Get Car Stolen, Pay Bill.
Discussion
So I was watching the local news today and there was a story about this guy getting his car stolen, lucky for him the police manage to get the car back that day, but the police keep it for forensic testing. The police then bill the man £140 for 4 days storage when the car was being look at by the forensic team.
WTF!
WTF!
BBS-LM said:
So I was watching the local news today and there was a story about this guy getting his car stolen, lucky for him the police manage to get the car back that day, but the police keep it for forensic testing. The police then bill the man £140 for 4 days storage when the car was being look at by the forensic team.
WTF!
WTF indeed.WTF!
That is ridiculous.
Caulkhead said:
Either the person whose car has been stolen has to pay(and presumably claimed back on insurance) or the council tax payers have to spread the cost amongst themselves. Nothing is free.
The feds should stand the cost, they have a duty, they seem to find money to waste on other c**p.Yeah, it's the same logic that causes people to be charged rent for their time in prison after having been released due to the little fact that they are innocent.
I'd be suprised if, should the tea leaf be caught, tried and found guilty, that the miserly fine handed down to him by the CPS were to exceed these storage costs. Luckily we're all flush with cash at the moment and can easily afford stuff like this. [/double take]
I'd be suprised if, should the tea leaf be caught, tried and found guilty, that the miserly fine handed down to him by the CPS were to exceed these storage costs. Luckily we're all flush with cash at the moment and can easily afford stuff like this. [/double take]
a) Does it actually COST the police £35 a night, every night to store a car (esp when the car is only there a few days). The land they park them is presumably owned by the police/state, is paid for regardless of whether a car is on site or not etc.
b) Haven't we ALREADY paid for these storage costs in council tax in the first place. If not, what else that used to be paid for is suddenly not? What next, being pulled over by the police and then being charged for their car running costs in pulling you over?
Put simply, it's police management higher up the chain wanting to "save" costs (in other words, make some money). They are a public body, not a private business.
b) Haven't we ALREADY paid for these storage costs in council tax in the first place. If not, what else that used to be paid for is suddenly not? What next, being pulled over by the police and then being charged for their car running costs in pulling you over?
Put simply, it's police management higher up the chain wanting to "save" costs (in other words, make some money). They are a public body, not a private business.
markcoznottz said:
Caulkhead said:
Either the person whose car has been stolen has to pay(and presumably claimed back on insurance) or the council tax payers have to spread the cost amongst themselves. Nothing is free.
The feds should stand the cost, they have a duty, they seem to find money to waste on other c**p.BBS-LM said:
The police then bill the man £140 for 4 days storage when the car was being look at by the forensic team.
The Police are supposed to cover the cost if the car is held for forensic tests. They still might charge for recovery though as they'll have used a contractor (who pays the Police hefty commission).
Yep - had my jet ski and trailer stolen.
The trailer turned up and I was charged £120 to "recover it" it was only found 3 miles away if they'd called me I'd have picked it up myself.
I told them I could buy a trailer for £100 and without the feckin ski it was worthless to me - they decided I could have it back for free.
But when the ski turned up AT THE SAME ADDRESS (turned out it had been there all along - 8ft bright red ski in a normal back garden) they charged me the £120.
Around here its Martini Rescue - Private Co. with a very secure private yard.
The trailer turned up and I was charged £120 to "recover it" it was only found 3 miles away if they'd called me I'd have picked it up myself.
I told them I could buy a trailer for £100 and without the feckin ski it was worthless to me - they decided I could have it back for free.
But when the ski turned up AT THE SAME ADDRESS (turned out it had been there all along - 8ft bright red ski in a normal back garden) they charged me the £120.
Around here its Martini Rescue - Private Co. with a very secure private yard.
redgriff500 said:
But when the ski turned up AT THE SAME ADDRESS (turned out it had been there all along - 8ft bright red ski in a normal back garden) they charged me the £120.
Around here its Martini Rescue - Private Co. with a very secure private yard.
Question - how can they charge you anything without you entering into a contract with them?Around here its Martini Rescue - Private Co. with a very secure private yard.
It's not a fine - you've done sod all wrong.
Just take your property back.
C
Oh dont get me started
I had my snotter motorbike stolen a few years ago
It was recovered a week later - yay to the BiB
Sadly I took the call after a few beers so couldnt collect and ride it home
They offered to store it for me at a ridiculous cost which I declined
I said Id collect it the next day from the London sink estate on which they had found it
Predictably when I woke up sober and pottered rpund to get it the bike had vanished again
I phoned up the BiB to tell them and they said I had to come and report it stolen AGAIN
If I didnt my insurance wouldnt pay up
As they had found it and phoned me to tell me it was no longer logged as stolen and moreover they had claimed it as recovered for their own Police stats
I went ballistic at the thought of having to go to the police station AGAIN and queue up for 2h AGAIN to report it stolen AGAIN even though they had found it just so I could speak to my insurance AGAIN who wouldnt pay as it was no longer officially nicked until I reported it stolen AGAIN
I despair
And relax.........
Cheers
When my mum's old Escort was nicked, the police didn't really give a monkey's. We found it a few months later and rang the local police station to notify them that it was no longer 'stolen'. In the process of sorting out recovery (non-drivable) they asked to have it for forensics. We wouldn't be charged etc etc.
Tried to charge £120 + £30 a day. My mum went ballistic and the charges were dropped, but the whole experience (a hell of a lot more to it than that, everything from the moment my mum said yes to taking it for forensics to the moment we finally got it back was filled with f
k ups and major blunders by the police) has really tainted my view of Met police.
Tried to charge £120 + £30 a day. My mum went ballistic and the charges were dropped, but the whole experience (a hell of a lot more to it than that, everything from the moment my mum said yes to taking it for forensics to the moment we finally got it back was filled with f
k ups and major blunders by the police) has really tainted my view of Met police.vit4 said:
...but the whole experience (a hell of a lot more to it than that, everything from the moment my mum said yes to taking it for forensics to the moment we finally got it back was filled with fk ups and major blunders by the police) has really tainted my view of Met police.
What about the guy who had his Mercedes SL500 impounded to the Police station car park, from where it went "missing"? His insurance wouldn't pay and he ended up suing the Police and lost, then lost the appeal - his legal bill was £100K. Bizzarely the car turned up undamaged 3yrs later.k ups and major blunders by the police) has really tainted my view of Met police.This is only an issue because the state has sold off everything to the private enterprise, and now has to pay for the service. When the state used to own things like this, it didn't cost to store vehicles; now the police, as any client does, have to pay for using the service.
Now, the normal rationale for this kind of thing relates to the balance of it's current worth (property value, paying the staff, management overhead) versus the cost they could get the service at if it was run privately. However, if they can then turn around and put the invoice at the door of the punter, then it's a no-brainer for them, because they have no cost at all.
In my view, it should be paid by the police if the perpetrator is not found, and it should be paid by the perpetrator as costs if they are found and convicted. Defcon5 and Caulkhead, is the 0.0006 pence this would cost you personally (based on income tax payers) really that much in the grand scheme of things?
Now, the normal rationale for this kind of thing relates to the balance of it's current worth (property value, paying the staff, management overhead) versus the cost they could get the service at if it was run privately. However, if they can then turn around and put the invoice at the door of the punter, then it's a no-brainer for them, because they have no cost at all.
In my view, it should be paid by the police if the perpetrator is not found, and it should be paid by the perpetrator as costs if they are found and convicted. Defcon5 and Caulkhead, is the 0.0006 pence this would cost you personally (based on income tax payers) really that much in the grand scheme of things?
RRS - There were two things they could have done, given that you were not able to arrange to collect it yourself. They could either collect it for you, which you didn't want, or put someone there watching it for 12 hours on a night shift.
Did you seriously expect them to do that?
They found it for you once successfully, you left it there, and it went again - I mean, it's hardly outrageous to say they solved the first crime is it? They've got to start looking for it all over again. Of course they'll want to recognise that as a separate incident.
Did you seriously expect them to do that?
They found it for you once successfully, you left it there, and it went again - I mean, it's hardly outrageous to say they solved the first crime is it? They've got to start looking for it all over again. Of course they'll want to recognise that as a separate incident.
CraigyMc said:
Question - how can they charge you anything without you entering into a contract with them?
It's not a fine - you've done sod all wrong.
Just take your property back.
C
Or dont take your property back, claim for a new one off the insurance and then when the Police sell the JetSki at auction for peanuts buy it back. It's not a fine - you've done sod all wrong.
Just take your property back.
C
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