A few thoughts on Crime and Punishment

[juliany27]

I thought that I would share this with all [Porsche] car owners; something that has really p*ssed me off. Having bought my nice new Boxster 2.7 a few months ago I parked it in a seemingly reputable pleasant suburban side road. Having visited friends and had a meal I then went to show them the new car. Imagine my fury on finding that some criminally selfish offspring of unmarried parents had removed the centre of one of the wheels [no doubt for the souvenir of a Porsche crest] and then poured blue acrylic paint on the rear bumper. Luckily the paint could be virtually removed with a thumb nail but finally removing it was a real pain. The local plod was totally disinterested - I expect the officer was jealous of the car even though I told him that he was supposed to investigate crime and that I was a qualifed lawyer! My two local Porsche dealers were most sympathetic - one gave me a free crest centre for the wheel whilst the other helped to remove the last of the blue paint leaving the car in pristine condition. Bad luck followed by good luck, or what? And why on earth would anyone try to mess up a nice new car - especially when the penalties for such offences include a visit to one of Her Majestys' less salubrious establishments. And I am a lawyer practising criminal law so I know what I am talking about! I suppose that this is just pure jealousy on the part of brainless fools but it is all so very sad. I still love the car though, and at the end of the day I cna drive with pure enjoyment and with a smile on my face while the proud Porsche crest owner will never know when Plod searches his house, finds the crest, matches it to my crime report and arrests him [or her]. Alternatively I hope the wheels of his untaxed, uninsured and non MOT'd Vauhall Nova fall off at 10 mph in front of his girlfriend and outside a busy police station and in front of a police car. Now that would be justice.

 

[nottage]

Someone of equally dubious parentage nicked all 4 of mine today. I am not best pleased!!!!!!!!!

So if anyone is offered 4 used silver wheel centres with crest in silver in North London then they are probably mine.

Kevin

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Sorry to hear about your car. Cretins.

while the proud Porsche crest owner will never know when Plod searches his house, finds the crest, matches it to my crime report and arrests him [or her].

No chance of that happening. In fact if you report a vehicle or motorcycle stolen, and by chance the police literally stumble over the it, they will, eventually, tell you where you can find it, and let you retrieve it. That's what happened to my friend and his Kawasaki Ninja.
I think its practically standard police policy to not care about anything less than GBH or murder these days.

 

[juliany27]

Kevin,
Make sure that you tell Plod and insist that the theft is recorded as a crime - you will get a crime number which will help you in any insurance claim and you can pester Pold every so often to see if the wheel crests have been recovered. Have a look around and see if there is a camera/cctv covering the road where this took place. If so keep on at Plod to do something. Knowing the intellectual abilities of the thieves, they are likely to put the crests onto the Nova I described before and get them selves caught - although I would not hold my breath waiting for Plod to do too much; there are far too many speed cameras to re-load to help with lazy policing.
Good luck; I hope you find the crrests soon.
[]

 

[Guest]

One of the drawbacks of owning a Porsche is that there will always be some jealous individual who finds some kind of personal gratification in causing damage, usually in the form of a 'go faster stripe' produced with a key.

I always worry when I've parked up somewhere, and look around suspiciously for any signs of dubious looking characters before I walk away from the car.

This bothers me so much at times, that for some journeys to shops etc., I generally opt for the bus, safe in the knowledge that my Porsche is at home out of harms's way.

Such a shame, but a sign of the times.

There is simply no deterrent in this country to this type of crime. Remember the Brit teenager in Malaysia afew years ago publicly flogged for vandalising a car with spray paint?.....

 

[juliany27]

Many thanks for your observations. Whilst I am making a decision about a cover for the car, I do use a silver steering wheel cover - a disklok which looks quite nice and is highly visible. I can advise that anything that takes time and effort, coupled with a certain amount of noise to effect removal, tends to be ignored by a car thief. Such a criminal wants to do his 'work' without attracting attention from Plod as well as members of the public/nosey neighbours etc. as as swiftly as possible. I wonder whether covering the car in the street/driveway might deter miscreants from helping themselves to anything removable. Bearing in mind security of the car as well as security of the cover, what do you recommend? I assume that such covers 'breathe' so that condensation is not trapped. Covercare seems to have been advertised frequently, but is it small enough to put into a boot when not in use and is it secure enough. Can anyone help me or make some suggestions please?

Julian

2.7 Boxster MY 2004, heated seats, Litronic, climate, Bose.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

This thread:

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=107770

Might help you with covers.

 

[Guest]

ORIGINAL: juliany27
...I wonder whether covering the car in the street/driveway might deter miscreants from helping themselves to anything removable. Bearing in mind security of the car as well as security of the cover, what do you recommend? ...

Whenever I see a car covered, I'm always curious to know what's under it, a bit like the intrigue of an odd shaped Chritmas present on Christmas Eve.

My point is, it may attract rather that deter..maybe just my suspicious mind working overtime though.[&:]

 

[JCB..]

Make sure that you tell Plod and insist that the theft is recorded as a crime - you will get a crime number which will help you in any insurance claim and you can pester Pold every so often to see if the wheel crests have been recovered. Have a look around and see if there is a camera/cctv covering the road where this took place. If so keep on at Plod to do something. Knowing the intellectual abilities of the thieves, they are likely to put the crests onto the Nova I described before and get them selves caught - although I would not hold my breath waiting for Plod to do too much; there are far too many speed cameras to re-load to help with lazy policing.

Julian

It's a real shame that there are people out there that do these things but lets keep it in perspective. Do we really expect the local constabulary to set up a task force because someone had a wheel centre nicked and suffered some minor vandalism?

Are you seriously suggesting that someone should file an insurance claim for a set of wheel centres? My excess would buy 3 sets, even from an OPC!

That these things happen is a reflection of the society that we live in and as such we are all responsible - not just the "Plod".

JCB..

(JMHO)..

 

[nottage]

John,

I totally agree with you on this. My excess is £750 or there abouts and so to claim for £80 wheel centres doesn't really make much sense and even if my wheel centres were found there is no way I could prove they are mine.

Kevin

 

[JCB..]

even if my wheel centres were found there is no way I could prove they are mine.

I always engrave my postcode on mine.[]

JCB..

 

[juliany27]

Keeping the issue of theft in perspective is all well and good and I agree with your sentiments. Etching a post code is a really good idea; that proves something that even the thickest Pold can understand. However on a more general note, if Plod is informed that street crime is taking place it puts pressure on him and his associates to ensure that a visible presence is arranged. More crime complaints/reports lead to greater police presence - or so the Home Office and the politicians have assured us whilst seeking greater funding from our taxes for laww and order. Call me cynical if you like but...
Incidentally, I agree that an insurance claim would not be worth the effort and loss of a NCB, but one never knows if Plod will recover items from a criminal. One can live in [faint] hope, I suppose.

Julian

2.7 Boxster MY 2004, heated seats, Litronic, climate, Bose.