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[Gaffers]

This is abit of a long story so bear with it 

When I purchased the scooby I had to pick it up from West Reading on my own, so I left the miggy there in the farm car park (farm industrial estate thing) with the intention of collecting it the next week when the missus was around.  That weekend she was ill and unable to safely drive so I went to check up on it and the farm had put a notice on the car saying private parking, please move.  So I did, I moved it just outside of the farm parked by the side of the road outside of someone's house.  I came back the next weekend with the missus and picked it up.

When I got there I noticed the key fob didn't work.  Bugger, battery is flat I think, and go to use the key in the door.  The central locking came to life.  Istarted her up and thought, that was wierd.  Anyway, got the miggy home and thought nothing of it until a couple of nights ago when I friend called and said Ihave this wierd story Ineed to tell you:

The police had been in touch asking for her help, she duly got in touch and they said they had a letter with her name and address on it which they had found in an abandoned vehicle in Newbury.  They wanted to trace the owner but the insurance had lapsed, did she know whose car it was.  The car was a mondeo with a reg XYZ  (this reg is very similar to mine one digit out in fact)

I put 2 and 2 together and came to the conclusion that my car had been broken in to (forcing the lock maybe hence the central locking issue?) and searched by the police after being parked by the side of the road for a week.  They had found a letter in there which Ihadn't posted because it fell between the seats.  They had gotten the reg wrong when checking it against the database, concluded it had no insurance (not the case) and started to find the owner.

I did not know the police had any power to break in to a vehicle that was legally parked (public road "siding") unless there was an immediate threat to life (dog or child in a hot car for example)

Is this right?  What recourse may I have?  I haven't checked the lock for damage yet, but I shall be.

[Crazycarzowner]

They can't break into a car willy nilly. How do you know the lock wasn't bust before the police came to it??? Its possible it could have already been 'unlocked' by billy burglar & left either because they couldn't get it going or got disturbed. Police then attend and open the unlocked car to try and find anything to contact the owner.

I find it very odd though the police got an Omega confused with a Mundeo???

[05omegav6]

Road might not have been as public as you think...

[aaronjb]

When I purchased the scooby I had to pick it up from West Reading on my own..

You should have called (or PMd), I could have run you over there easily enough. Bit late now, I know 

[Gaffers]

Road might not have been as public as you think...

It is public highways.      Even on public land i doubt there are rights to break in to a vehicle.

[Gaffers]

When I purchased the scooby I had to pick it up from West Reading on my own..

You should have called (or PMd), I could have run you over there easily enough. Bit late now, I know 

Wish i had known

[Crazycarzowner]

Road might not have been as public as you think...

It is public highways.      Even on public land i doubt there are rights to break in to a vehicle.

They don't!

As I said it could have been tampered with BEFORE the police got to it. If it were unlocked (as I have done in the past) the bobby may have had a look in it to see if theres anything to id the owner.

[Gaffers]

Radio, untouched.  Few quid in pocket change, still there.  Couple of electrical devices, untouched.

If someone broke in before the police got there they weren't looking for valuables.

[minifreek]

Could they not just PNC the numberplate to find the owner...?

[Crazycarzowner]

Could they not just PNC the numberplate to find the owner...?

Yup, no need for them to break into it. If they were to move it anywhere they'd get it duty garaged.

[Entwood]

Methinks you might be making up a story to fit your idea of the "facts" .. when there are several other, more realistic, possibilities

Key fob doesn't work but central locking does with the key in the door .... you assume fault with CL caused by a "break in" ... other possibility ?? key fob battery flat/weak/bad contact .. key in door works well as car battery in good condition

You believe police have a letter that happens to be to an acquaintance, you don't say it is YOUR letter, they have made a mistake with the registration and got the car wrong .. mondeo v omega ... other possibility ?? registration is correct, car is a mondeo, letter has nothing to do with you, owner of mondeo also knows your friend.

I'll let you link "West Reading" with an "abandoned vehicle in Newbury" as best you can .. but it doesn't link to me...

The car was "broken in to", nothing was stolen, and then it was locked again ??  A tad strange IMHO ..

So, IMHO ...  but I might be wrong and you might be right ... the police never went near your car and you actually made 2+2=5.78912345   

[Kevin Wood]

When I purchased the scooby I had to pick it up from West Reading on my own..

You should have called (or PMd), I could have run you over there easily enough. Bit late now, I know 

Wish i had known

I could have done the same.

[biggriffin]

Now did I just read, a story, so far fetched, by an ex-military type, who deals in security, that could have been written by rods2?.   

[Gaffers]

Methinks you might be making up a story to fit your idea of the "facts" .. when there are several other, more realistic, possibilities

Key fob doesn't work but central locking does with the key in the door .... you assume fault with CL caused by a "break in" ... other possibility ?? key fob battery flat/weak/bad contact .. key in door works well as car battery in good condition

You believe police have a letter that happens to be to an acquaintance, you don't say it is YOUR letter, they have made a mistake with the registration and got the car wrong .. mondeo v omega ... other possibility ?? registration is correct, car is a mondeo, letter has nothing to do with you, owner of mondeo also knows your friend.

I'll let you link "West Reading" with an "abandoned vehicle in Newbury" as best you can .. but it doesn't link to me...

The car was "broken in to", nothing was stolen, and then it was locked again ??  A tad strange IMHO ..

So, IMHO ...  but I might be wrong and you might be right ... the police never went near your car and you actually made 2+2=5.78912345   

It was a letter which I had written to that person whom the police contacted.  So they have been in my car which was locked.

No doubt about that at all thanks very much.

[TheBoy]

I guess contact local (Reading) plod, and ask them, and see what they have to say - there may be a good reason that we haven't thought of.