car thefts - has this been mentioned here already?

[accyman]

iv just got back from a friends house around the corner from me and he showed me a A4 sized leaflet that the police have put through his door.

basicly it is sating for car owners to be aware of men with a low loader who are going around dressed up in high visability jackets just basicly loading up some poor sods car and driving off with it then scraping it in for scrap value, they are said to be wearing hi visability jackets and have clipboards etc so i guess they are trying to look legit

4 cars have been stolen this way from ossy so far and im not sure about the other areas as he didnt have the news paper to hand but apparently its been covered in the paper as well

not too happy that i didnt get a warning notice though but i guess they cant warn every car owner in the area

aint gonna say probably gypos

oops just did

sory i dont have more info but it may have already been mentioned here or somone may actualy have a copy of the police warning notice

[Lilly]

Originally Posted by accyman

iv just got back from a friends house around the corner from me and he showed me a A4 sized leaflet that the police have put through his door.

basicly it is sating for car owners to be aware of men with a low loader who are going around dressed up in high visability jackets just basicly loading up some poor sods car and driving off with it then scraping it in for scrap value, they are said to be wearing hi visability jackets and have clipboards etc so i guess they are trying to look legit

4 cars have been stolen this way from ossy so far and im not sure about the other areas as he didnt have the news paper to hand but apparently its been covered in the paper as well

not too happy that i didnt get a warning notice though but i guess they cant warn every car owner in the area

aint gonna say probably gypos

oops just did

sory i dont have more info but it may have already been mentioned here or somone may actualy have a copy of the police warning notice

This is the first I've heard of it, Accyman.

I've not had a warning notice.

Very worrying.....hope it doesn't happen to any of us.

It's not something you can do much about really if you're out or even if you're in but have your curtains closed. You wouldn't know anything about it until you went out in the morning for work and found the car gone.

Robbing swines.

[Gayle]

I was told once that the best thefts were the boldest.

Someone once witnessed a couple of men in boiler suits walk into a pub, unplug the TV and walk off with it. No one stopped them until the landlord looked over and wondered why it had all gone quiet.

I guess what I'm saying is that i can absolutely believe that someone could do this sort of crime but they must have bottle.

[K.S.H]

Originally Posted by Gayle

I was told once that the best thefts were the boldest.

Someone once witnessed a couple of men in boiler suits walk into a pub, unplug the TV and walk off with it. No one stopped them until the landlord looked over and wondered why it had all gone quiet.

I guess what I'm saying is that i can absolutely believe that someone could do this sort of crime but they must have bottle.

And there most likely to be doing it in daylight, at night when most thieves work people are suspicious to anything being removed, do it in daylight and having the right equipment, clothing etc and no-one will look twice, got to agree - you need bottle but thieves have plenty of it nowadays

[derekgas]

I didnt get a notice either, so thanks for the warning accyman, only one bunch of crooks I know of round here that would even think of doing this....Mmmm

[Neil]

Originally Posted by accyman

4 cars have been stolen this way from ossy so far and im not sure about the other areas as he didnt have the news paper to hand but apparently its been covered in the paper as well

You should be ok, there is no second hand value in pink mini's

[Boeing Guy]

We got a notice, but I would rather have seen some more bobbys on the beat instead.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Boeing Guy

We got a notice, but I would rather have seen some more bobbys on the beat instead.

Oh come on BG who would do the paper work, so they can keep up with government targets

[MCR ADIM]

to stop this when you park up turn ur tyres alittle bit to the left/right meaning they cant get the straps around to tow your car onto the loader

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by MCR ADIM

to stop this when you park up turn ur tyres alittle bit to the left/right meaning they cant get the straps around to tow your car onto the loader

It’s a nice idea but don’t all cars have a tow point front and back concealed inside the bumper?

When I park I always turn the steering wheel slightly to the right or left but not for that reason.

If the steering wheel is central I can’t see the lock for my key unless I contort myself around the steering wheel.

[K-P]

Originally Posted by Gayle

Someone once witnessed a couple of men in boiler suits walk into a pub, unplug the TV and walk off with it. No one stopped them until the landlord looked over and wondered why it had all gone quiet..

Someone = Max and Paddy,,, scene from pheonix nights that is gayle But ever so true.

[MCR ADIM]

Originally Posted by jambutty

It’s a nice idea but don’t all cars have a tow point front and back concealed inside the bumper?.

yeh but even if they did, they could not get the car up as they car would not go straight due to the wheels being turned

[MissTechnophobe]

This very same thing happened to me about 2 years ago. I had a lovely old Nova, was my pride and joy. Ok it sounded like a tank and the heater used to squeak but it was freedom for me and my daughter.

One morning at 7am the Police knocked on my door and said do you own a Nova, so I said yes wondering where it was when I looked past them and it was halfway down the road rammed into a lamppost!

The passenger side window had been smashed and they had tried to roll it down the road, but the steering lock had come on so it ended up in a lampost.

When I ask the Policemen why someone would want to nick an old Nova, they said they were loading them onto wagons and cashing them in for scrap!

Just to add insult to injury eh?! Apparently its mainly older cars they are targeting, and ones that are easier to get into.

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by MCR ADIM

yeh but even if they did, they could not get the car up as they car would not go straight due to the wheels being turned

If you tow a car from the front with the wheels turned it would tend to turn but then get dragged against its wishes onto the low loader. The thieves wouldn’t care that the tyres are getting damaged. Have you ever watched a pranged car being dragged onto a low loader?

Then there are those tow trucks that lift the front off the deck. What about those trucks with a crane onboard?

But if turning the steering wheel deters some then go for it. It can’t do any harm and it might just prevent a sloppy thief.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by MCR ADIM

to stop this when you park up turn ur tyres alittle bit to the left/right meaning they cant get the straps around to tow your car onto the loader

They can still be lifted like that, I have seen it done.