A couple whose Jaguar was stolen were forced to steal it back after police took too long to investigate.
Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson discovered their car had gone missing from near their west London home in Brook Green on Wednesday morning.
The pair had it fitted with an AirTag locator meaning they were able to track the vehicle to an updated location in Chiswick at 10.30am.
But police informed them after dialling 999 that they did not know when they would be able to investigate and so could not offer immediate assistance.
The couple took matters into their own hands when Ms Pirie, 48, discovered the AirTag had last pinged on the road outside their home at around 3.20am.
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.
Mr Simpson, 62, was nervous as he made the four-mile journey with his wife to the car’s new location.
The pair discovered the vehicle on a quiet back street with its interior and carpets ripped apart by thieves who had attempted to access its wiring.
The pair had the car fitted with an AirTag locator meaning they were able to track the vehicle to an updated location in Chiswick at 10.30am. Pictured: Mr Simpson with the Jaguar
Mia Forbes Pirie shared an image to social media of the car and her husband accompanied with an explanation of what had happened
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.
They said they thought the theft operation on their Jaguar must have been ‘reasonably sophisticated’ and likely involved a tow or flat-bed truck.
Neighbours later reported they had heard unusual noises at night.
In a post to LinkedIn, Ms Forbes Pirie admitted it was ‘kind of fun’ stealing back the car but questioned ‘why we should have had to do that’.
She added: ‘[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?’
But speaking to The Times afterwards Ms Forbes Pirie said she thought it was a lack of resourcing that had affected the Met’s ability to respond.
She said: ‘The police are under-resourced and it’s a shame. 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.’
Official Met Police figures show there were 33,530 offences of ‘theft or unauthorised taking’ of a motor vehicle in London in 2024 – a 1.6 per cent increase on the previous year.
George Nicolas had his Maserati Levante (pictured) stolen from outside his home in May 2024 after the thieves removed his steering lock with an angle grinder
Shocking pictures show his steering lock bar cut clean in two and dumped in the back of the car along with several interior carpet panels being ripped up and scratches on the exterior
There were 326 ‘positive outcomes – which can include a charge or caution – representing a success rate of below one per cent.
Last year, the Met Police allegedly told a Londoner who had his car stolen to recover the vehicle himself as they didn’t have the manpower.
George Nicolas had his Maserati Levante stolen from outside his home in May after the thieves removed his steering lock with an angle grinder.
Luckily the classic car fan had installed a tracking device in the car – which costs more than £93,000 when new – and he rang up the Met to inform them of the motor’s location.
But Mr Nicolas claimed he was subsequently told that the force ‘didn’t have anyone available’ and instead recommended that he recover the vehicle himself since he knew where it was.
And in April this year, a motorist spent more than £20,000 on a replacement for a cherished car which was taken from his driveway – then discovered he had accidentally bought back his own stolen vehicle.
Ewan Valentine wanted to replace his Honda Civic Type R after it was taken from outside his home in the middle of the night.
The top-of-the-range motor – which can do 0-to-60mph in six seconds and has a top speed of 168mph – was his pride and joy and Mr Valentine was desperate to replace it.
Ewan Valentine had been determined to replace his stolen pride and joy with a near identical replacement
The Honda’s odometer had been wound back and its number plates swapped
A few weeks afer the theft on February 28, an online search led him to what looked to be an almost-identical 2016 model in the same black paint finish at a garage 70 miles away.
The car had a lower mileage than the stolen hot hatch and sported different number plates.
But it was only after Mr Valentine, 36, had bought the vehicle and driven it home that he realised it actually was his old car.
The sofware engineer, from Solihull, West Midlands, said: ‘In February my partner woke up around 5am to drive to her office, shouted ‘Ewan, where’s your car?’
‘Slightly dazed, I looked out of the window and sure enough, the car was gone.
‘A few weeks passed, I was dealing with the police and the insurance company but not much was happening.
‘So I decided to start looking to replace the car.
‘It was a bit of a midlife crisis car and you don’t get many of those.’
