Rant: Stolen catalytic converter

[JLGsDad]

Beware, there are thieves about.

At around 1200-1300 yesterday the catalytic converter was cut off my 2nd car, a 2001 Honda Accord Type V, in the car park for a nearby Surrey garden centre (well, now more of a coffee shop, kids' play area and artisan shop with a garden centre attached). My car was parked on the end of the front row in clear view of the centre's entrance with people going in and out all the time.

I'm gob-smacked that anyone could steal it where my car was in broad daylight, why no-one responded to the racket the saw must have made and why they stole mine there (there were far larger catalytic converters on the masses of Range Rovers and Audis well away from the entrance). I wonder if I somehow offended scroats in a battered black Ford Ka Mk1 parked next to me (reg unknown as unfortunately my DVR seems to have packed up as I couldn't find any recent recordings, yet another frustration).

The catalytic converter isn't worth much as I can get an aftermarket replacement delivered for £65. However, they cut through the exhaust either side of the catalytic converter which with the loss of the O2 sensors will increase the cost considerably to more than the car's worth. What they'll get is peanuts compared to the cost to me. Replacing the front section will be a pain as access is tight and I have 19 years of rust to contend with, but I'm off work for weeks with a damaged arm & shoulder so will have to pay Kwik-Fit et al to do the work. I may just cut my losses and scrap the car.

I've reported it to the Police. However, they effectively brushed me off with a crime number and recent articles on theft clear-up rates lead me to have no hope whatsoever. Is it no surprise that crime is flourishing when the scroats think they're invulnerable?

Why me? I've had a lot of pain and bad luck recently and this leaves me wondering if I'm now in purgatory as in Life on Mars & Ashes to Ashes.

I hope someone someday gives them the retribution they deserve.

Grrr. Rant over. Thanks for reading.

[JLGsDad]

But Surrey Police trumpet success:
"The CPS hate crime annual report, published today (Friday 25 October), shows that the conviction rate for hate crimes rose from 84.7% in 2017/18 to 85.4% in 2018/19.
In total, 164 hate crimes were prosecuted in Surrey in 2018/19, a slight fall from 189 the previous year. Hate crimes are where either hostility is demonstrated at the time of the offence or where the crime is motivated ‘wholly or partly’ by hostility based on perceived religion, race, sexual orientation or disability. The figures also show that the volume of homophobic and transphobic hate crime dealt with by prosecutors in Surrey fell from 20 in 2017/18 to 15 in 2018/19. Disability hostility crime still remains low, with just six cases dealt with by the CPS in Sussex in 2018/19. "
Clearly those 164 crimes are far more important than the 000s of crimes affecting people like me. My mate's firm has got so fed up with the Police just letting shoplifters go that they've started private prosecutions. Don't expect the promised rising police numbers to make a difference; they'll probably be PCSOs, who aren't even allowed to ticket illegally parked cars and lie to avoid doing work (I stopped several cyclist cycling far too fast on my town's pedestrian precinct and when I later grabbed 2 PCSOs they lied that they had no powers; they don't have many, so knowing that they can stop, demand the details and issue a fixed penalty notice for cyclists on pavements shouldn't be hard).
Grrr. Second rant over.

[JLGsDad]

Cheddars, indeed. There's not much space, the car isn't light and I'm sure the surrounding steel pipes are just as strong and thick as modern cars.

[JLGsDad]

There are few, if any, Diesel Accords of that age around, so it's a safe bet it's petrol.

But, surely that's a red herring. How many cars can you not tell what engine is in by the badging? And even then, how long does it take to look underneath?

[JLGsDad]

cib24 said:

Here is how fast they do it in broad daylight as pedestrians walk by outside and people watch from their windows bit refuse to do anything.
https://youtu.be/aUlikgzaDOE

Note the sentry with a length of metal pipe in his hand. I'd do something, even if only shouting from a safe distance and getting my phone out to film and call 999, but I doubt others would.

[JLGsDad]

rallycross said:

Where abouts in Surrey are you I can recommend a couple of places who might help weld it back together (depends how rusty the old remaining section is). Don’t go anywhere like Kwik fit with this problem unless they have someone who is happy to weld old bangers.

Thanks. I have my own welder, but without the missing bits its easier and cheaper just to buy the bits either side. I'm likely to scrap the car though given that the cost will be more than the car's worth.