Sad State of Affairs on car thefts

[rf065]

London's 'car theft epidemic' as 2,000 cases a month go unsolved

More than 70 cars a day are stolen in the capital

uk.yahoo.com

 

[rf065]

And this will likely be the police response if it happens to you!

Man uses Google Earth to track down £23k car stolen from his home

Jayy Robinson, 23, woke up to find thieves had broken into his house and had taken the keys to his Seat and a Volkswagen Golf.

www.theargus.co.uk

 

[st13phil]

The Police will - with some justification - say that they don't have the resources to address the volume of car thefts, but we've been here before. Many times. It goes like this:

1. Police reduce focus on car thefts
2. Car thieves note the diminished chance of getting caught & sanctioned, so increase their activity
3. Police then say that the volume of car thefts is so high that they don't have sufficient resources to deal with it
4. Car thefts increase further due to the infinitesimally small chance of the perpetrators getting caught
5. There's a public outcry that car thefts are endemic and are going unsolved
6. Politicians pressure Police to "do something" about car thefts
7. Police set up dedicated car theft team(s)
8. Through the diligent efforts of those dedicated teams the small number of organised gangs responsible for the majority of the thefts are disrupted and largely taken out of circulation
9. Car thefts drop
10. Police disband the dedicated car theft team(s)
11. Return to step #2

 

[ALFAitalia]

I don't think the current rates of theft are too bad....for example, my mate Big Johnny 6 fingers has loads of cars that he's recently acquired "really cheap".....he must have 50 or more Range Rovers and ALFA Quads with a sprinkling of Supercars.....none have been stolen yet....and he keeps them all in central London....maybe its the safe location (under the elevated section of the M4) that keeps them safe. and out of sight of the villains. ........or maybe its his Head Of Security Billy "Hatchet in the head" Hardman doing such a cracking job! There must have been the odd bit a vandalism that's escaped Billys steely glare though as, when I was looking at them, I noticed most of them had a broken drivers windows and broken ignition switches....bloody criminals. If anyone is after a "bargain" car Johnny is doing some great deals....cash only of course. Unfortunately he has misplaced the box with all the keys in so you will need to trailer it away.....and due to his admin lady (Vera "Switchblade" Stiletto.....lovely old girl......firm but fair) being "away" on "holiday" for a few weeks....or was it months??...you will need to sort the V5 yourself too. Anything you want that he does not have in stock?.....not a problen for good old Billy and co........it will be in stock by the morning!!

 

[Will]

I think a huge part of the current problem is technology - in days gone by car thieves would be breaking into cars and hot wiring them, then later on the norm breaking into homes or fishing letterboxes for the keys.

Nowadays it’s lucky dip with high end cars and keyless entry, thieves have almost zero chance of getting caught. It’s a lot easier to steal cars and much harder to catch people doing it.

Unless you are awake every night between midnight and 5am or have 24/7 security (most people don’t and thieves will always find somewhere that doesn’t) how would you ever know?

No car alarm sounding, no broken glass, no banging, no breaking into houses. Just a car vanishing off a driveway or the roadside in the dark of night. And if they’re unsuccessful, they leave without a trace.

The Police have to shoulder some responsibility, but the game has moved on.

I had an attempt about four years ago now, which was unsuccessful and I caught a gang in the act. What I found frustrating was that it wouldn’t have been impossible to have tracked the thieves, potentially interrupting their operation but the police took little interest in this and never followed anything up.

Prevention is key, take reasonable precautions and avoid becoming another statistic.

 

[AnnasMerc83]

What else would you expect in a cost of living crisis?
When people in work gotta use the food bank, people gonna turn to crime in larger nos.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

What else would you expect in a cost of living crisis?
When people in work gotta use the food bank, people gonna turn to crime in larger nos.

Yes, it’s tough for Albanian gangs trying to make an honest living. The cost of exporting shiploads of £100k Range Rovers, Lambos and Ferraris is just ridiculous these days. The overheads!

If there’s one thing we know about these kids, it’s that they’re not stealing absurdly expensive vehicles to buy pasta and sauce from the Coop.

 

[Petrol Pete]

The thought that someone is stealing a almost new high end Range rover and selling it on to bread and nappies is hilarious

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

The thought that someone is stealing a almost new high end Range rover and selling it on to bread and nappies is hilarious

Desperate single mums out there, breaking down 2023 Range Rovers for parts and selling them at the school gates and on EBay?

Range Rover Sport retains top spot of most stolen and recovered cars

 

[st13phil]

What I found frustrating was that it wouldn’t have been impossible to have tracked the thieves, potentially interrupting their operation but the police took little interest in this and never followed anything up.

And there, in one sentence, is a description of the root of the problem. Organised theft gangs acting with impunity because the Police “are too busy”.

 

[clk320x]

Unless you are awake every night between midnight and 5am or have 24/7 security (most people don’t and thieves will always find somewhere that doesn’t) how would you ever know?

A loud dog is a good deterrent. Well - hopefully!

 

[ToeKnee]

A loud dog is a good deterrent. Well - hopefully!

Especially if you leave it in the car......

 

[ALFAitalia]

Someone do gooder would soon smash the window to end the "cruelty"!......however you can leave a child in the car in 90 degree weather all day long and no one would care less!!!

 

[Petrol Pete]

Dog in car , just yesterday small BMW in local carpark with (rather pathetic) alarm going on and off . noted one window wound down about 10mm and a dog sat on the back seat .

I just walked on by . In no mood to come face to face with a UK dog 'Lover' . Not sure if could trust myself to stop at only breaking his/her car window.

But I digress.

 

[ALFAitalia]

If the weather was anything like here the dog was more likely to drown in the car due to water coming through that gap than be killed by the heat!!!

 

[m80]

If the weather was anything like here the dog was more likely to drown in the car due to water coming through that gap than be killed by the heat!!!

Aye, I'm trying to understand why there is an issue.