As much as playground politics might like to tell you that finders keepers losers weepers, a stolen car is the sort of thing you are going to want to get back yourself.
It was only a couple of months back that a British lad managed to buy back his old stolen car, but another couple from the capital decided they would take further action after being let down by police.
Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson were well prepared when it came to their stolen Jaguar, which went missing from their west London home in Brook Green on Wednesday morning last week.
They had an air tag fitted and were able to track the car to Chiswick, but police allegedly said they were unable to offer immediate assistance after the pair called 999.
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Fortunately, the £46k car also has high tech buttons that meant the car would only start once the right combination was hit, and thieves were only able to snatch away the car's interior and carpets.
Posting on LinkedIn, Ms Forbes Pirie wrote: "[Is] it right that the police seem to have no interest in investigating what is likely to have been a reasonably sophisticated operation involving a flat bed truck… if there are no consequences, what is the incentive for people not to do more of this.
"The police are under-resourced and it’s a shame. But if there aren’t any consequences to people stealing cars or a lot of the other crimes where there aren’t any consequences, then I don’t really see what the deterrent is to stop people from doing it more."
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Unsurprisingly, a Jaguar doesn't feature on a list of the UK's ten most stolen cars, so it's always worth taking measures to protect your car, even if you don't think it's worth stealing.
Speaking to LADbible, Met Police said: "On Tuesday, 3 June at 10:06hrs, police were alerted to the theft of a vehicle on Sterndale Road, W14.
"Officers spoke to the victim, who shared his intention to recover the vehicle himself. An Apple Airtag was inside, allowing the victim to view its location and trace it.
"The victim was reminded by officers to contact police again as needed or if police assistance was necessary at the vehicle’s location.
"At 11:23hrs the victim confirmed with police that he had found the vehicle and that it was being recovered by a truck back to the victim’s home address.
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"This investigation is ongoing and police are working with the victim. No arrests have been made at this stage.
"Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 2311/03JUN. To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Topics: Crime, London, Technology
James Moorhouse