It is not uncommon to find items stolen from unlocked cars but it unusual for the 'culprit' to be a police officer.
Officers in Richmond, south-west London, are entering unlocked cars to remove valuables, like handbags and laptops, leaving a note for the driver.
Supt Jim Davis admitted, "technically we are entering the vehicle" but he denied breaching any law.
But a leading lawyer said police could face civil proceedings for trespass if any items taken by them were damaged.
Orlando Pownall, QC, who lives in Richmond Hill, said: "It undoubtedly is a trespass but there could be civil proceedings if a person shows a damage or loss has resulted from the trespass.
"Police need to ensure that information on a computer or mobile is not looked at and kept in a secure place - otherwise it could be an intrusion.
"It might also be worthwhile for officers to take a photo like traffic wardens."
""""We don't want to take people's property as it is an awful lot of bureaucracy and hassle for us"""
(Supt Jim Davis)
The new tactic, launched last month, is aimed at tackling thefts from cars in the area which rose by 40% until July.
Mr Davis, from Richmond upon Thames police, said officers on patrol are only targeting unlocked cars with a valuable item on display.
Officers try to contact the owner, failing which they remove the item and leave a note for the driver to retrieve it from Twickenham police station.
In 2008 1,300 thefts from cars were reported in the borough, of which 220 involved sat-navs. But the figure rose by 40% until July.
Mr Davis said: "We identified that 21% of thefts from cars were from unlocked cars, so no sign of forced entry.
"Technically we are entering the vehicle but we are not committing a crime. It's a common law duty to protect (people's) property.
"We don't want to take people's property as it is an awful lot of bureaucracy and hassle for us but we are doing this to make sure people take responsibility of their valuables."
Until now 25 cars were targeted but an item had to be removed in only one case. Mr Davis said the police received "no negative complaints" so far.
Richmond Council said it backed the scheme.
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Tuesday 25 August 2009
Police 'steal' from unlocked cars
It is not uncommon to find items stolen from unlocked cars but it unusual for the 'culprit' to be a police officer.
Officers in Richmond, south-west London, are entering unlocked cars to remove valuables, like handbags and laptops, leaving a note for the driver.
Supt Jim Davis admitted, "technically we are entering the vehicle" but he denied breaching any law.
But a leading lawyer said police could face civil proceedings for trespass if any items taken by them were damaged.
Orlando Pownall, QC, who lives in Richmond Hill, said: "It undoubtedly is a trespass but there could be civil proceedings if a person shows a damage or loss has resulted from the trespass.
"Police need to ensure that information on a computer or mobile is not looked at and kept in a secure place - otherwise it could be an intrusion.
"It might also be worthwhile for officers to take a photo like traffic wardens."
""""We don't want to take people's property as it is an awful lot of bureaucracy and hassle for us"""
(Supt Jim Davis)
The new tactic, launched last month, is aimed at tackling thefts from cars in the area which rose by 40% until July.
Mr Davis, from Richmond upon Thames police, said officers on patrol are only targeting unlocked cars with a valuable item on display.
Officers try to contact the owner, failing which they remove the item and leave a note for the driver to retrieve it from Twickenham police station.
In 2008 1,300 thefts from cars were reported in the borough, of which 220 involved sat-navs. But the figure rose by 40% until July.
Mr Davis said: "We identified that 21% of thefts from cars were from unlocked cars, so no sign of forced entry.
"Technically we are entering the vehicle but we are not committing a crime. It's a common law duty to protect (people's) property.
"We don't want to take people's property as it is an awful lot of bureaucracy and hassle for us but we are doing this to make sure people take responsibility of their valuables."
Until now 25 cars were targeted but an item had to be removed in only one case. Mr Davis said the police received "no negative complaints" so far.
Richmond Council said it backed the scheme.
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2 comments:
You cannot trust anyone these days! It's just awful! xxx
It is extremely sad that our own lawenforcement is using our tax dollars to break into the publics vehicles. Nothing is safe or sacred anymore!!! Not only that but there is not privacy for anyone in any country.
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