Anguished plea
Page 25
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
This letter is a mixture of complaint, despair, hopelessness, resignation and sheer exasperation.
On 19 May my MercedesBenz truck was stolen from a locked and so-called guarded compound at Churchill Road Industrial Estate, Wheatley Hall Road, Doncaster. The value of this lorry was about £8,000, but its lass has deprived me of earning a living for several weeks or months until the insurance company decides the vehicle is not going to be found.
The theft was reported to police as soon as it was discovered and I was told the truck had been placed on the national vehicle theft computer. My own enquiries revealed that none of the people 1 spoke to had been interviewed by the police and as far as I know police have not visited the site of the theft. It was not until two and a half weeks after the theft that I was interviewed by a police constable—what good could that have done?
I realise that there is little point in writing this letter, for, if the police are as stretched for time, personnel, and resources as this case indicates, then the fabric of our society is in a deplorable state and I really should be complaining to the Prime Minister. The theft of commercial vehicles is a multi-million pound crime and I consider much more effort should be put into combating it.
I would like to propose the following plan of action whenever a CV is stolen: L.J Traffic police to be given details immediately.
E All known commercial vehicle scrap yards to be visited on the day of the theft. Li Exporters of used CVs to be given details of the theft. rl Local media to be informed for maximum publicity. 0 All known truck theft criminals to be interviewed. Li Police to visit the site of the theft on the same day to investigate possible witnesses and take statements.
0 Gipsy and traveller sites, where scrap is cut up, should be visited.
GR Poulton Doncaster.