What would you do if you caught some guys trying to steal your car from your drive?
05 January 2002, 10:05 PM
#32
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The problem with being a "have-a-go hero", aside from the potential pitfalls noted in the other posts, is that even if you scare the assailants off, they could well return.
In fact, the harsher the reception they get (i.e. mauled by dog or clonked on the head by baseball bat), the greater the chance of their wanting to wreak revenge on whoever hurt them. This could range from simply smashing up your car with a golf club, to pouring petrol through your letterbox and setting it alight.
Believe me, I really do sympathise with those that have their cars nicked / damaged. I have had a car stolen once (long time ago prior to getting the scooby), 2 radios ripped out and 1 or 2 key scratches. But in this day and age, I think you have to be a lunatic to contemplate having a go at the scumbags (unless you have a nailgun or crossbow etc etc
). The Law seems to protect the guilty so I wouldn't rely on a judge seeing sense and being lenient.
Anyway, my tuppence worth.
MB
In fact, the harsher the reception they get (i.e. mauled by dog or clonked on the head by baseball bat), the greater the chance of their wanting to wreak revenge on whoever hurt them. This could range from simply smashing up your car with a golf club, to pouring petrol through your letterbox and setting it alight.
Believe me, I really do sympathise with those that have their cars nicked / damaged. I have had a car stolen once (long time ago prior to getting the scooby), 2 radios ripped out and 1 or 2 key scratches. But in this day and age, I think you have to be a lunatic to contemplate having a go at the scumbags (unless you have a nailgun or crossbow etc etc
). The Law seems to protect the guilty so I wouldn't rely on a judge seeing sense and being lenient.Anyway, my tuppence worth.
MB
06 January 2002, 01:42 AM
#33
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Dont be Silly
Buy a Tracker..... Let the Baby have his bottle!
Let Plod pick it up 30 mins later, and nick a Garage full of ringers at the same time
If they want your car they will eventualy get it.
Dont be a Hero, dont try and be hard, get smart
This actually happened, Tracker... best "Mod" ever
Rumy
Buy a Tracker..... Let the Baby have his bottle!
Let Plod pick it up 30 mins later, and nick a Garage full of ringers at the same time
If they want your car they will eventualy get it.
Dont be a Hero, dont try and be hard, get smart
This actually happened, Tracker... best "Mod" ever
Rumy
06 January 2002, 10:25 AM
#34
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Lets not forget that about 95% of car thiefs are oppurtunist, so at most will only have a pen knife.
The ones from the Keving Jackson case were allegedly pro thiefs so were prepared.
I am not sure what I would do - it has always worried me as to what I would do as I am a calm passive person and not bothered about fighting.
It is only a car, but having it knicked means youre insurance goes up a hell of a lot - if the insurance companies didnt rip us off so much we wouldnt have to fight for our cars and NCD. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] I blame them.
To answer the question, being 6ft, 17 stone and a skinhead I would probably just charge out of the house with a golf club (Driver) shouting as loud as I could. This should be enough to scare them off.
DW
The ones from the Keving Jackson case were allegedly pro thiefs so were prepared.
I am not sure what I would do - it has always worried me as to what I would do as I am a calm passive person and not bothered about fighting.
It is only a car, but having it knicked means youre insurance goes up a hell of a lot - if the insurance companies didnt rip us off so much we wouldnt have to fight for our cars and NCD. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] I blame them.
To answer the question, being 6ft, 17 stone and a skinhead I would probably just charge out of the house with a golf club (Driver) shouting as loud as I could. This should be enough to scare them off.
DW
06 January 2002, 10:43 AM
#36
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The trick is ,when you call the police,don't say there is someone outside trying to steal your car.(reaction time 45mins).
Instead tell them you've shot the guy and you think he's dead
(reaction time 2mins).
Instead tell them you've shot the guy and you think he's dead
(reaction time 2mins).
06 January 2002, 12:25 PM
#39
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I totally agree with pslewis.
Erm, did I just say this ?
I do understand the baseball bat, dog & gun bravado, but just imagine that they (or their mates) come back when your wife or kids are at home, and you are not.
Yes, in my dreams I would rip out their hart & make them eat it. But in reality I would follow the excellent suggestions a few posts back.
Erm, did I just say this ?
I do understand the baseball bat, dog & gun bravado, but just imagine that they (or their mates) come back when your wife or kids are at home, and you are not.
Yes, in my dreams I would rip out their hart & make them eat it. But in reality I would follow the excellent suggestions a few posts back.
06 January 2002, 02:53 PM
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Trucker ted,True mate ,every word. Call them and say they have fired a gun. (you saw something in their hand and heard a loud bang....)
They love a bit of action...
PSLewis, again every word true.
They love a bit of action...
PSLewis, again every word true.
06 January 2002, 04:16 PM
#41
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I don't know if Trucker Ted has faced the working end of a Heckler and Koch MP-5 pointed at him by an SO19 officer with 'target has a firearm and may be dangerous' orders, but I certainly wouldn't tell the police I had just shot somebody, quite apart from the obvious offences involved in doing so.
I certainly wouldn't have-a-go as so many would. A lot of these car thieves are kids, wanting a joyride. Beating seven bells out of them for nicking your car is going to have you up for GBH or attempted murder. Adrenaline does funny things to your perception.
Or, if they are not kids, they're likely to be old-school armed robbers/ram-raiders. They will have seen and done it all before, be ready for you, and will be better at it, harder and less likely t give a **** than you. If they are stealing your car, they're going to use it for offences for which they are getting 10-12 years if convicted without even starting. If they batter you twice over the head with bat/axe or shoot you with gun, it is going to realistically add 1 or two years to that sentence and they probably won't ever be charged with that offence anyway, if the evidence is tronger on the offence the car was used in.
Be smart, use your brains and observe. Catch them at it, call the police tell them you saw a gun, take descriptions and live ot see your beautfiul wife, kids and mates the next day, and see your football team win on Saturday and live life.
I certainly wouldn't have-a-go as so many would. A lot of these car thieves are kids, wanting a joyride. Beating seven bells out of them for nicking your car is going to have you up for GBH or attempted murder. Adrenaline does funny things to your perception.
Or, if they are not kids, they're likely to be old-school armed robbers/ram-raiders. They will have seen and done it all before, be ready for you, and will be better at it, harder and less likely t give a **** than you. If they are stealing your car, they're going to use it for offences for which they are getting 10-12 years if convicted without even starting. If they batter you twice over the head with bat/axe or shoot you with gun, it is going to realistically add 1 or two years to that sentence and they probably won't ever be charged with that offence anyway, if the evidence is tronger on the offence the car was used in.
Be smart, use your brains and observe. Catch them at it, call the police tell them you saw a gun, take descriptions and live ot see your beautfiul wife, kids and mates the next day, and see your football team win on Saturday and live life.
06 January 2002, 04:57 PM
#44
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This is what I would do: Grab high powered air rifle (it looks the bollocks complete with laser red dot sight and silencer). Open window and point weapon towards scumbags, explain to the vermin that you've had a really **** day, cars stolen previously, wifes just left you for your best mate and you couldn't give a f*ck if you live or die - chances are they will flee very sharpish - if they don't,you have only one choice....aim rifle at the piece of **** and let rip. Once thief is wondering where his eye is, reload gun and enter the road/driveway. If scum is still present, tell him to run along before you get really angry. If scum cooperates you have a result, He will tell all the local scum that the bloke down the road with a Subaru is a fu*ing nutter. good luck...
06 January 2002, 05:31 PM
#45
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Keep a loud 'banger' firework indoors, if you see said scumbag trying to nick you car, light said banger and chuck it under the car.......
result, prob a **** stain on your interior, but you still have the car!
If Mr Theif is trying to be nice and quiet, the last thing he needs is a very very very loud bang going off just under his ****!!
Paul
result, prob a **** stain on your interior, but you still have the car!
If Mr Theif is trying to be nice and quiet, the last thing he needs is a very very very loud bang going off just under his ****!!
Paul
06 January 2002, 05:59 PM
#46
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maybe a better idea would just to let em take it if they can my car has a tracker also a camera watchin it so the thievin scum would be inside before ya know it! best place for em!
06 January 2002, 06:34 PM
#47
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Very interesting comments - some 'all talk' and some very good.
Camera and photo is good, telling the police that you have seen a gun is very good - the response is amazing. I have seen a neighbour call the police when he had his car broken into, the response was 12 hours! (as an aside, the wife heard the smash, she jumped out of bed and looked out the window at the neighbours drive ..... they had ALREADY stolen the radio and had it away!!! ... Kwik-Fit should hire these guys!!)
Anyway back to the point .... 5 days later he was sitting up in the dark waiting for them to come back for his NEW radio (they often do!) ............ he was so wound up and tired that he rang the police and said he had heard some shouting and a shotgun blast ... response?? 10 minutes - and the road looked like a Xmas tree!! still not sure what he REALLY heard but it was a stark example of how to get your call up the priority list!!
I wonder how old the 'I'll rip them apart' brigade are?? I would hazard a guess at 22-35 years.
The 'let them have it and live life' brigade are? I would say over 35 years.
When the 'really' valuable things in life come your way I think you tend to view the car as just what it is ............... metal, rubber and bright button!
Now, I KNOW that an IMPREZA is the best car in the world - but live for tomorrow, dont do anything daft and die today.
Dont get me wrong, I am not afraid of dying ................ I just dont want to be there when it happens!!
Pete
Camera and photo is good, telling the police that you have seen a gun is very good - the response is amazing. I have seen a neighbour call the police when he had his car broken into, the response was 12 hours! (as an aside, the wife heard the smash, she jumped out of bed and looked out the window at the neighbours drive ..... they had ALREADY stolen the radio and had it away!!! ... Kwik-Fit should hire these guys!!)
Anyway back to the point .... 5 days later he was sitting up in the dark waiting for them to come back for his NEW radio (they often do!) ............ he was so wound up and tired that he rang the police and said he had heard some shouting and a shotgun blast ... response?? 10 minutes - and the road looked like a Xmas tree!! still not sure what he REALLY heard but it was a stark example of how to get your call up the priority list!!I wonder how old the 'I'll rip them apart' brigade are?? I would hazard a guess at 22-35 years.
The 'let them have it and live life' brigade are? I would say over 35 years.
When the 'really' valuable things in life come your way I think you tend to view the car as just what it is ............... metal, rubber and bright button!
Now, I KNOW that an IMPREZA is the best car in the world - but live for tomorrow, dont do anything daft and die today.
Dont get me wrong, I am not afraid of dying ................ I just dont want to be there when it happens!!
Pete
06 January 2002, 06:43 PM
#48
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>>he rang the police and said he had heard some shouting and a shotgun blast ... response?? 10 minutes
When I first read that suggestion, I thought *excellent*
5 minutes later, I'm wondering if that is OK (old brigade, moi )
If everyone uses this little trick, the police will ignore it after a while. So they might also ignore calls from people who are in REAL danger ...
Sounds a bit like "I want more ME in the mic" 
When I first read that suggestion, I thought *excellent*
5 minutes later, I'm wondering if that is OK (old brigade, moi
)If everyone uses this little trick, the police will ignore it after a while. So they might also ignore calls from people who are in REAL danger ...
Sounds a bit like "I want more ME in the mic"
06 January 2002, 06:46 PM
#49
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so the police response was great there too!
back in may joyriders lost control of the escort van they had nicked took out my sisters car(with her in just about to reverse off the drive)proceeded to take the brick wall of ten foot long with them covering my beloved scooby!!! an hour later after the thievin scum had legged it i heard they were in my local pub so off i went with police in tow (well 5 minutes) they carted them away only for us to be told the followin day!! CANT DO NOTHIN!! well pi55ed!!!
back in may joyriders lost control of the escort van they had nicked took out my sisters car(with her in just about to reverse off the drive)proceeded to take the brick wall of ten foot long with them covering my beloved scooby!!! an hour later after the thievin scum had legged it i heard they were in my local pub so off i went with police in tow (well 5 minutes) they carted them away only for us to be told the followin day!! CANT DO NOTHIN!! well pi55ed!!!
06 January 2002, 07:46 PM
#50
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So me and a mate are wandering back from the pub, see a nice Scoob and go to take a harmless peep inside. We've all done it. Next thing is two huge dogs are on us plus a madman with a shotgun
Reading through this thread, I hope I'd be sensible, phone the police and get the Tracker working, then trip the house alarm. Let them take it. Clifford BlackJax should give them something to think about in a minute or two. Leave it at that and keep the family safe.
The car's not that important, although it would be nice to get it back in one piece. What you definitely don't want is THEM back (for whatever reason).
Taking a picture is not a good idea. Unless you've got a professional flash gun to hand, your camera's flash will be useless for anything outdoors that's more than ten feet away. And if they're already in the car, you'll not be able to see them anyway. If you don't believe me, go and try it now. Also, if they think you've got a picture of them, it could provoke further unpleasantness.
Richard.
Reading through this thread, I hope I'd be sensible, phone the police and get the Tracker working, then trip the house alarm. Let them take it. Clifford BlackJax should give them something to think about in a minute or two. Leave it at that and keep the family safe.
The car's not that important, although it would be nice to get it back in one piece. What you definitely don't want is THEM back (for whatever reason).
Taking a picture is not a good idea. Unless you've got a professional flash gun to hand, your camera's flash will be useless for anything outdoors that's more than ten feet away. And if they're already in the car, you'll not be able to see them anyway. If you don't believe me, go and try it now. Also, if they think you've got a picture of them, it could provoke further unpleasantness.
Richard.
06 January 2002, 09:18 PM
#51
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Hoppy,
"Taking a picture is not a good idea. Unless you've got a professional flash gun to hand"
Bet you couldn't guess it was going to be me again
I have a *very* short drive
KF.
p.s. The man speaks the truth
"Taking a picture is not a good idea. Unless you've got a professional flash gun to hand"
Bet you couldn't guess it was going to be me again
I have a *very* short drive
KF.
p.s. The man speaks the truth
06 January 2002, 09:38 PM
#52
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Interesting replies.
When my car got done at the top of my drive, the theives were so determined, they ignored the CCTV cameras, and signs, and went for it anyway!
Baseball bat sits by the front door anyway!
When my car got done at the top of my drive, the theives were so determined, they ignored the CCTV cameras, and signs, and went for it anyway!
Baseball bat sits by the front door anyway!
06 January 2002, 10:21 PM
#54
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Bollocks to the wasting Police time... We have paid our taxes . They get paid.Half of them are kids and dont want to do the job, A small amount are bent.
Sorry but thats the way folk think. Our police and the legal system is third world.
Sorry but thats the way folk think. Our police and the legal system is third world.
06 January 2002, 10:25 PM
#55
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Rikki
But that is the point. Surely it is an incentive for them not to come back at all - and even to leave the car there the first time around.
They are going to have to up the stakes so much that they risk a major castodial sentence - and the police are on the way, so they had better be quick either way.
You get the advantage of defending yourself now, and having a photo if they decide to return in the future (which is less of a chance if you have the photo). They know the police will do nothing for attempted theft - it is a ticking off, and will hopefully cut their losses by leaving you well alone.
If they are going to take the car anyway, rest assured, the first thing you would have known about the whole thing is when you wake up with a shotgun in your ear.
KF.
But that is the point. Surely it is an incentive for them not to come back at all - and even to leave the car there the first time around.
They are going to have to up the stakes so much that they risk a major castodial sentence - and the police are on the way, so they had better be quick either way.
You get the advantage of defending yourself now, and having a photo if they decide to return in the future (which is less of a chance if you have the photo). They know the police will do nothing for attempted theft - it is a ticking off, and will hopefully cut their losses by leaving you well alone.
If they are going to take the car anyway, rest assured, the first thing you would have known about the whole thing is when you wake up with a shotgun in your ear.
KF.
06 January 2002, 10:44 PM
#56
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A dog is no problem for the hardened criminal, it will have its legs ripped apart (dead instantly) or shot
I would personally go with Dave TS and get Carolyn to shoot them.
That way I wouldn't have to go to jail and neither would my family.(Best solution I have seen so far was a friend of the family who runs a quarry. He attached blasting caps under the dash and put 'danger explosives' warning signs on the windows of his company jeep. The guy who was driving when they stole it lost two toes, but the guy who runs the quarry got away with it because met all the H&S requirements of running a quarry. Unfortunatley the loophole which allowed him to carry live primed explosives in the car has now been closed - Damn)
06 January 2002, 10:52 PM
#57
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Get a few sheep & a shotgun, pretend you're a farmer, then you can tell the judge you saw a dog with them that was worrying your sheep.
*prepares for sheep-related wisecracks*
Seriously... 6 years ago, I had a car broken into outside my house (as I was a stooodent with no money & a 12 year old Polo, security was not the greatest!!) Police caught them walking down the road with the stereo. Two lads no older than 12. So glad I wasn't around. Amazing thing is, the tape inside was probably worth more than the stereo itself.
Talk about petty.
*prepares for sheep-related wisecracks*
Seriously... 6 years ago, I had a car broken into outside my house (as I was a stooodent with no money & a 12 year old Polo, security was not the greatest!!) Police caught them walking down the road with the stereo. Two lads no older than 12. So glad I wasn't around. Amazing thing is, the tape inside was probably worth more than the stereo itself.
Talk about petty.
06 January 2002, 11:00 PM
#58
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Fast Bloke - as ever you prove me right ......... you really ARE an 4rsehole!!
Are we talking Guard Dog here?? I DONT think so - we are talking family pet and, as such, would be easy meat ............. no need to be fast, strong, or whatever - family pets are like you all talk. You never will be able to walk the walk or talk the talk.
Woooooof!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha why are you sh1tting yourself??
Pete
Are we talking Guard Dog here?? I DONT think so - we are talking family pet and, as such, would be easy meat ............. no need to be fast, strong, or whatever - family pets are like you all talk. You never will be able to walk the walk or talk the talk.
Woooooof!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha why are you sh1tting yourself??
Pete
07 January 2002, 09:21 AM
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OK Pete - we can settle this easily. If you can disable my brothers 'pet' ridgeback using your bare hands, I will apologise. If you fail we will all club in to get your arm and your nads sewn back on