Are the boys in blue trying a fob off?

[pammy]

A mate on another forum posted this this morning-

Opened the curtains this morning to find that my car had been vandalised!

Someone had pulled all the wiper blades off my window wipers and left the wipers sticking out from the windows.

When I went outside to take a better look, the side of the car that I could not see from the house was absolutely covered in big clumps of mud! The whole length of the car is absolutely plastered!

Called the police who came really quickly, but they said as no actual damage had been done to the car they could not raise a crime report just for the wipers being destroyed. They said that this was extremely unusual, and this type of damage was usually only caused by someone with a grievance, or a neighbour dispute!

I would have thought that no matter how minor the damage that this is clear criminal damage and they should file a report of the person wants to.

She lives in a small remote village in Scotland - only recently having moved in and is now rather scared. I reckon she should insist the police file a report just in case anything further happens.

 

[glojo]

I would have thought that no matter how minor the damage that this is clear criminal damage and they should file a report of the person wants to..

What happened to your neighbour is disgusting. I was trying to think how I would feel and boy would I be angy.

If the wipers were broke, damaged, then I agree, if the mud caused any type of scratch to the paintwork then there is major damage, but....... statistics rule.

I watched a documentary where a Superintendant did not get a pay rise unless his crime figures were less than the previous years!!! That is disgusting, it simply encourages liberal use of definitions, and NOT recording minor crimes.

We get the Police we deserve, we get the government we deserve. I feel for your neighbour and hopefully it will not happen again.

Regards,
John

 

[zishan03]

When I was 14 and my friend got mugged of his watch, the mugger took a pen off me and even tho the pen was worth less then £1, the police officer said that I had to make a seperate crime report to the watch being stolen.

 

[glojo]

When I was 14 and my friend got mugged of his watch, the mugger took a pen off me and even tho the pen was worth less then £1, the police officer said that I had to make a seperate crime report to the watch being stolen.

Was the 'mugging' recorded as a theft or robbery?

Statistics, statistics.

Usually if they can catch the 'mugger' it might be recorded as a robbery (providing violence was used) but if there is no chance of catching this violent criminal it might well be recorded as a theft.

Is there an offence of 'mugging'?

John the Doubter

 

[KillerHERTZ]

The Police are crap, they can only catch a theif when he's speeding past a camera on his gettaway

 

[Spinal]

The Police are crap, they can only catch a theif when he's speeding past a camera on his gettaway

Is that catch the thief, or fine the owner of the stolen car

 

[MikeL]

I wonder if this is why crime figures are "dropping" it just isn't worth reporting.

My wifes car was parked in Torquay coach station - one space away from CCTV, she had her rear lamp smashed (don't know if deliberate), we could narrow the time to a two hour period, the police weren't interested and said the CCTV wouldn't be high enough quality anyway.

So now you know where to go for a bit of safe vandalism!


Mike

still slightly disgruntled 14 mths later

 

[Benzowner]

I can't beleive what I have just read, minor petty crimes is the sort of thing that ties our police up in paperwork. Broken rear light in a car park, mud spatter on the side of a car with windscreen wipers damaged. Come on, maybe the police should have dropped the investigation into a murder to solve these rash of car crimes totally confused

 

[Howard]

I can't beleive what I have just read, minor petty crimes is the sort of thing that ties our police up in paperwork. Broken rear light in a car park, mud spatter on the side of a car with windscreen wipers damaged. Come on, maybe the police should have dropped the investigation into a murder to solve these rash of car crimes totally confused

But why should some oik who has cost us money by damaging our property get away with it ? no matter how petty the crime ....

I'm confused that you feel this way Geoff, or do you just shrug it off when someone pinches or damages something you have worked hard for ??

 

[glojo]

I can't beleive what I have just read, minor petty crimes is the sort of thing that ties our police up in paperwork. Broken rear light in a car park, mud spatter on the side of a car with windscreen wipers damaged. Come on, maybe the police should have dropped the investigation into a murder to solve these rash of car crimes totally confused

Hi Geoff,
What do you call a crime then?

If they break a headlight is that petty?

What about 'keying' a front wing?

Are you actually condoning that type of behaviour?

Sorry to disagree with you, but if a crime is not recorded ""then it never happened""

If a whole row of cars in one street had their windscreen wipers broken then are you saying that is petty and the Police should not be involved? One car per family, one complaint per family.

Regards,
John

 

[anarchy-inc]

Called the police who came really quickly, but they said as no actual damage had been done to the car they could not raise a crime report just for the wipers being destroyed. They said that this was extremely unusual, and this type of damage was usually only caused by someone with a grievance, or a neighbour dispute![/I]

I've had the same said to me a few years back when someone threw a brick in my car window. Since there would be no fingerprints, they have nothing to work with.

 

[MikeL]

I can't beleive what I have just read, minor petty crimes is the sort of thing that ties our police up in paperwork. Broken rear light in a car park, mud spatter on the side of a car with windscreen wipers damaged. Come on, maybe the police should have dropped the investigation into a murder to solve these rash of car crimes totally confused

You are quite right - a lot of crime is petty, maybe starting with some oick knicking valve caps. If they think they can get away with it then they are more likely to try other things.

Also remember something considered trivial by one person might upset and even scare someone else, I personally know someone who won't drive at night unless necessary - because of fear of breaking down. And this is in Torquay not some inner city area.

Mike

 

[Brushy]

I post on Mini2 and this is one of my more serious posts http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26274

 

[Dieselman]

I can't beleive what I have just read, minor petty crimes is the sort of thing that ties our police up in paperwork. Broken rear light in a car park, mud spatter on the side of a car with windscreen wipers damaged. Come on, maybe the police should have dropped the investigation into a murder to solve these rash of car crimes totally confused

I don't think the originator wanted the Police to stop all other activity, just to record the crime for future reference.

This CRIME falls into one or more of three catagories, vandelism, criminal damage, intimidation.

Why is that not worth recording?

 

[Ian B Walker]

There is a lot to be said for Saudi Arabian Justice. You get caught stealing and you lose your left hand, a second offence doesnt bear thinking about. The punishment is carried out, in public, at 5am on a Friday morning. It is not a pretty sight !!!! I am not suggesting for one moment that we, a civalised country, carry out such drastic measures but the crime rate there is minimal in comparison to here. Our Police just dont care, sorry, yes they do care, they care about their next pay rise, their next holiday abroad, their next couple of days off (ok sometimes well deserved). British Justice is now done with a Gatso.

Apologies to those who feel offended with this rant but at time I dispare.

 

[Thmsshaun]

I post on Mini2 and this is one of my more serious posts http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26274

Thats is disgusting british justice. Yeah right. Had My Mini vandalised outside my house it not even worth calling the police!!.

Oh and thank looks like I found a new site to post on.

We are just TOO SOFT!!!!!!! on petty crime and the ******* think they can get away with it and do get away with it so whats to stop them from doing it again

 

[Swiss Toni]

There is a lot to be said for Saudi Arabian Justice. .

Unless you are caught with a packet of pain killers in your pocket, then they lock you up...

 

[glojo]

Unless you are caught with a packet of pain killers in your pocket, then they lock you up...

Ouch!!!

Morning Toni,
It never failed to amaze me how the market stalls would have gold trinkets for sale and the stall holder might have their back turned and talking to a friend.

Having said that there is crime in Middle Eastern countries and the punishment is certainly different to what we are used to. Just don't even think about committing adultery (especially the ladies)

I read that the 'pain killer' lady was actually given tranquilizers by the authorities, then they tested her for drugs and actually found traces of the tranquilizer!!!!


Regards,
John

 

[Benzowner]

Howard, glojo & mikeL, sorry if my post was annoying to you, it was not intended. However, my experience with the police, I had my house broken into during the night when my whole familly was in bed, the police were called but did not attend, they gave me a crime number to enable me to claim on my insurance, no fingerprints taken nothing.

Had my car keyed several times over the years reported it the first time to the police, again crime number given no one sent. I, as most people have had the shopping trolly hit the car in the car park, do you call the police? I think not. I have had people reverse into me and hit me in the rear, change insurance details NO police involvement.

Whilst I appreciate in an ideal world all crimes should be recorded, a large proportion IMO should not be. A lot of petty crimes, such as keying the paintwork, breaking a light are now the hazards of life and should be treated as such.

After all, if you have told your insurance company, for example, that your car is kept on the road and not in a garage, you will be covered in case of any works having to be carried out subject to insurance excesses.

So I suppose we are being fobbed off, but we must also realise that, ok, to us its Bl**dy well anoying, but to our hard woring(? ) boys in blue it is really a minor crime and a pain in the butt to deal with and probably does merrit their full attention

All the best

Geoff

 

[kikkthecat]

I can't beleive what I have just read, minor petty crimes is the sort of thing that ties our police up in paperwork. Broken rear light in a car park, mud spatter on the side of a car with windscreen wipers damaged. Come on, maybe the police should have dropped the investigation into a murder to solve these rash of car crimes totally confused

Like Howard I find this attitude hard to believe. Minor crime is where it all starts, abuse, grafitti, vandalism etc. The more they get away with then the more they believe they CAN get away with and crime just escalates. It starts with damaging the wipers and goes on until it's car theft then maybe burgulary and muggings. And muggings soon turn into killings, people have died in this country for a baseball cap or a mobile phone, commited by someone who believed they could "get away with it"

New York started a program of zero tolerance and an awful lot of people found themselves arrested and punished for what they thought were "minor infringements" that didn't matter. They did matter because the crime rate dropped at all levels as people soon realised they couldn't get away with it any longer
Now that city has its lowest crime rate for 25 years with robberies halved and murders down by two thirds in 10 years.

Zero tolerance..... Bring it on.