Easy cop #1

The events below are a true account of events of a local persons treatment with some slight details changed to protect the identities but the outcomes are totally true.

A reader had their car stolen from a car park and reported it stolen as soon as he was aware. This was an inconvenience to say the least.

The car thief had picked up his mates and decided to go on ‘a jolly’  through to Blackpool. A police car picked up on the stolen vehicle while in Blackpool and attempted to stop it. The car refused to stop and after a brief chase got away and was found a few days later covered in parking tickets on double yellow lines. The car was towed in to the police impound at a cost of £112 to the owner plus £20 a day storage costs. The car thief stole another car to get back home, thankfully without much disruption to his day.

In the meantime…….

The owner is left with disruption to his week. Has to get buses and taxis for his family to get to work and school which is obviously a major impact on the weeks finances. He then gets the call from the police that his car is not too damaged and can be picked up as evidence has been gathered. It has been impounded for 2 days so the collection cost will be £152 or just add £20 for each day it is left. He is unable to get off work until Saturday (another £40) then need to arrange transport to get to Blackpool pound.

Luckily a friend owns a business which had a vehicle free for the weekend, so after checking insurance details were correct, the vehicle was offered for the weekend and the offer gratefully accepted. When he went to collect the vehicle he was asked if he could drop some papers off at another business on the way, of course he would not refuse a favour under the circumstances and so agreed.

Saturday comes and he and his wife set off in the borrowed car to collect the vehicle from Blackpool. While going past Rusland Pool there is a spot check going on and they are pulled in. The situation is explained.

‘It’s not my car, I borrowed it off a friends business, am going to Preston to drop these papers off then picking my car up in Blackpool.’

The details are checked and cleared, apart from one minor point.

Elsewhere…….

Police checks have identified 3 of the occupants of the stolen car. Drug paraphernalia relating to the occupants and proved to be theirs and traces of drugs were also found. 2 of the suspects are already under investigation for various crimes and bailed. The third member is also under investigation and has been implicated in the next instalment!

The Verdict.

For the offences of: Taking WithOut Consent (TWOC), no insurance, failing to stop and other road traffic offences the driver was not even charged. The passengers were not charged either for any offences.

The unfortunate owner of the stolen car was however not so lucky.

Apart from the £200 release fee of his legal vehicle and the damage to the vehicle that needed repairs adding another £500 he also had salt rubbed in the wound by having 6 points added to his license and a £350 fine for driving whilst not insured. This was due to saying he was dropping papers off for the business that loaned him the car, he was not covered for business use and hence insurance was invalid.

The victim in all of this was over a £1k out of pocket (plus 6 points) yet the offenders got away with NO charges whatsoever. This was simply caused by the victim being honest and the police wanting easy crime rate clear ups.

This is not the way to rid our country of crime is it? Let the thugs and villains who know what to say walk free while the innocent boost the figures? It is all wrong.

More to come…….