i had my car stolen, the police found my car with the keys in the ignition took it off for fingerprinting and then 3 days later told me i could pick it up. I was then told that i had to pay £150 or they would not let me have it back, also that the charge would go up everyday it was held. Given no choice i payed the FINE and drove home, as there was no damage to the vehicle i am not claiming on my insurance so i get fined for having my car stolen and the thieves get away scott free, they must be laughing their asses off how is this right?

Daniel, leeds,

Cost me £305 to get my car back, a further 9 months driving it whilst it was still listed a stolen, during which I was arrested a couple of times for driving my own (stolen) car.
The police never notified me that my car had been recovered, they left that to the recovery company via a letter, not even recorded delievery. To top it off the Met police recovery company, ontime, overcharged me by added VAT to the recovery costs. All in all I think the police could have done better.

Jason Crowley, Banstead, Surrey

I had my motor cycle stolen 2 days ago by a van. I was told that my bike is in the back but they were recovering the van with my bike in the back. I now have a bill for £105 to get it out after being told 3 times during my statement that there was no charge by the police. I had no choice in this matter as the police wouldnt open the van until finger prints were taken.

Dwayne Gayle, Birmingham,

We have just been scammed by the police in just the same way. Our car was stolen and soon recovered - we were not given the choice but told it was being taken for forensics - we were there in the layby with the car and the police so could have taken it there and then if we had known it would cost us £105 to get it back when they had finished covering it in fingerprint dust (to make it look like they had done somthing). So now although we are the victims this escapade has cost us approx £600 on cards, £100 to have our locks changed at home, £105 to the police to do their job and who knows what else is to come. THE BEST OF IT IS Essex police have got the criminals on CCTV taking the money and driving the car. They have their fingerprints and know who they are. NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO THEM. We work hard for a living and yet again we are shafted. I wish I could afford to leave this country cos I feel I am working to keep the low lifes in luxury.

linda carrier, Bishops Stortford, UK

I had my car stolen on saturday/sunday morning. Realising it was gone almost immediately, I reported it and was informed about the recovery scheme. However, in my area there is not an option to opt out and recover it yourself. £120 if recovered! Great, a phone call at lunchtime "do know your vehicle has been recovered?" It was found less than 4 hours after reporting it stolen about 5 miles from my home, but its been taken to the pound 10 miles from my home and it wont be released until forensics have done what they need to. 3 days later im still waiting. Ive still got to deal with the insurance. The vehicle probably isnt worth the cost of the damage and in the mean time I have no vehicle!!

I know the fee goes to the cost of recovering the vehicle which is the same whether the vehicle has been stolen or given a ticket, but if the vehicle hadnt been recovered I wouldnt be worrying about the fee, I would have the car here and it would already be on its way to being fixed

Rebecca, Essex, UK

I just had my heap of a car stolen, I paid £100 for it a few years ago. I now have to pay £105 for the recovery fee even though the car was parked less than a mile away. A complete and total scam, this country is completely out of control, maybe they will start charging mug victims for recovering lost wallets, or charging people to get their items back after being burgled.

Barry Mckeown, Farnborough, Hampshire

I would imagine that the fee will go to a garage to recover the stolen vehicle.The garage will not uplift and store the vehicle for nothing. Whilst unfortunate for the victim of crime or their insurance company someone has to pay the garage.The fee would be for this service not for the scenes of crime exam.

Graham, Glenrothes, uk

Heres what i suggest you do when your cars stolen. When asked by police if you want to take part in their vehicle recovery scheme, immediately say no.

They assume think you are a fraudulant claimant and hey presto they are desperate to do the forensic test for free. Everyones happy, the police treat the victim like a criminal as usual and you get your test for free.

Paul, London, UK

We are one step from private policing in this country. The onus has moved to crime victims to find the criminals or protect their own property.

My car was vandalised on Saturday morning and the Essex Police refused to record my complaint saying I was not politely asking for it to be recorded. I was then evicted from the police station. I was told I had to say please and use the word may.

I later offered a £300 reward to find the criminals and one person already came forward. She described the police as "pretty crap."

Trevor, westcliff,

Well the Police do have a hard time fitting all that tea drinking between making excuses why they cannot help and having to talk to all those pesky victims. That is assuming you can actually find a Police station that is OPEN!

Richard, Bordon,

As a hard working person who abides by the law all i want to know is how quickly and easily can i leave this god awful country.

The UK goverment is a business that looks at every way of fining the people who live here. How can the police charge for solving crime? i assume we'll all be looking a tax cuts as i'm sure i already pay for the police. I already thought the rules were 'If a crime can't be fined lets non bother trying to solve it.'

A friend of mine had his car damaged an the police refused to look at the CCTV from the shop over the road maybe he didn't look like he could afford it!

Andy, sussex,

We have police scheme garages in cornwall one in particular at camborne who charges 200 for a breakdown and up to 500 to1000 pounds for accedents people have even lost property from there cars at this garage there has been hundreds of complaints there is a file at truro police station but the police do nothing about it seem ther in liege with them people should ask the goverment why there is this cover up

dvsben, truro, cornwall

Having had my car stolen and written off last night (we were woken in the middle of the night and informed that the police were removing it for fingerprinting) I was flabbergasted today to be told that I would have to pay a total of £187 for recovery and scrapping of the vehicle. To add insult to injury it was an 0870 number that I had to call to be told this!

nikola cowland, london, uk

The payment is not to the police. It is through CVRS - contractual vehicle recovery scheme, the charge its for an agency outside the police to pick the vehicle up not for them to investigate the crime

Stephen, Glasgow,

"OMG! This is the way it is going in America..."

It is? I've lived in both Illinois and New York, and have never been billed by police, even when I call to report a loud, swearing drunk and she wanders off before the roll-by.

Stil, factor in incidents like the woman who was murdered while on the phone with London police outside because they didn't want to go inside and put themselves "at risk", and I really have to wonder what all the taxes are for.

London's violent crime rate is several times that of NYC, can someone explain why?

Aaron, Binghamton, New York, United States

Classic Rip off Uk again

What next dispense with 999 and replace it with a premium rate number and put you on hold for an hour first...

Press one for car recovery, please have your credit card details ready.
two for robbery
three for ...

you get the message


come on we pay a lot in Tax in the UK, how did this get through, it appauling ...

Ian , Barmouth, Gwynedd

Wow, the police won't do their job unless you bribe them! UK is becoming worst every day!

Eric, Pittsburgh, USA

OMG! This is the way it is going in America... I feel sorry for my British cousins, just goes to show you cannot trust the government with your own security!

Jason, Norfolk, USA

More and more i wonder where our taxes are going. Firemen go on strike as they are not being paid enough, hospitals close down and their car parks make a small fortune from patients and visitors, and now the police want to charge to investigate car theft.

Anyway, to the masses of you people out there, not much will be done with the money you pay to investigate. Its not like the statistics for car crime show that the police manage to solve many anyway.

Arthur, London,

Absolutely, completely, jaw droppingly pathetic!
There need to be some major changes in this country sometime soon.
How dare they charge a fee to perform their JOB?!
I guess it's all about policing matters that make them money money these days anyway.

JD, London,

TOO FUNNY!!!!, I wonder if you are a car thief can you pay for them not to investigate ;)

dave h., hinterland canada, canada.

Have you ever noticed that the people who get penalized (punished) by all these "extra payments" from police forensics to bin charges are the ordinary public who are unlikely to take to the streets, whilst violent offenders and criminals are quite likely to "make a fuss" so the government basically buys them off with victim-treatment centres, free money etc.......

Apparently no-one in downing street remembers that when the people of England got pushed too far the last time, it resulted in the Civil War!...I think they just dismiss the possibility of open revolt against the government by those they were SUPPOSED to be representing!

mike, washingtin, UK

It's sad to see British society disintegrate like this. Too bad the US isn't too far behind.

Bob, New York, USA

At least the police in the States will return my stolen car without charge, they will also check for evidence without sending me a bill either. Sure, if they find it in posession of the thief they will beat him senseless, or shoot him (with an electric stun gun if he is lucky, in not ... well stealing autos is a crime.)
I'm OK with that, I'll help them beat the thief into submission if they wish.

If my local constabulary suggested that I pay for them to do their jobs, I would tell them I do as a ratepayer. Would the fee be recoverable as a civil matter against the thief?

Matthew, Clearwater, Florida, USA

I don't see what the problem is. In most countries in the world you must pay the police a clearly defined set of gratuities for their services. You can even pay them gratuities to favor your side of any argument you have with the locals. The whole fear of paying for government services on an per-service basis is another sign of the stifling Eurocentric world view that needs to be shed to become a multicultural society.

Other cultures have good ideas, too, and I firmly believe this is one of them. If only the cops in my home town would see my point of view in exchange for a few dollars, the world would be a much happier place.

Slappy Joe, Philadelphia, PA

OK, so now we have to retrieve our own stolen vehicles and the police will not bring the thieves to justice. Does this mean that if I find out who took it I can go round to their place of residence and hand out some DIY justice? No, thought not. The police are not doing what they are already payed for and Joe Public is left with a bad taste in his mouth yet again.

Richard Jarvis, London, England

What an absolutely ridiculous situation!! Once again its the usual target - the motorists, that get hit with yet another tax!! As if motorist didnt pay enough in road tax and fuel duty which far outweighs spending on the roads intrastructure, the motorist is once again expected to subsidise the government who have allowed this to happen. I can see a huge backlash coming along with an awful lot of people already unhappy with the police cashpoints, sorry, "safety" cameras being used as income generation. What would happen if all the motorsist of the country suddenly decided to refuse to give evidence unless the police paid them for their time?? The country would fall apart in no time but more importantly the crime detection statistics would take a battering, which it seems is whats really important these days.

Paul, Chester, UK

If their forensic tests are worth £105, then surely this is because they are likely to find the thieves, so surely the charges should be paid by them when they go to court. In a similar way to "No win no fee" - it should be "no conviction no charge !"

N Thornley, Rochdale, Lancashire

Ok thats a tad biased. I take it you live in an affluent area that has little crime? You do so because the police keep it that way. If there were no police like say in all the third world countries and indeed alot od countries in the European border areas you'd be paying thugs protection money. Don't be so quick to slam the police. Its not their fault that public spending cuts have slashed their budgets but the public demand a better service for that lesser money daily. I agree its a crappy way of making money but it wouldn't be dreamt of if the government that controlled the purse strings didn't waste the public money in other areas.

bryan, poole,

Do I recall something about being a public servant. Or do the police join to have a good time in the pub. Then go sick, and take early retirement, through illness, or pressure. Taxes are paid from which the police receive their quite generous pay. Once again the mororist is hit for money, and there is not a lot we can do. Now we are paying out for domestic problems. Perhaps this should go to the court in the Haag.

victor arram, westclff on sea, uk

Another example of the mercenary parastic government and police state we live in. I find this trully abhorent. Will they be charging for forensic exmination of murder victims next, payable by the next of kin. Maestro, VIsa or Mastercard only.

A Taylor, Livingston, United Kingdom

Yet another way of the police raising revenue. As they no longer police anything without being paid, why do we need them.? Let the people who want them pay for them. They are of no use to ordinary law abiding people who currently pay their wages and get no benefit.

judy, Liverpool, england

When my wifes car was stolen and later found by the police, they refused to check it for forensic clues and this was before this new stealth tax. First of all she was told they didn't have enough officers, then when she advised them of the forensic available she was told " its only a car and they refused to attend"
This type of idiotic behaviour is only going to backfire on the police who have now become nothing more or less than second rate tax collectors for HM Government.
I can fore see the time fast approaching when the publics view of the police will have plummetted to absolute zero and they will not get any help in solving crimes.

jeff cox, Conifer Grove, New Zealand

Sounds like legalized bribery.

That's the way it is in 3rd world countries.

Pay your taxes and then pay again to actually get government employees to do their job.

I'm glad the US hasn't stooped so low.

Ugly American, Las Vegas, USA

what is this country coming to. I always thought it was the duty of the law enforcement agencies to catch criminals and bang them up. it now seems they can be selective in what they do in order to obtain greater finances. weve all already paid through the nose for this service why pay again.
we should all register our dissatifaction by refusing to vote in any election and leaving the country in limbo until politicians begin to govern the country for the benefit of the people not themselves

p. huson, stoke on trent, staffs

Adding to Tony Seaton's comment:

Accidently leave credit card receipt in car that is stolen.

Car theft sells credit card info to porn web master.

Porn web master hits your card.

5 years later, 6 riot police raid your house, twice. Call you all sorts of discusting names, insult your wife, try to bully you into commiting suicide. Then get you the sack.

Cost GBP 600,000 (loss of earnings).

Only way of escaping this is by being a Labour party donor, or a close personally friend of Tony Blair, or a Knight of the Realm.

Simon Bunce, Andover, Hampshire

Speechless!!
Roll on Election Day.

Lizzie Rymer, Leeds, UK

to car theft victim

bill for reporting car crime £36
DVLA bill for 26 sightings on ANPR £260
recovery £107
summons to criminal £35
5 court apearances £350
6 months in prison £10,000
early release tagging £850
Parole service £520

Love plod

Tony Seaton, southampton, uk

this happened to me.
i was never even informed till 3 days later that the car had been recovered.
i found out it was 2 mins walk away from where i lived so if they had tried to contact me before recovery firm i would have been able to remove and store safetly on my drive within minutes(probably sooner than the recovery)

lisa, sheffield,

Tough on crime, tough on the victims of crime. Well done Mr Blair

Stephen Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, UK

For far too long now, the police have chosen to look at twc (taking without consent) of cars (in particular) as a misdemeanour & not worthy of proper investigation. Now it seems that they have chosen to put this crime into the not worth spending money on to investigate category, The police know that people don't just TWC a motor vehicle just to get from A to B, but take them to use in the course of committing other crimes, such as burglary or robbery. TWCs must be investigatd thoroughly by the police which should include fingerprinting and DNA swabbing in order to identify offenders for more serious & organised crime. They have a duty to prevent & detect crime & bring offendes to justice. They are funded from the taxes of all taxpayers & residents & just cannot justify charging any fee to carry out a forensic investigation. They have for a long time charged to recover stolen veicles but this in the main has been covered by insurance. The police must NOT be allowed to neglect their duty

Lynda Plum, London, England