Can They Claim Back Their Council Tax Precept?

A couple whose Jaguar was stolen were forced to steal it back after police took too long to investigate. Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson discovered their car had gone missing from near their west London home in Brook Green on Wednesday morning. The pair had it fitted with an AirTag locator meaning they were able to track the vehicle to an updated location in Chiswick at 10.30am.

So, an open and shut case, one even today's modern coppers couldn't possibly screw up? 

But police informed them after dialling 999 that they did not know when they would be able to investigate and so could not offer immediate assistance.

What 'investigation' really needed doing? It was handed to you on a plate! 

The couple took matters into their own hands when Ms Pirie, 48, discovered the AirTag had last pinged on the road outside their home at around 3.20am.Mr Simpson, 62, was nervous as he made the four-mile journey with his wife to the car's new location. The pair discovered the vehicle on a quiet back street with its interior and carpets ripped apart by thieves who had attempted to access its wiring.

In a post to LinkedIn, Ms Forbes Pirie admitted it was 'kind of fun' stealing back the car but questioned 'why we should have had to do that'.

You shouldn't. You have done everything the police tell you to do to safeguard your property, after all. Now it's their turn to hold up their end of the bargain.

She added: '[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?'

None, which no doubt helps the Met to demand more from the Treasury to 'stem the crime wave' that's ever present in London. due to things like this. 

Last year, the Met Police allegedly told a Londoner who had his car stolen to recover the vehicle himself as they didn't have the manpower. George Nicolas had his Maserati Levante stolen from outside his home in May after the thieves removed his steering lock with an angle grinder. Luckily the classic car fan had installed a tracking device in the car - which costs more than £93,000 when new - and he rang up the Met to inform them of the motor's location. But Mr Nicolas claimed he was subsequently told that the force 'didn't have anyone available' and instead recommended that he recover the vehicle himself since he knew where it was.

Perhaps if he'd phoned them again when he got to the car and threatened to shoot the thieves they'd have sufdenly found some manpower after all? 

A Sign Of Societal Change...

Another moral panicmoral panic rears its head, and inadvertantly throws a light on how we've changed in the last 50 years.

The next government should consider proposals to ban smartphones for under-16s within its first year, a committee of MPs has said.

And predictably, it's been met with scorn by the young themselves, and not greeted with wholehearted delight by parents. Why? Well, let them tell you: 

In Glossop, Derbyshire, parents' views on a potential ban were mixed. Courtney Clarke, who has a 13-year-old daughter, said she hated her having a smartphone but liked to be able to contact her when she is walking to and from school or out with friends.

Not something my parents used to be concerned about, but the need for parents to be in constant contact is a reflection of how unsafe society now seems. 

When I was on my way to school, I did so in a homogenous neighbourhood, where everyone knew each other, and authority figures (not just teachers, but neighbours, lollipop ladies, actual police officers, park staff) were always to be found and would act without hesitation or the need to consult H&S rulings or standard procedures. The violently mentally ill were not roaming the streets, and - though the IRA was active at the time - we had little to fear that indescriminate street terrorism would be a factor in our lives.  

“If I took my daughter’s phone off her, I am taking away her social life, and that is not good, either”, she said, adding that her daughter did not have the same access to youth clubs that she did when she was young. She said she would worry about her being bullied if she was forced to use a "brick" phone instead.

The killing of schoolchildren by other schoolchildren was unheard of, yet now, it's a constant worry. Even those who agree that there's a danger in smartphones are reluctant to give up the contact they provide:   

Joanne Whaley said she had already gone through bad experiences with her 12-year-old son's smartphone. “If I could change it, I would never have let him have one,” she said. “I would have let him have the old Nokias that we used to have so he could tell me where he is, but the internet being so available has been a disaster."

Is it just 'the internet' that's been a disaster? I don't think so. 

And Probably Not The Last...

...because there's no chance of the useless Met Police changing, and no-one in government inclined to bring them to heel. 

A prolific burglar who broke into a M&S store to steal £500 of sirloin and T-bone steak as well as 20 bottles of prosecco, has become the first person to be jailed in a private prosecution.

Only large chains are able to afford the action this story celebrates, however. The small shopowner is unlikely to be able to afford this. 

David Hanson, 44, who had 105 previous convictions including 33 burglaries, was caught in the act and arrested by two detectives from a private policing company. The store manager from M&S in Streatham Hill had called police immediately after catching Hanson stealing on CCTV but despite the footage, the Met Police decided not to investigate.

Instead, the case was taken on by TM Eye - a private investigator company which was founded by former Scotland Yard chief detective David McKelvey. The firm, which uses plain clothed officers and those in uniform, has already helped prosecute 280 shoplifters, however, the south London case marks the first time a prosecution has been made against a thief.

Just as with the police initially ignoring reports of dangerous dogs, when they do act, they often find other criminality. So they are cutting their own throats with this policy.