Stolen MDC Camper Trailer

That's a W.A. numberplate. Crime is out of control in Perth, vehicle thefts are up about 20%, home burglaries up about 10%. The cops are overrun, there's not enough of them, and they are absolutely struggling.

It's not helped in the least by the fact that the judges are letting the crims go as soon as the cops catch them - because the jails are all full. They're double-stacking cells and letting people out, who shouldn't be out.

Stepdaughter had her near-new Subaru Outback stolen by a druggie son of a woman who was looking after her house while SD was away working at Moomba.
The housesitter let him stay at the house, against all promises of not even letting him into the house, and he promptly grabbed the car keys and pinched the Outback.

We had his phone number, we had his girlfriends phone number - and she was snitching on his whereabouts to us.
Told the cops where the car was, from girlfriends info, and they wouldn't even send a patrol car out to catch him.

This druggie had the Outback for 4 days, went on a meths bender, stole someone elses plates, drove around non-stop for 4 days, doing ram-raids, and speeding like a madman.

SD has incurred $1600 worth of camera fines just when the car still had the original plates, when first stolen!
The cameras were excellent at catching him speeding - but the cops couldn't catch him!

Then, near midnight on the 4th day, he ran the Outback up the back of an unmarked police car parked at the lights, because he was asleep at the wheel - because he hadn't slept for 4 nights!!

The cops jumped out of their wrecked car, spotted that he had a firearm in the console of the Outback, so they actually woke up, and grabbed him.
The judge promptly let him go, because "it was only a replica firearm, and no violence was involved".

Of course, the judge set a date for him to come back and front court on the 13 charges - but naturally, he didn't show up!
So he issued a bench warrant - but before the police can find him, they get a call that the druggie is dealing meths from a table in Maccas in Joondalup!

So, this time he is actually locked up, for a little while - but he won't get any decent length of sentence, the biggest offence the judge sees, is the major offence of disobeying his court appearance date!!

SD's Outback is a total write-off, it was nearly new. She's lost about $5000 because she underestimated the value.
The insurance company promptly accused her of setting up the theft (a common ploy to avoid payout) - and it's taken 2 1/2 weeks of endless fighting with them to get a payout - which she only just got yesterday!

Don't even think about insuring with Progressive Car Insurance!! - they are intent on avoiding payouts, if they can get away with it!!

Will, I hope you get your camper back, but the chances are very low. These crims have disposal routes set up, that make stuff regularly disappear, never to be seen again.
Recovery rates are abysmal for stolen goods in W.A. The policing in this state is a joke.

I won't even start on what I would like to do with thieves! It would make the Arabs look soft!

Cheers, Ron.

When are they bringing the death penalty back?

Maddening . . .

Phil

Just to follow up the insurance comment about Progressive...

I was insured with another similar company who also advertise widely on TV and are based online. All great until you need to make a claim, then it is bedlam. I promptly cancelled my policy.

Pity the cops didnt shoot the prick and say he came at them with the gun. Scum like this need a winchester bullet to the head...

Dear Ron guess what SA is cutting Police numbers and replacing with admin people in the stations.Minister here says not copying WA model ha ha ha..Insurance companies love theft just imagine if we lived in honest society with tough laws then be no need for insurance. I have been to Middle East , Syria before war and saw first hand how safe it was on streets.You could leave anything unattended in the street not a problem with theft.Choppy choppy if you did thieve.But I think its more a reflection on governments and how they make the laws and look after its citizens.Drugs create a need for money and creates crime .Good for Lawyers business. Its sad state of affairs when thieves have a shopping list and its all organised by ring leader..We will start to live in a society of paranoia which isn't great for the soul.Hopefully the bastards get caught but the judge will let them off no doubt ...

Ron hit the nail on the head..I worked for Gov before had that many levels of management not funny.Went into same job into private sector and had only 1 supervisor.Apart from that its good practice for Gov workers not to fix things otherwise be out of a job .The job I am talking about is Social Services .They just let them breed another generation of no hopers who end up on drugs alcohol gambling etc and put them in housing estates ...perpetual..No one bothers fixing the problem and thefore rest of society pays for it and gets stuff stolen they worked hard for...

The thieves will be changing the appearance of the camper as we speak.
It will be inside a factory unit, hidden from view.

They will repaint it, alter attachments and wheels, apply for a new trailer S/N, saying it's a new custom build - and the authorities won't even check, because you no longer even have to present trailers for inspection in W.A. - because the inspection stations were overwhelmed - and inspections have all been farmed out to private operators, anyway.

The whole system stinks, because the judiciary treat crims as "clients" (and even refer to them that way), they need the crims to keep on coming back in regular circles, so the employees in the "system" can keep their jobs.

The Americans have a better system - lock 'em up for long periods - the sentence is what the sentence is (none of this "discounted sentences" crap) - and during the day, the crims are sent out in chain gangs to clean up the roadsides.

What is needed is to get back to the point where jails are grim places, where they work to pay off their debt to their victims - not the great little motel with all the creature comforts, that they look forward to going back to, when they're caught again.

Jail doesn't hold any fear, and even less rehabilitation, for 99% of the crims today. This needs to change.

They can choose not to undertake rehab, and they are allowed to get away with it, and allowed out again at the end of their sentence with no change in their attitude - just increased crim skills from regular association with other crims.

Association with others inside jail should be a privilege to be earned. They only keep the very worst crims in solitary.
Choice of whether to indulge in rehab should not be an option - keep them locked up until they agree to undertake rehab.

Cheers, Ron.

Thanks, I will go on line later and add my camper to the list of lost homes.