Watson car rampage

A friend lives around there, here’s his score more or less, doesn’t read anything like the sterile police report (and perhaps that’s their job) which the newspaper just parrots because they’re too slack to do *their* job (or under-resourced nowdays?).

It was a three consecutive night theft and vandal spree, included at least three confrontations (and as such witnesses but where are the descriptions?), and bags from other thefts left lying around after the cops went through them and decided insufficient evidence (ok but what about lost property?).

Besides public expenses (cops, forensics, maybe one day legal costs), we have car damages, wrecked locks and ignitions, danaged windscreens, smashed windows, goods taken including a very expensive and secured bicycle, wallets unfortunately forgotten in the car (bad move but still there it is), phones, moneys, tools, anything they could recover, so add all that up to the bill, then add all the associated rest of it.

…sure it passes, but it’s not good especially when strangers are randomly in people’s face, on people’s property, walking around like they KNOW nobody can touch them, and feel they can return whenever they damn well please. They even tried someone’s handbag whilst she merely turned around just got home. Some people got their car done over at least twice on consecutive nights, how’s that going to feel?

THREE nights in a row, several encounters and witnesses, various damages and stolen goods, and all in the SAME location.

Rollersk8r said :

On a related topic – what the hell is it with people torching cars these days?? It seems if a car is broken down on the side of the road for more than 24 hours it’s open season to smash it to pieces and set it on fire.

This is not a recent or unusual phenomenon for Canberra, and has been going on for as long as I can remember, including my own (broken down) vehicle being torched when parked on the side of Mugga Lane near the tip about a decade ago.

From that point on I made sure to always keep the phone number of a towie stored in my phone.

This is crap. Phrases like “scurrying vermin”, and “human filth” spring to mind. My car was damaged like this a while ago, although not as part of a mass wave of stupidity. I would be delighted to offer the perpetrators a free martial arts lesson, anytime, anywhere.

Apart from the sheer imbecility of the pointless vandalism that was inflicted on the property of these people, the owners would have put huge amounts of time, money and effort into purchasing and operating their vehicles. The repair bills for this sort of damage are unbelievable, and the livelihoods of the victims may also be affected. The OP calls it “minor”, but it’s not really.

Those who do this sort of thing have voluntarily decided not to be a part of our society. When (if) found, they should be removed from society for our protection.

FioBla said :

Just so I’m prepared for this… what do you do after finding such an event in the morning? Call police and stick around, or go to work (via alternative means)? Should I tow the car to a mechanic, or a bodyshop place, and then contact a locksmith? And, would I need to inform my landlord (if it’s in a car port)?

Thanks.

Inform the police, but after that it’s really up to you how you get it fixed – claim on insurance or pay for it yourself.

I don’t see any reason to notify your landlord unless you want to for some particular reason?

Rollersk8r said :

On a related topic – what the hell is it with people torching cars these days?? It seems if a car is broken down on the side of the road for more than 24 hours it’s open season to smash it to pieces and set it on fire.

There was a car dumped off Ellenborough Street approaching Kaleen on Saturday night. It was damaged and probably stolen. Then, for whatever reason, people have turned up some time last night, completely torn it to pieces and set it on fire…

That was apparently an old lady who had a heart attack and came off the road. While it was left there, someone’s torched it. Nice.

Just so I’m prepared for this… what do you do after finding such an event in the morning? Call police and stick around, or go to work (via alternative means)? Should I tow the car to a mechanic, or a bodyshop place, and then contact a locksmith? And, would I need to inform my landlord (if it’s in a car port)?

Thanks.

Sorry to see the damage to your car Lauren, that’s really crap. I hope you can get it fixed up soon.

People that do this sort of thing are just s*** – there is no excuse EVER for maliciously damaging other people’s property just for the fun of it. Did this sort of thing used to happen? I know I would have never dreamed of it.

Paul0075 said :

I wish I had a constructive, useful idea how these kinds of things can be curbed.

A real deterrent would be to actually have proper consequences for the actions that people do….

This is why we can’t have nice things!

Seems that we have a lot of bored and/or disrespectful people in this city. It’s not just the car damage, but also damage to bus stops, signs, shopfronts and public amenities.

Canberra is a decent sized city, there’s plenty of things to do, paid or free, but we still have this going on. I wish I had a constructive, useful idea how these kinds of things can be curbed.

I heard it was an off-site training drill for the Power Street Posse.