BBC News report - metal thieves in Suffolk

[Dryad]

Here's an interesting report about metal thieves in Suffolk, and the victim has a nice blue Minor van. Apparently the police weren't too enthusiastic about investigating, despite the victim having CCTV footage of the incident.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-17401492

[Plin]

Bit distressing to see thieves at work and to know the Police were not quick to try and stop them.

[alexandermclaren]

Its happening here in Scotland as well the police were called when my father -in-laws shed was broken into and the thieves were seen running away
when the police were called they responded by saying that someone would call in the next 9 days
and sure enough it took that amount of time
no thought as to the welfare of the old couple who were shaken and upset
total rubbish
yet they are quick to catch the motorist for the least small light bulb blown

[badobsession]

thieving baskets .... i got the tube on the van broken in too but we had no copper tube in it
the mate got his van tube done on the same morning and the police never came round, when phoned they told
me and Gordon when he phoned they where aware there was a gang doing plumbers van tubes for copper in the area .................end of ..... well we know that ......

got the padlock broken off 3 more times over the next week so now we do not even lock the tube ......

hope they get the bas**rds .....

[bmcecosse]

At Bo'ness Steam Railway we have had over £100,000 worth of parts stolen - yet the thieves would be lucky to get £1000 for the scrap - which is very obviously brand new brass/bronze bearings/injectors - parts like that. Almost certainly an 'inside job' since the parts were taken from well hidden storage places - but what gets me is that the scrappy taking these parts in must be very aware that they are worth much more than scrap value - and have clearly been stolen.

[mike.perry]

You can bet that if you caught them in the act and had a shotgun in your hands the police would be there blue lights and sirens, and it would not be the theives that they would be after.

[dp]

If you say it looks like one of the thieves had a shotgun you might get a quicker response. "Oh a bit of piping was it, looked like a shotgun from that distance."

[drivewasher]

I know someone who phoned police to say burglars where in his house. Operator said they would get there soon as. After about an hour when burgulars had gone he phoned back and told them not to bother, that he'd just shot one of them.

They turned up mob handed in about 2 mins. He was prosecuted for wasting police time!

[chickenjohn]

Yes, metal thieving is wrong and a sad indictment of the times we live in, but the chap should have locked his garage up. Even a simple padlock could have stopped these opportunists.

Without locking up, he may not even be able to claim on his insurance.