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I'm speechless - Vandalism

Op I can relate to how you are most likely feeling although it was the wife's car not mine that was keyed (just the word send shivers....)
Her Range Rover was a few weeks old when it happened, she was on her way to pick up our daughter from her mothers house and had stopped outside a Co-op shop just up the road to pick up some milk. The area isn't particurly bad, it was 4pm in the afternoon in the summer and loads of people coming and going.
When she got out of the car she noticed a group of teenagers about 16 years old just to the side of the shop door and one made a remark to her, she went in the shop, got the milk, came out and they had gone, she drove down the road to her mums, picked our daughter up and when she went to the passenger door to open it they (assuming it was them) had keyed the whole side of her car to the metal in parts.
The CCTV in the shop didn't cover where they were stood outside, they hadn't walked into view of it or entered the shop and the wife hadn't really looked at their faces to identify them, the shop claimed that no other vehicles have been vandalised outside so what can you do if you have no idea who did it?
It's a special type of gutless .... who goes around doing this.
I hope you find who did this to yours.
 
Sorry to see this vandalism, becoming all too prevalent now. I have twice visited towns, parked up only to see the car attracting attention. First was a group of suspicious looking males in a large car park wandering about eyeing up different vehicles. Second time was a bunch of 15-17 year olds stuffing their faces with takeaways and being generally loud. Each time I drove away and found another (inconvenient) place to leave the car. I'm pretty sure otherwise I'd have returned to have a/ the car missing or b/ the car trashed.

Sad that we have to practise defensive parking as well as driving. Even so, you can park in the quietest spot of a car park only to return and have a scruffy van, kiddy carrier, gigantic 4x4 or old tin wreck parked both sides of you :x

I'm not sure dash cams are the answer. Even if caught on camera what would be the ultimate result? A slapped wrist and a fine for the perpetrator? And if you catch 'em at it and take matters into your own hands you'll be the one getting done by the police!

I'm wondering what it's like in other countries - anyone know? For instance, in the USA or other European countries? I have the impression, maybe wrongly, that this mindless vandalism is mainly a British disease.
 
windflowers said:
I'm wondering what it's like in other countries - anyone know? For instance, in the USA or other European countries? I have the impression, maybe wrongly, that this mindless vandalism is mainly a British disease.

I reckon that the jealousy thing is a very British disease. I have family in the US and I've been there annually for the last 20 years. Generally speaking (obviously there are exceptions) the Americans are pleased to see each other's success and encourage it with enthusiasm. Over here, in much the same way that the media do everyone down, the 'green-eyed monster" is prevalent. It's a real shame.
 
Squelch, you must have been reading my mind and beat me to the button press, I'm afraid the British Yoof! follow the lead of the British press, in that everyone wants to do well, be successful have nice things etc, but as soon as you are there the press criticise and knock you down and the loutish Yoof carry out mindless vandalism "as a laugh" on the possessions of somebody who they believe to be a millionaire because they have a nice car. Never mind that the owner has worked over 40 years to get it like me...

I have lived and worked in the USA for a large portion of that time and found that 99% of people would admire your car and comment on it with compliments unless you found yourself in a Ghetto and even then they would tell you how nice it was before demanding the keys, but would never think of damaging it :grin:

IMO it is definitely a British thing, Maggie Thatcher told everyone in the eighties they could have what they wanted when they wanted it, on tick. I'll stop there..rather than turn this into a political rant, but in other parts of the world too it's not a common thing, like it is here.
In Singapore, an American Ex-pats son was given six lashes of the Birch for vandalising a car....bring it back here I say !
 
Porschekit said:
Squelch, you must have been reading my mind and beat me to the button press, I'm afraid the British Yoof! follow the lead of the British press, in that everyone wants to do well, be successful have nice things etc, but as soon as you are there the press criticise and knock you down and the loutish Yoof carry out mindless vandalism "as a laugh" on the possessions of somebody who they believe to be a millionaire because they have a nice car. Never mind that the owner has worked over 40 years to get it like me...

I have lived and worked in the USA for a large portion of that time and found that 99% of people would admire your car and comment on it with compliments unless you found yourself in a Ghetto and even then they would tell you how nice it was before demanding the keys, but would never think of damaging it :grin:

IMO it is definitely a British thing, Maggie Thatcher told everyone in the eighties they could have what they wanted when they wanted it, on tick. I'll stop there..rather than turn this into a political rant, but in other parts of the world too it's not a common thing, like it is here.
In Singapore, an American Ex-pats son was given six lashes of the Birch for vandalising a car....bring it back here I say !

If the crime in Singapore is the one I remember, it was actually tagging a MRT train with spray paint. I was working there at the time & remember thinking that 6 lashes with a cane is no big deal. Thinking of a garden cane back home. Then I read about it in a local paper. Turns out that the cane they use is a fully grown one, approx 2-3" diameter & about 10 foot long! Most people only last 2-3 lashes before passing out with the pain, in which case they are given 2 weeks to recover before receiving the rest.
Time that was brought in over here I reckon!
 
Gutting when this sort of thing happens..

Nothing in comparison, but years ago when I lived just outside Edinburgh, I had constant low-level stuff over a few weeks, wipers stolen, mirrors broken off, and although I had a cheap source of spares I'd had enough of it. After trying to sit and wait overlooking the car from the house, I bought some fishing line and hooks, tied the hooks approx every couple of inches, and strung this behind the wiper arms with the hooks pointing inwards - this was an old school mini, where you just had to tug the arm to remove it from the splines (no bolts). Went out one morning, and someone had tried to remove the wiper arm but it was left sitting up - must have hurt, and no doubt what I'd down was legally dubious, but the car wasn't touched again while I lived there.. :grin:
 

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