Couple steal back their £46k car after 'police fail to act'
A stunned couple were forced to steal back their own Jaguar after police told them they couldn't offer immediate help.
Mia Forbes Pirie, 48, and partner Mark Simpson, 62, were shocked when they discovered their £46,000 Jaguar E-Pace had vanished from outside their Brook Green home In West London on Wednesday morning, reports the Mirror.
The pair had fitted the SUV with an Apple Airtag, allowing them to trace it to a street in Chiswick by 10.30am. However, after calling 999 they were not able to confirm when police would investigate.
With no help on the horizon, the furious couple decided to take matters into their own hands. Mark said he was "nervous" as he and Ms Forbes Pirie made the four-mile journey to the car's new location.
They discovered the car abandoned on a quiet back street, with the carpets and interior stripped by thieves who had attempted to access its wiring.
The car was also fitted with a 'ghost immobiliser - an ant-theft device that prevents the car from starting unless a specific sequence of buttons is pressed on the dashboard.
Ther pair, both legal professionals, made the decision to install multiple layers of security after a previous car theft. The last AirTag signal had gone off outside their home at around 3.20am, suggesting the car was likely taken overnight.
Neighbours then reported hearing unusual noises during the night. Mia and Mark believe the theft was "reasonably sophisticated" and likely involved a tow or flatbed truck.
Posting to LinkedIn, Ms Forbes Pirie said it was "kind of fun" stealing back the car but questioned "why we should have had to do that".
She added: "[Is] it 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?"
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Speaking to the Times, Ms Forbes Pirie said she thought the Met's inability to respond was down to a lack of resourcing. She said: "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."
Official Met Police figures show there were 33,530 motor vehicle thefts in London in 2024 - a 1.6% rise on the previous year. Only 326 resulted in a 'positive outcome' such as a charge or caution, a rate of less than 1%.
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