car thieves

vodelia

vodelia

Well-Known Forumite
Just a heads up to any Baswich residents to take extra care. Our car was broken into last night. A works laptop and bag, an old iPhone, some e-cig juices and various other bits and bobs have gone from the boot. Don't know how they got in as car has remote central locking and an alarm. Police have been out and said the same happened with 4 other cars in the next street. All older cars apparently, 57 reg or before. Ours is 2001, Y reg.
I know we shouldn't leave things in the car but sometimes work, kids, life in general leaves you tired and forgetful. I would hate for anyone else to wake up and find their stuff has been taken.
 
captainpish

captainpish

Well-Known Forumite
The company i work for has had a couple of vans broken in to over the last year or so. each time there were several in the area that were done on the same night. You can get keys of the net that will let you break into any ford van within a minute. other than using a tibbi key (i think thats what theyre called) the criminals have become more sophisticated and are apparently using software from a laptop that sends a signal to remotely unlock vehicles. they cant start the vehicles as the imobiliser cannot be bypassed but can open the vehicle. Another method they have used us cutting the wiring loom at the back doors with a recip saw that will unlock the whole vehicle but im sure thats only a ford problem.
 
vodelia

vodelia

Well-Known Forumite
Mine is an Audi A4. One of the ones on the other street was a Peugeot. Seemingly it can be done on many different makes and marques. Sorry to hear your company had vans broken into. Kicking ourselves for leaving stuff in the car.
 
captainpish

captainpish

Well-Known Forumite
one van was broken into twice. we were told that there are gangs who travel up and down the m6 who do it. I would be very careful about leaving anything in the vehicle again as it seems that they give it 6 months or so until you perhaps let your guard down again and then hit the same vehicles again.
 
Jonah

Jonah

Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
Sorry to hear you've been robbed but thanks for letting us know.
 
vodelia

vodelia

Well-Known Forumite
bigbluewolf said:
Sorry to hear you've been robbed but thanks for letting us know.
Click to expand...
No problem. Just upset and don't want it to happen to anyone else :-( Police have told us there were 6 other cars done over last night, not 4.
I've put a post on the Baswich Community Facebook page about it and I've notified admin on the selling page of what's been nicked. Just fed up.
 
Moby Dick

Moby Dick

Well-Known Forumite
Just found this post. My car was also done on Saturday night on Porlock Avenue. No damage done and only some parking change taken as keep nothing in car of obvious value. Some ways made me smile as they took about £3 in change and took my sunglasses out the cubby box to get at it which cost me £150 in Florida so not to savi.
 
Moby Dick

Moby Dick

Well-Known Forumite
Further to this who in the police do you report this to, is there a PCSO we report too? never been in contact with police for donkey's years!!
 
vodelia

vodelia

Well-Known Forumite
It was my fella who dealt with the police. He called the none emergency number and they texted him a crime number. If you phone 101 and tell them what's happened it will be logged and help encourage them to do more regular patrols. They're treating all the break-ins as linked because there were so many in the same place on the same night. The more that are reported the more chance they have of getting fingerprints etc. Sorry to hear your car was done too but glad nothing much was taken. Swines!
 
vodelia

vodelia

Well-Known Forumite
I'm not very technical but from what I understand criminals can obtain some sort of software which overrides your alarm and central locking. Best bet is to leave nothing in the car and get one of those old style steering locks.
 
vodelia

vodelia

Well-Known Forumite
Makes me sick. It was a very old iPhone, we only use it for music as the car stereo is playing up. Laptop will be worthless to anyone as it's all secured with works software and passwords. And £3 from your car. WTF does £3 buy these days?! Privacy and personal space invaded for pretty much nothing.
 
bpelectric

bpelectric

Well-Known Forumite
Sorry to hear about all your agro
This happened to me a few times and is the very reason i don't use a van for work any more, no advertising on my vehicle either

And I don't rely on the vehicle alarm system , i brought one of those cheap battery operated shed alarms just place it on the dash board visual and audible deterrent
 
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Moby Dick

Moby Dick

Well-Known Forumite
Many thanks for your advice. Have reported to a very nice lady at the 101 service who text me my crime number. She also dais because of the high incidence where possible police with put in extra presence in the area. She also said there have been incidents of higher quality cars being targeted in the area with this software on laptops.

Lets hope the thieving B*****ds go and hide back under that stone they crawled from...
 
Laurie61

Laurie61

Well-Known Forumite
Something like this left in the street would be good ;)


It's not just the initial break in, the aftermath can be a pain. I have had two cars broken into over the years, one was stolen and used as a getaway vehicle. It was used in a robbery on a Securicor van, picking up cash from 24 hr garage, the car was then abandoned. It was reported to police by locals but by the time they got to it the stereo had been nicked. After dusting for prints the car was lost from the police system and left in one of their compounds for three weeks by which time I was in discussions with insurance. After inspection I decided to keep the car but when I came to sell a few years latter it was listed on the insurance data base as a write off, not a help when trying to PX a car.
 
peggy

peggy

Well-Known Forumite
Had my brand new car stolen from a hotel car park a few years ago. I had never sat in the back, used the wipers or opened the windows. It was brand spanking new. I had parked under the light on the car park, locked it up and booked in for the night. Just before I went to bed I thought I would wish my new car goodnight so looked through the curtains to see an empty space. Someone had managed to gain entry to our room while we were at the function and helped themselves to the keys and my purse. The purse contained one of my few photos of my baby daughter who we had lost just a few months earlier. Devastated. Hate thieves, swore I would return with a baseball bat and hold a stake out waiting for them to reappear. Husband advised against it. Police thought it was an inside job. . No ctv available that night. Still makes my blood boil. Hope they catch the Bawich thieves soon!
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Quite a few people in a hotel we stayed in had their cars stolen after someone broke into the hotel rooms and stole the car keys. Luckily we had left our dog in the room, so the only room not to be rifled. We've never left the keys in the room since.
I wish I hadn't got rid of my old krooklok now, it saved my old car being nicked the twice it got broken into years ago. First time the 8 track and a crash helmet were stolen. The next there was nothing worth nicking, so they tore a box of tissues up and it was strewn all over, but at least the car remained in the same spot.

Got rid of the krooklock thinking these modern cars were safe with all the alarms, immobilisers etc....

Hope they catch the Baswich theives soon, I've got son to warn his mate who lives on Porlock, very close to Bideford Ave.
 
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