Interesting visit from the police

Jack_Regan

OddballJamie wrote: »

Unless the thieves beat you close to death for the keys of course. Clifford Blackjax is a decent option.

They've been known to wake the owners up in the middle of the night with a knife to their kids throat.

Weird_Nev

Jack_Regan wrote: »

They've been known to wake the owners up in the middle of the night with a knife to their kids throat.

In south Africa perhaps.

In the UK, they tend to just burgle. Or use high tech thefts like this on BMW's originally, and now Audis too.

BTW: State your source.

Mine is 5 years investigating Burglaries, Robberies and Vehicle theft in a major metropolis. All of the crime types mentioned fell well within my remit, and I can recall only one example of someone being physically threatened for car keys, and that was an opportunist theft out on the street. And that was with perhaps 20 Burglaries, 10 robberies, 10-15 vehicle thefts a day across my books or within my knowledge. For five years.

Burglars look for keys and run when disturbed.

I know anecdotally of a couple of robberies up north through car forums where people have been threatened by thugs for high end audis. However these are the exception and not the norm and it would be remiss to fear monger on the basis of the worst case scenario.

fivetide

1886 wrote: »

I had a Clifford Blackjax on my first car, I remember it being an anti-hijack immobiliser or something similar. Only problem is that if you stall the car you get about 15 seconds to put the code in or all hell breaks loose. Some of the features on it were brilliant though

I had Blackjax on a car and turned the thing off.

Very annoying if someone got out of the car because you had to turn the engine off and on again otherwise it stopped half a mile down the road.

Kept the remote start though. Superb for frosty mornings!

Strider590

Weird_Nev wrote: »

Mine is 5 years investigating Burglaries, Robberies and Vehicle theft in a major metropolis. All of the crime types mentioned fell well within my remit, and I can recall only one example of someone being physically threatened for car keys, and that was an opportunist theft out on the street. And that was with perhaps 20 Burglaries, 10 robberies, 10-15 vehicle thefts a day across my books or within my knowledge. For five years.

I have to ask, do you not find it frustrating that the public are not being educated properly in how to keep themselves and/or their property safe?

For example, almost nobody I know has any clue that Euro locks can be broken in less than 10 seconds, with nothing more than a self tapping screw, a claw hammer and a pair of mole grips. I can only assume this was kept secret for so long to stop the knowledge spreading, but most people (my parents included) thought these we're unbreakable.

This too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDOk3cnUKdY
Everyone thinks thieves go around with bolt cutters, lock picks and portable angle grinders to steal bikes, when in fact all they need do is twist the bike around until the lock snaps.

The public are not armed with the knowledge they need to protect themselves from tactics and techniques widely known in the criminal community.

OddballJamie

Weird_Nev wrote: »

In south Africa perhaps.

In the UK, they tend to just burgle. Or use high tech thefts like this on BMW's originally, and now Audis too.

BTW: State your source.

Mine is 5 years investigating Burglaries, Robberies and Vehicle theft in a major metropolis. All of the crime types mentioned fell well within my remit, and I can recall only one example of someone being physically threatened for car keys, and that was an opportunist theft out on the street. And that was with perhaps 20 Burglaries, 10 robberies, 10-15 vehicle thefts a day across my books or within my knowledge. For five years.

Burglars look for keys and run when disturbed.

I know anecdotally of a couple of robberies up north through car forums where people have been threatened by thugs for high end audis. However these are the exception and not the norm and it would be remiss to fear monger on the basis of the worst case scenario.

Happened this year in Birmingham as I posted earlier
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=62941350&postcount=33

OddballJamie

Strider590 wrote: »

I have to ask, do you not find it frustrating that the public are not being educated properly in how to keep themselves and/or their property safe?

For example, almost nobody I know has any clue that Euro locks can be broken in less than 10 seconds, with nothing more than a self tapping screw, a claw hammer and a pair of mole grips. I can only assume this was kept secret for so long to stop the knowledge spreading, but most people (my parents included) thought these we're unbreakable.

This too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDOk3cnUKdY
Everyone thinks thieves go around with bolt cutters, lock picks and portable angle grinders to steal bikes, when in fact all they need do is twist the bike around until the lock snaps.

The public are not armed with the knowledge they need to protect themselves from tactics and techniques widely known in the criminal community.

The quarterly Neighbour Hood Watch Magazine I get has a full page on this every issue. Also the estate my partners sister lives on had a load of houses done over in one weekend due to this. Luckily she had a different style of lock.

Jack_Regan

Weird_Nev wrote: »

In south Africa perhaps.

In the UK, they tend to just burgle. Or use high tech thefts like this on BMW's originally, and now Audis too.

BTW: State your source.

Mine is 5 years investigating Burglaries, Robberies and Vehicle theft in a major metropolis. All of the crime types mentioned fell well within my remit, and I can recall only one example of someone being physically threatened for car keys, and that was an opportunist theft out on the street. And that was with perhaps 20 Burglaries, 10 robberies, 10-15 vehicle thefts a day across my books or within my knowledge. For five years.

Burglars look for keys and run when disturbed.

I know anecdotally of a couple of robberies up north through car forums where people have been threatened by thugs for high end audis. However these are the exception and not the norm and it would be remiss to fear monger on the basis of the worst case scenario.

No, in the uk.

Some have been around longer than your five years and seen a bit more.

Weird_Nev

Be all cagey if you like. It's rare. Rare enough to be considered a corner case. Of course it's so shocking that it's widely reported when it does happen, leading to an overall increase in the fear of violent crime.

And I've been around much longer than 5 years, but I've spent 5 years dedicated to investigation in that particular field. I'd still not consider such things common place - and there was no shortage of high value targets where I worked.

Unless you've been a police officer in a major urban area for 10 years, I doubt you have "seen a bit more" than me. I saw more on a Saturday night than most people saw in a lifetime.

Jack_Regan

Weird_Nev wrote: »

Be all cagey if you like. It's rare. Rare enough to be considered a corner case. Of course it's so shocking that it's widely reported when it does happen, leading to an overall increase in the fear of violent crime.

And I've been around much longer than 5 years, but I've spent 5 years dedicated to investigation in that particular field. I'd still not consider such things common place - and there was no shortage of high value targets where I worked.

Unless you've been a police officer in a major urban area for 10 years, I doubt you have "seen a bit more" than me. I saw more on a Saturday night than most people saw in a lifetime.

Don't doubt it then, after ten years you don't know and won't have seen it all.

Strider590

Jack_Regan wrote: »

They've been known to wake the owners up in the middle of the night with a knife to their kids throat.

Weird_Nev wrote: »

In south Africa perhaps.

I tend to imagine this sort of thing happening in Manchester, that place seems to be a law unto itself.