cop calls out that I am in danger from a possble bomb. "You mean that piece of tubing?, that's a geocache" "What's that?" he says. So I lower it down and open it, by then two more cops show up, and they are not happy. Seems a passing walker saw it hanging from the tree (it was out of position) and rang them. Just as well I happened along as they had called the bomb squad to look at it. So the next cache seeker may have just found some PVC shards at GZ! I gave them Groundspeaks address to verify what it was, they took my details, and suggested that I should put some ID on the cache, although I doubt that would help, as they didn't want to go near it! I even suggested that I could come to their station one day and give them a talk on geocaching, but they turned me down.

So you see maintaining caches is important, especially if you can save your caches from the bomb squad!

Gee, this really gives us something to think about . . . Never considered that anyone in Sydney would even think about a bomb. The UK is a completely different social situation, because of 'the troubles' in the past.

[pjmpjm]

I have always been a supporter of cache hiders, making adjacent shop owners or home owners aware of the existence of a geocache.

It would be a case of going to see the people involved before placing the cache, explaning the sport to them showing them what will be hidden and where it will be hidden and what people will do when they find it. In most cases, there will be little objection and they will enjoy spotting geocachers and watching their exploits as they try to find the hidden cache.

If there are those who object to the cache being placed so close to their shop / home, even if is through lack of understanding the sport, the hider should thank the people, walk away and find somewhere a little further away. If they are people who do not want people acting suspiciously close to their premesis, then the hider should not put cache finders into a position where they are acting suspiciously close to their premesis or home.

Hides this close to premesis, also usually mean that the persons private property falls within the search range. The cache page should ensure that the finder has absolutely no doubt where the cache is and where it is not. It should also give the finder peace of mind to know that the nearby land owners are aware of the cache and they can search in confidence knowing that they are not causing security concerns to the nearby residents.

The hider should also take a good look at everything within 10m of their actual hide and think what private things may be broken or destroyed as part of the search. These things should be clearly pointed out on the cache page. Preferably, in these cases the hider should give exact details of the cache hide. "It is magnetised uner the green bin", "It is a nano at the base of the third lightpole from the corner" etc. These are not the sort of places for tricky hides, cryptic hints and bad co-ordinates. If it is a really well hidden or well constructed hide, the finder will be no less impressed with your workmanship just because you have told them exactly where it is. You just haven't gotten the finder to crush their garden beds, pick off suspect innocent items off of their walls and caused general concern at their loitering presence first.

Or call the bomb squad.

All geocachers, especially the newbies, ought to seriously consider this advice.

[Zalgariath]

I have always been a supporter of cache hiders, making adjacent shop owners or home owners aware of the existence of a geocache.

It would be... <snip>

Or call the bomb squad.

This should be added to the Wiki and sent to GS - All new hiders (and most old! ) should read this. Brilliant work and very well worded Rabs!

[Phetlern]

I have always been a supporter of cache hiders, making adjacent shop owners or home owners aware of the existence of a geocache.

Rabbitto's comments and thoughts are very pertinent. As the activity is becoming more prominent with stacks more players (read hiders) we should also be looking at caches we find, particularly those placed recently in very public and possibly disrupting locations and suggesting refinements.

[Happy Chappies]

Agree also that that's good advice from Rabbito - and great to counter the often overwhelming mischievous desire to create a 'high stealth' that cache can put people and the cache in sticky situations sometimes...

Here's another example from the US just recently - Certainly an odd one with the cache being an ammo box in plain sight, and (reportedly) labelled with 'high explosives' markings