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Couple steal back their own car after cops ‘refused to investigate theft'… despite AirTag pinpointing its exact location

Couple steal back their own car after cops ‘refused to investigate theft'… despite AirTag pinpointing its exact location

The Sun12-06-2025

A COUPLE whose Jaguar was swiped by thieves have stolen it back after cops failed to investigate the theft.
Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson discovered their motor was missing from its spot close to their home in Brook Green, West London on Wednesday morning.
However, the shrewd pair had installed an airtag locator in the vehicle which had been taken to Chiswick shortly after.
The couple called 999 but cops told them that they were unable to offer immediate assistance.
Unwilling to sit idly, Mia and Mark took matters into their own hands.
Mr Simpson, 62, reported being nervous as he made the four-mile journey with his wife to the car's new location.
The Jaguar E-Pace - a model that sold for about £46,000 new in 2024 - also had a 'ghost immobiliser' fitted which required the right buttons to be hit on the car's control unit before it could start.
The couple found the vehicle on a quiet back street with its carpets ripped apart after thugs attempted to access its wiring.
Forbes Pirie, a former solicitor and now an award-winning mediator, and Mr Simpson, a commercial barrister, had installed a series of additional security mechanisms on the car after previously experiencing the theft of a vehicle.
Neighbours later reported they had heard unusual noises at night.
Mia wrote in LinkedIn post: "[Is] it right that the police seem to have no interest in investigating what is likely to have been a reasonably sophisticated operation involving a flat bed truck… if there are no consequences, what is the incentive for people not to do more of this?"
However, she lamented the Met Police's lack of investment.
"The police are under-resourced and it's a shame," she told The Times.
"But if there aren't any consequences to people stealing cars or a lot of the other crimes where there aren't any consequences, then I don't really see what the deterrent is to stop people from doing it more."
In a statement, Met Police told The Sun: "On Tuesday, 3 June at 10.06am, police were alerted to the theft of a vehicle on Sterndale Road, W14.
"Officers spoke to the victim, who shared his intention to recover the vehicle himself.
"An Apple Airtag was inside, allowing the victim to view its location and trace it.
"The victim was reminded by officers to contact police again as needed or if police assistance was necessary at the vehicle's location.
"At 11.23am the victim confirmed with police that he had found the vehicle and that it was being recovered by a truck back to the victim's home address.
"This investigation is ongoing and police are working with the victim. No arrests have been made at this stage."
It comes after one man who has had his £114k Range Rover stolen four times revealed he always gets it back thanks to an essential gadget.
Tom Jaconelli, 39, was left infuriated after his posh 150mph SUV was taken from outside his house yet again.
Doorbell footage showed the director of car dealership Romans International, having his 2024 Range Rover Sport P550e snatched just metres from his front door.
But savvy Tom had fitted his motor with a tracking system which enabled him to get his vehicle back.
He said the car was retrieved when three police dog vans stopped the thief in his tracks.
Thankfully for Tom, the motor was found 15 minutes away from Tom's home in Cobham, Surrey.
Do you have a similar story? Email louis.regan@thesun.co.uk
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