Beware the car thieves

[Corky]

He’d just taken delivery of a very nice 7 series BMW. Another neighbour was car jacked in Mcr for his Golf GTi.

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As Geraint says...

Crime prevention can be simple and obvious but in the everyday rush of our personal lives we can become complacent.

Just try and make your own property more difficult to take than elsewhere.....

OR simply less attractive. It's not rocket science to notice that all drug dealers, villains and crooked multimillionaires want to be seen in flash beemers and Audis, so... er, DON'T GET ONE !! Get a 10-year old Jag like I have, still has reasonable perfomance, all the luxuries and electric everything, but your average villain wouldn't be seen dead in one. AND it has a real key...

We can’t blame the victims

We all have right to live within the law and have a reasonable expectation to be protected by it and its agents.

[Rattling]

No we can't blame the victims,but I'm not sure how much we can rely on our law enforcement agents either,as they assume everything is insured so give you a crime number to go away and in the case of car theft they are difficult to drive home in

[ScimmyMike]

somebody care to explain why it was thought to be a good idea to have this keyless system please, what was wrong with pressing a button to unlock your precious motor in the first place, can understand the switch from key to fob system, that makes sense, this is why I tend to buy older cars, for one they are les desirable, another they cost less and are usually less complicated to fix when they go wrong and for me lastly the bloody mileage I drop on them would make a newish cars worth tuppence halfpenny after two years

[Corky]

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The Victims I refer to are those of vehicle theft or aggravated vehicle theft. Nowt else

[AllingtonGT]

somebody care to explain why it was thought to be a good idea to have this keyless system please, what was wrong with pressing a button to unlock your precious motor in the first place, can understand the switch from key to fob system, that makes sense, this is why I tend to buy older cars, for one they are less desirable, another they cost less and are usually less complicated to fix when they go wrong and for me lastly the bloody mileage I drop on them would make a newish cars worth tuppence halfpenny after two years

It's part of the 'lifestyle sell' required to keep punters wanting to change their cars at a regular interval. If all cars remained the same they would not stimulate demand, so they solve problems we don't know we have and make the new chattel appealing whilst it gets ever more complex. It also has a good upside when we pay them to try and fix it for us. The ten year obsolescence 'target' becomes a greater reality the more complex the vehicle is and it's much more likely something horrible will happen that makes it uneconomic to repair. Go buy a newer even more complex car!

Technology looking for a problem isn't unique to the car industry and neither is the need for ever more complex solution to resolve the original design shortcomings. Of course this particular issue won't be a problem going forward with electric automated driver-less cars that you don't own. You buy a service from your manufacturer of choice and the car arrives outside your house at the time specified when ordered on your smart phone. How you then avoid the retail marketing opportunity and being fleeced in the back of the car, then becomes your biggest problem. I guess you just buy the upgraded advert free premium service?

I'm not sure that the threat to home and family is made any worse by the technology in the cars, but the high 'value' of many of the vehicles when new does make them a target. With all the security devices on the car, VIN and id on many of the major parts, ANPR cameras and general surveillance everywhere, it seems less likely you'd be able to use or dispose of a car 'whole', so are these cars being taken mainly to fix crashed vehicles of a similar type?

I'm with Corky though, if they want the car I want them to take it, without fear of threat or anguish to my family. Not sure the insurance company would be quite so happy that I left it open with the key on the front seat though.

[erikscimitardemon]

Main problem was, is and will be, some people steal, some people buy stolen goods knowingly.
We can never change that. Even capital punishment did not stop horse thieves in ancient times.

[Corky]

Main problem was, is and will be, some people steal, some people buy stolen goods knowingly.
We can never change that. Even capital punishment did not stop horse thieves in ancient times.

Sadly true....

Although, when I visited Qatar a couple of years ago you couldn't move in Doha (the capital city) for overt displays of wealth. Theft is virtually unheard of, and there is a good reason that, the punishment is unbelievably severe !
I'm not advocating those sorts of punishments in the UK. But when you watch any of the reality cop shows here you can't help but stare is disbelief, when at the end of the show, they inform you of the lenient punishments handed out to the criminals they've been chasing. I saw one the other night where a 15 year old who'd failed to stop for the police (yes he was driving a friends car) got a 12 month ban . What was the point of that?

[AJL Electronics]

I'm with Corky though, if they want the car I want them to take it, without fear of threat or anguish to my family.

I disagree. It is because people roll over and give in that these lowlives get away with it. At some point we have to stand up and say enough is enough. Even now most people at the scene of a crime are such cowards that they cower behind things (but remember to take a video for their Farcebook page) and will not even consider trying to help.

For those of us who were born in a more socially responsible era, it would be instinctive to get in there and attempt to help, regardless of risk. It's that bloody Elf 'n Safe Tea culture that we have, wrapping everyone in cotton wool and stopping anyone doing anything physical, in case they get something horrible like a broken fingernail.

[AllingtonGT]

I'm with Corky though, if they want the car I want them to take it, without fear of threat or anguish to my family.

I disagree. It is because people roll over and give in that these lowlives get away with it. At some point we have to stand up and say enough is enough. Even now most people at the scene of a crime are such cowards that they cower behind things (but remember to take a video for their Farcebook page) and will not even consider trying to help.

For those of us who were born in a more socially responsible era, it would be instinctive to get in there and attempt to help, regardless of risk. It's that bloody Elf 'n Safe Tea culture that we have, wrapping everyone in cotton wool and stopping anyone doing anything physical, in case they get something horrible like a broken fingernail.

Andy, you know I look like a bulldog chewing a wasp, nickname is Spike and am not generally known for walking on by - ever.

The underlying issue for sure is one of education and respect and why in the current day people feel it is ok to covert other peoples property and think they can just take it by force if necessary. The decision for me is that the chattel is replaceable, the people are not and their peace of mind and confidence difficult to heal if they've been threatened. Over time I think we see that meeting force with force has proven exhausting. Education and perhaps all becoming Buddhists eschewing material goods might be the answer, but undesirable to capitalism....

[Corky]

I'm with Corky though, if they want the car I want them to take it, without fear of threat or anguish to my family.

I disagree. It is because people roll over and give in that these lowlives get away with it.

It's that bloody Elf 'n Safe Tea culture that we have, wrapping everyone in cotton wool and stopping anyone doing anything physical, in case they get something horrible like a broken fingernail.

We are poles apart on this one Andy , but I enjoy the debate and I respect your opinion.

My stance is nothing to do with cowardice or giving in, it's about protecting my family and not wanting an intruder in my house. Believe me, if someone did take my possessions either by breaking in or using a range extender, I most certainly wouldn't let it lie.

[derekoss]

Hi,
I don't mind being responsible and looking after my own stuff. Stuff I worked hard for so not interested in excuses about it being attractive to lazy gits.
Society clearly can't.
But I'd like unfettered rights to do so.

Derek

[AntC]

Burgulars don’t see the victims of theft as losing out because they think that insurance companies replace or refund any losses. I have met a few in my old volunteering occupations and they have no feeling of guilt what so ever.

[AJL Electronics]

I met plenty during my prison work. They have a funny mentality. They have a hierarchy of their own and have the idea that one sort of scumbag is somehow morally superior to another, hence the need for Rule 43 etc. They also (as stated above) have no concience whatsoever.

I recall getting on YO on his own one day and had a chat with him about his offending. The question I posed was this..."If you had worked really hard and finally managed to afford a nice car with all the things you wanted, how would you feel if someone like yourself took it from you?" Answer came "I would just go out and steal another one". Such a shame that there is no rehabilitating 99% of inmates, despite the best efforts of the bleeding heart brigade.

[Oxymoron]

I was an insurance claims inspector until recently and virtually all household break ins were for cash, gold, jewelry and car keys!
The burglars don't even bother with electrical goods these days as they're so cheap to buy and difficult to sell on!
Been to plenty of burglaries where the thieves have driven off with their haul using the family car parked on the drive too!