UK Couple Steals Back Their Own Car From Thieves As Police Were Too Busy

A couple in the United Kingdom turned detective and stole back their own car as the police were too busy and failed to act. The Times reported. The couple, Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson discovered that their Jaguar E-Pace had been stolen earlier this month from their home in Brook Green, west London. The vehicle was installed with a ghost immobiliser fitted, which is a type of immobiliser that uses a unique code to prevent thieves from starting the car. The car also had an AirTag locator.

The couple tracked the car to Chiswick, but when they informed the police, they said they were too busy to probe. The police reportedly told them that they were unsure when they would be able to investigate when they spoke to a 999 operator.

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The car was first reported as missing on June 4, as the AirTag indicated the vehicle was parked outside their home at around 3:20 am (local time). In the next update, the car was in Chiswick at 10.30 am (local time). The couple rushed to that place even in the absence of the police.

The car was found on a quiet back street. Its interior and carpets were ripped apart by the thieves as it looked they were trying to access its wiring.

"Police seem to have no interest": Pirie

In a LinkedIn post, Pirie said that "it was kind of fun stealing back our own car."

"But it does make me wonder whether we should have had to do that. And not whether it's normal, but whether it's 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?" she added.

The Metropolitan Police reportedly responded after the couple rescued their car and said it would be in touch, with a forensic team set to arrive this week.

Speaking to The Times, Pirie said: "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 further said that "it wouldn't have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That's the one criticism I have".

"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," she said.