Latest news with #Pirie
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Stolen car? This couple didn't wait for the cops—they got it back themselves, and how!
In an incident that has raised questions about policing priorities in the UK, a west London couple managed to recover their stolen car using tracking technology, without any assistance from law enforcement. What followed wasn't just an act of determination, but also a strong reminder of the growing gap between crime and response. Stolen Jaguar, no police, and a digital trail Mia Forbes Pirie and her partner Mark Simpson were shocked earlier this month when their Jaguar E-Pace was stolen from right outside their home in Brook Green, London. Luckily, the car had a ghost immobiliser and an Apple AirTag hidden inside, which sent them a location update soon after the theft. They quickly informed the police, hoping for quick action. But things didn't go as expected. 'Officers are too busy,' couple told When the couple called emergency services, they were told no officers were available. According to Pirie, the 999 operator said they couldn't say when– or even if– police would come, as reported by India Today. Worried and unsure of what to do next, Pirie and Simpson decided to take matters into their own hands. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Seniors Born 1939-1969 Receive 9 Benefits This Month If They Ask Bettys Perks Learn More Undo Taking matters into their own hands Using the AirTag location, the couple drove to Chiswick, a nearby area, where they found their car parked on a quiet street. The vehicle had been partially dismantled– the interior was stripped, wires were exposed, and carpets had been pulled up– but it hadn't been driven away. So, they took it back. 'It was kind of fun stealing back our own car,' Pirie later wrote in a LinkedIn post describing the entire experience. She also raised an important point: 'It makes me wonder 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 flatbed truck… if there are no consequences, what's the incentive for people not to do more of this?' LinkedIn post: Police followed up only after recovery The couple's interaction with the police came only after they had retrieved the vehicle. A forensic team is now expected to inspect the car, though Pirie said the delay might have affected any possible evidence. 'Lots of people have touched the car. It wouldn't have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That's the one criticism I have,' she told The Times, as quoted by India Today. 'The police are under-resourced, and it's a shame' While the situation was resolved thanks to technology and swift personal action, Pirie pointed to a larger issue– the lack of capacity in the police force. 'The police are under-resourced, and it's a shame,' she said. 'But if there aren't any consequences of people stealing cars or other crimes, then I don't really see what the deterrent is.' Her statement highlights a growing frustration among citizens who feel they're being left to deal with serious crimes on their own. Thumb image credit: LinkedIn/ Mia Forbes Pirie
India Today
20 hours ago
- India Today
UK couple reclaims stolen car from thieves after police say they're too busy
A UK-based couple was in for a shock earlier this month when their Jaguar E-Pace was stolen from outside their home in Brook Green, west London. Fortunately, the car was fitted with both a ghost immobiliser and an AirTag tracker, two security measures that would prove crucial when the police, they said, simply didn't show spotting their vehicle's new location in Chiswick via the AirTag, Mia Forbes Pirie and her partner Mark Simpson alerted the police. But the response wasn't exactly swift. The 999 operator reportedly told them that officers were too busy and couldn't confirm when, or if, they'd of waiting, Pirie and Simpson drove to the location themselves. They found the car dumped on a quiet backstreet, stripped inside with carpets pulled up and wiring exposed. But it was still there. And they took it back. Pirie later shared their experience in a candid LinkedIn post, saying, 'It was kind of fun stealing back our own car.' But fun aside, she raised a sharper point: should they really have had to do this alone?In her words, 'It makes me wonder 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's the incentive for people not to do more of this?'Take a look at the post here: advertisementThe Metropolitan Police got in touch only after the couple recovered the car. According to reports, a forensic team is now expected to examine it for prints, though Pirie pointed out the delay might've compromised any useful evidence. 'Lots of people have touched the car. It wouldn't have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That's the one criticism I have,' she told The concern, however, isn't just personal. 'The police are under-resourced, and it's a shame,' she said, adding, 'But if there aren't any consequences of people stealing cars or other crimes, then I don't really see what the deterrent is.'Pirie's message was clear: citizens shouldn't have to double as detectives. While their determination paid off, their story also called attention to a wider problem, one that demands more than just ghost immobilisers and AirTags to Reel
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
UK Couple Steals Back Their Own Car From Thieves As Police Were Too Busy
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. A couple in the UK recovered their stolen car after police were unable to respond. Their Jaguar E-Pace was stolen from their home in Brook Green, west London. The vehicle had a ghost immobiliser and AirTag locator, aiding in its recovery. 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. 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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
'We got our stolen car back ourselves because police are too stretched to help'
A couple who "stole back" their car after it was taken by thieves have said they have "huge sympathy" for overstretched police. Mia Forbes Pirie, 48, and her husband Mark Simpson, 62, had their Jaguar stolen from outside their home in Brook Green, west London. An AirTag locator placed in their car last pinged on their road early last Wednesday morning, but after they noticed it was gone it later updated to a location about three miles away in Chiswick. Their Jaguar E-Pace was fitted with a ghost immobiliser - which requires a pin code - meaning they believe their vehicle was moved using a flat bed truck. They called police, who said they would send a patrol car to the location in Chiswick, but the couple didn't know how long that would take so decided to go themselves as it was only a nine-minute drive. They found the car on a back street, and the thieves had ripped out its interior and carpets in an effort to access its wiring so they could drive it. Pirie, a mediator, and Simpson, a barrister, had installed the extra security on their car after having a previous vehicle stolen. Pirie posted an image of the recovered vehicle on LinkedIn and said: "I have to confess... it was kind of fun stealing back our own car." She told Yahoo News on Monday she was "excited" to find the car as she had worried the AirTag on a keyring had been found by the thieves and discarded. Asked about retrieving the vehicle themselves, she said: "People seem to think it's fun or brave. I don't really think it's brave." She said the Metropolitan Police did not refuse to help but "were just a bit slow and we didn't know how long it would take". Asked about the response from the force, she said: "Given how stretched they are. I think it was okay. They were nice and polite. Obviously, in an ideal world they would have acted quicker. "But we both have huge sympathy with how stretched the police are on such low resources. We realise that they have to focus their limited resources on more serious crimes. "Obviously, there are really difficult decisions they have to make as to how they use the limited resources they have. I think on the whole they do a good job with very restricted resources." Pirie said the force told her they will send officers to their home on Tuesday to investigate further. Yahoo News has approached the Metropolitan Police for comment. The RAC advises that owners should always double check their car is actually locked even after using the key fob. This is because some thieves use signal jammers to intercept the signal between the fob and the car, leaving it unlocked, meaning a quick check of the doors is useful. A key fob box in the home, in which the keys are placed, will also deter a "relay attack", where criminals use a device to transfer a signal to a second box placed alongside the car, tricking the vehicle into perceiving the key to be there and unlocking it. But the signal cannot pass through metal, so placing the keys inside a fob box or a signal blocking wallet will stop the thieves. The RAC says motorists should park in well-lit areas that are covered by CCTV and should not display any belongings in the vehicle. It says most modern vehicles come with an immobiliser but that these should be fitted to older cars. Almost four out of five car thefts are unsolved, according to Home Office data published by the Liberal Democrats at the beginning of this year. It found that 24,837 car thefts in the three months up to June 2024 did not result in criminals being brought to justice. The area with the worst record was London, with the Metropolitan Police saying that 90% of all reported car thefts went unsolved, followed by South Yorkshire with 85%. Across England and Wales, only 2.8% of car theft cases result in someone being charged or summonsed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
State police K9 helps apprehend home burglary suspect in Morris
MORRIS, Conn. (WTNH) — State police say one of their K9s helped apprehend a man accused of burglarizing a home last week. Joshua Pirie, 38, of Morris, was arrested on an active warrant on March 14, about three days after the troopers were dispatched for a burglary investigation. K9 tracks down 3 juveniles following Killingly crash Pirie was charged with: Risk of injury to a child Cruelty to animals Threatening second, physical threat First-degree reckless endangerment Second-degree burglary Possession of burglar tools First-degree criminal mischief Interfering with an officer Assault of public safety personnel Disorderly conduct According to an arrest warrant, Pirie appeared heavily disoriented when troopers arrived at the scene. After not complying with their verbal commands, Pirie allegedly ran back towards the victim's residence, which is when K9 Krypto was released and used multiple dog bites to detain the suspect. A look inside the Connecticut State Police's K-9 training facility While police worked to get him into custody, Pirie is also accused of throwing rocks and gravel at troopers' faces. They were not injured. The victim told police that during the incident, Pirie was at some points holding scissors, grabbed and choked the family dog, was banging on all the windows while trying to get into the home, and smashed the backdoor. They believe Pirie caused more than $1,500 of damage to the house and property. He was initially transported to a hospital for immediate medical attention. Pirie was held on a $250,000 court-set bond and was scheduled to appear in Torrington Superior Court on March 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
