A couple in the United Kingdom took matters into their own hands and recovered their stolen car after police claimed they were too busy to help. Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson discovered that their Jaguar E-Pace had been stolen from their home in Brook Green, west London, earlier this month.
The vehicle had a ghost immobiliser and an Apple AirTag installed. The ghost immobiliser uses a unique code to prevent unauthorized access, while the AirTag helped track the car’s location.
Police Said They Were “Too Busy”
When the couple reported the theft, the Metropolitan Police reportedly told them they didn’t know when officers could investigate. The car was first tracked via the AirTag at 3:20 am outside their home. By 10:30 am, it showed up in Chiswick, prompting the couple to rush to the location without waiting for police assistance.
They found the car abandoned on a quiet street, its interior ripped apart and carpets torn, likely in an attempt by thieves to disable the security systems.
“It Was Kind of Fun Stealing Back Our Own Car”
In a LinkedIn post, Pirie wrote, “It was kind of fun stealing back our own car. But it does make me wonder whether we should have had to do that.”
Criticizing the lack of response from law enforcement, she added, “If there are no consequences, what is the incentive for people not to do more of this?”
Speaking to The Times, Pirie said that the Metropolitan Police only contacted them after the couple had recovered the vehicle. A forensic team is now expected to examine the car.
Lack of Guidance From Police
Pirie expressed disappointment that police did not guide them properly during the recovery. “Since we’ve found it, lots of people have touched the car and the police say that they’re going to look underneath the carpets and at the fuse box to see if there are prints there,” she said. “It wouldn’t have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That’s the one criticism I have.”
Concerns Over Deterrence
Pirie concluded, “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.”
