Car "entered" without keys in NCP in Manchester - oddness
Discussion
Me and my wife went to a concert at the O2 Ritz in Manchester last night and parked at the Palace NCP just before 18:00 - on coming back to the car at ~23:00 we noticed something on the floor of the car that was previously in the glove box but thought it had just fallen out and drove home.
On the way back we kept noticing more and more things, the CDs we'd listened to on the way weren't where we left them, items from the bottom of the glove box were on the top (my wife's car, it's full of crap), it just wasn't as we left it.
The car (an '02 Honda CRV) was locked when we left it and locked when we returned, no sign of forced entry or the alarm having gone off and no valuables taken (it turned out my wife had left her passport, bank card, council tax bill, birth certificate, marriage certificate in there from having it all copied earlier in the week) but there was something missing - a 1/4 full pack of out of date M&S sweets that was in the glove box. The "trolley pound" was still there, ~50 CDs were left, an expensive pair of sunglasses was moved and left, my Roadhawk camera wasn't touched (but sadly only records when the ignition is on)... they even left my daughters lunch box I'd forgotten to take out, this has food in so I presume they just wanted sweets. Diabetic in a panic perhaps?
I don't actually know why I'm posting this other than to just get it out of my system, I feel lucky and utterly bemused by this. I've reached out to the NCP in question to see if they know of any other incidents last night and to see if they have any CCTV but otherwise I guess we just move on, leave less in the car and park elsewhere in future? Should it be reported to the police in case of any issues in the future (like they have cloned my wife, the horror!) or not?
Cool story bro etc I guess.
As an aside if anyone in Manchester is offered any black market M&S British Pudding Sweets please let me know.
Are you absolutely sure it locked when you left it? There are stories of people using jammers to stop a car locking then sneaking in when you're out of sight. Strange that nothing was taken though (well, almost nothing). Maybe they were looking for spare house or car keys.
A week after collecting my car I managed to leave it unlocked on a city center street (you have to push the lock button for longer, compared to my old car and I simply wasn't used to it yet). Came out the next morning and didn't realize until later that someone had been in it - it was brand new and I hadn't put anything in the glove box/door cards, but they lifted the ancient ipod from the central arm box (which, tbh, they were welcome to as it doesn't hold a charge!). Scary to think someone had been in the car, but I've been far more vigilant since.
A week after collecting my car I managed to leave it unlocked on a city center street (you have to push the lock button for longer, compared to my old car and I simply wasn't used to it yet). Came out the next morning and didn't realize until later that someone had been in it - it was brand new and I hadn't put anything in the glove box/door cards, but they lifted the ancient ipod from the central arm box (which, tbh, they were welcome to as it doesn't hold a charge!). Scary to think someone had been in the car, but I've been far more vigilant since.
parabolica said:
Are you absolutely sure it locked when you left it? There are stories of people using jammers to stop a car locking then sneaking in when you're out of sight
That's my first thought, too. Some kind of RF jammer in a car parked nearby.They came, had a rummage, didn't find anything easily and untraceably floggable, so waited for the next victim.
I can't say for sure that I 100% locked it but it would be very unlike me to not do so, especially when out in the badlands of Manchester on an evening. The car also locks itself after a short time if the keys aren't in it (very annoying at times) - it was locked when we came back though, the hazards don't flash if you try to unlock it when it already is and the "clunk" of the door solenoids is different.
I've been playing with locking / unlocking this morning just to make sure all the doors are closing properly (they are) - a ratty old Honda just seems like such an odd target but I'm guessing its age means it's also an easy one due to poor security and they don't care about the car as such, just the potential of what's inside.
I just find the whole thing bizarre.
I've been playing with locking / unlocking this morning just to make sure all the doors are closing properly (they are) - a ratty old Honda just seems like such an odd target but I'm guessing its age means it's also an easy one due to poor security and they don't care about the car as such, just the potential of what's inside.
I just find the whole thing bizarre.
parabolica said:
Are you absolutely sure it locked when you left it? There are stories of people using jammers to stop a car locking then sneaking in when you're out of sight. Strange that nothing was taken though (well, almost nothing). Maybe they were looking for spare house or car keys.
I would suggest this might be the case - someone jammed your remote signal and had a good rummage. Difficult to notice when you return, as you click the "Unlock" on the remote and the lights flash/locks clunk etc even if it's unlocked on most cars.Sounds like no harm done, but it might be worth asking NCP if they have any CCTV of it.
thetapeworm said:
I can't say for sure that I 100% locked it but it would be very unlike me to not do so, especially when out in the badlands of Manchester on an evening.
You may well have plipped the key, but if you didn't look for the flash, a jammer would mean it didn't lock.thetapeworm said:
The car also locks itself after a short time if the keys aren't in it (very annoying at times)
By which time, they've already been through it. The door was probably open before you were out of sight, but you didn't look back. They finish rummaging, shut the door, it pauses, it locks itself. You come back, it's locked and you don't think any more.
TooMany2cvs said:
thetapeworm said:
I can't say for sure that I 100% locked it but it would be very unlike me to not do so, especially when out in the badlands of Manchester on an evening.
You may well have plipped the key, but if you didn't look for the flash, a jammer would mean it didn't lock.thetapeworm said:
The car also locks itself after a short time if the keys aren't in it (very annoying at times)
By which time, they've already been through it. The door was probably open before you were out of sight, but you didn't look back. They finish rummaging, shut the door, it pauses, it locks itself. You come back, it's locked and you don't think any more.
Alucidnation said:
I struggle to believe that any scrote ransacking a car will make sure he replaces everything tidily when he\she is done.
That's why we didn't notice at first and I accused my wife of messing things up when she put her sunglasses in the glove box - further checks just kept picking up other small changes though, like the CDs being on top of the USB cigarette lighter charger rather than under and long-forgotten glove box items now being on top. Had they actually been completely OCD we would never have known but it was a relief they didn't just toss everything.Hol said:
Have you ever seen a film called enemy of the state?
Does you wife also go by the name Janet Bourne??
I'm going to keep a much closer eye on her in future.Does you wife also go by the name Janet Bourne??
wack said:
thetapeworm said:
I've reached out to NCP to see if they can offer any input
Still no response from them via email, I can't get through on the phone, their online chat only works in office hours but their office hours don't seem to include 8am > 10pm and their Twitter feed has been dead for years.
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