Trouble with a stranger stabbing tyres

Trouble with a stranger stabbing tyres

Author
Discussion

mikeiow

Original Poster:

6,204 posts

137 months

Friday 18th October
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So....a relative of ours is in London with their partner.
After a year near Clapham South, they have moved to a new flat in Tooting Broadway a month or so ago.
Since then they have had the sidewall on their car tyres slashed THREE times furious

Not parking on anyone else's frontage. Neighbourhood looks and feels fine to them.
There is zero chance they have 'made enemies' in the street.

Police will be informed...but aside from that, anyone got any suggestions: perhaps good cameras to monitor things?
Wondering whether they should try parking in another street - they don't use the car much at all, but it is an bloody infuriating thing to happen.

Gnevans

489 posts

129 months

Friday 18th October
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What car is it? An SUV? Are other car tyres being slashed there?

Richard-390a0

2,572 posts

98 months

Friday 18th October
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They now know why the previous tenants moved out then!. I'd suggest cameras too but all you'll see is some unidentifiable hoodie most probably. Maybe a note in the side windows "This isn't the previous tenants vehicle. XXX doesn't live here anymore" maybe?

tux850

1,860 posts

96 months

Friday 18th October
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Yeah, it's got to be a camera of some sort. Even if not for identification it can greatly help matters if things like time of day, whether it is the same person or not, etc can be determined.

gmaz

4,615 posts

217 months

Friday 18th October
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Get a Tesla. Sentry mode will film the scumbag on 3-4 camera angles.


mikeiow

Original Poster:

6,204 posts

137 months

Saturday 19th October
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Gnevans said:
What car is it? An SUV? Are other car tyres being slashed there?
Just a small Peugeot
Doesn’t look like others are being slashed. Main reason I think they need to inform the cops - maybe this is a broader problem - and their local authority - they have just paid a couple of hundred for a parking permit frown

Richard-390a0 said:
They now know why the previous tenants moved out then!. I'd suggest cameras too but all you'll see is some unidentifiable hoodie most probably. Maybe a note in the side windows "This isn't the previous tenants vehicle. XXX doesn't live here anymore" maybe?
That’s a possibility…although the first time it happened the car was parked across the street, so not sure how the scroete would know whose it was. They will speak with their landlord.

tux850 said:
Yeah, it's got to be a camera of some sort. Even if not for identification it can greatly help matters if things like time of day, whether it is the same person or not, etc can be determined.
Mmm….but where to put the camera, & what to get?
I doubt any aftermarket cameras can sort this from inside the car - unless someone can suggest one?
Feels like it needs a quality longer distance one which can record constantly for perhaps several days for them to be able to trawl back.
Any ideas?

gmaz said:
Get a Tesla. Sentry mode will film the scumbag on 3-4 camera angles.
Lovely idea….they are in a Peugeot worth under 10k, so sadly not gonna happen, unless they have long term free loaners!

LR90

195 posts

10 months

Saturday 19th October
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It might be worth asking a friend or neighbour with a quality dashcam to park behind them. Not only will this give a better view of any potential misdeed, but it’s also more likely to trip the miscreant up as they won’t be expecting to be filmed from that angle and might inadvertently reveal their face.

tux850

1,860 posts

96 months

Saturday 19th October
quotequote all
mikeiow said:
That’s a possibility…although the first time it happened the car was parked across the street, so not sure how the scroete would know whose it was. They will speak with their landlord.
I was picturing it being outside/opposite the house and so just something inside a house window (as long as IR reflection doesn't cause issue, outside if it does). Maybe a video doorbell if it has a good view (eg a Reolink for ~£75, no subscription costs, records to SD)


Edited by tux850 on Saturday 19th October 08:03

mikeiow

Original Poster:

6,204 posts

137 months

Saturday 19th October
quotequote all
LR90 said:
It might be worth asking a friend or neighbour with a quality dashcam to park behind them. Not only will this give a better view of any potential misdeed, but it’s also more likely to trip the miscreant up as they won’t be expecting to be filmed from that angle and might inadvertently reveal their face.
They have only been there a month - not sure their London pals own cars, & no ideas about the neighbours.

tux850 said:
mikeiow said:
That’s a possibility…although the first time it happened the car was parked across the street, so not sure how the scroete would know whose it was. They will speak with their landlord.
I was picturing it being outside/opposite the house and so just something inside a house window (as long as IR reflection doesn't cause issue, outside if it does). Maybe a video doorbell if it has a good view (eg a Reolink for ~£75, no subscription costs, records to SD)
London residential street, so no certainty precisely where to park, unfortunately.


They don’t use the car very often. May be worth parking a way from the house (not sure what their permit allows).


DaveCWK

2,097 posts

181 months

Saturday 19th October
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Even if you are lucky enough to get clear footage of their face, it' very unlikely anything will happen with this information.
Keep fitting ditchfinders/cheap 2nd hand tyres & park a street or two away is what I'd do. If its still targeted, replace the car and do the same.

mikeiow

Original Poster:

6,204 posts

137 months

Saturday 19th October
quotequote all
DaveCWK said:
Even if you are lucky enough to get clear footage of their face, it' very unlikely anything will happen with this information.
Keep fitting ditchfinders/cheap 2nd hand tyres & park a street or two away is what I'd do. If its still targeted, replace the car and do the same.
I feel you might be right.

It leaves a sour taste - they like the area/flat, but some lunatic is making it less pleasant frown

Desiderata

2,570 posts

61 months

Saturday 19th October
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I'd suggest that if no-one else is getting their tyres slashed then it's not a stranger that's doing it.

mikeiow

Original Poster:

6,204 posts

137 months

Saturday 19th October
quotequote all
Desiderata said:
I'd suggest that if no-one else is getting their tyres slashed then it's not a stranger that's doing it.
They don’t know anyone in the immediate area.

Gnevans

489 posts

129 months

Saturday 19th October
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Sounds like a neighbour who thinks they own part of the road.

Hoofy

77,470 posts

289 months

Saturday 19th October
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Have they had any arguments with anyone local recently? Even a snarky comment to a yoof?

mikeiow

Original Poster:

6,204 posts

137 months

Saturday 19th October
quotequote all
Hoofy said:
Have they had any arguments with anyone local recently? Even a snarky comment to a yoof?
I’d be hugely surprised: they aren’t that sort.

Riley Blue

21,620 posts

233 months

Saturday 19th October
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"Police will be informed..."

This started a month ago and they haven't reported it? I'd have been on the phone the next morning.

DonkeyApple

58,906 posts

176 months

Saturday 19th October
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Tooting. Very high nutter population. That's the first aspect.

Your relative has been there a month, been vandalised three times and rarely uses the car.

Assuming it is not an ex or an extra with a passion for bunny boiling and a willingness to travel then three times in a month would suggest that it's not a random act which is what you'd put the first one down to.

Best guess would be one of the many nutters on the street who uses their car daily and is being triggered by a new car that has appeared and then doesn't move every day so sits there like a beacon distressing the mentalist whose daily trauma of finding a space at the end of each working day that's relatively close to their front door.

Back in the 90s in Notting Hill as it began to be returned to how it once was the then locals would often vandalise a nice car that parked up on a street and which was clearly not in use by a gangsta. The same used to happen on the Kilburn side of what was starting to be marketed as West Hampstead as the right to buy people cashed in and some who were left behind decided they didn't like their new neighbours.

Best bet is that it is one of the nutters on the street who either has a problem with newbies who don't use their car every day or a problem with newbies with fancy jobs and fancy clothes who are so fancy they take the Tube to work and just leave a car decadently abandoned.

Has the car been parked in relatively the same area each time? If each event was on the same street and inside of say a couple of hundred metres then I'd guess local nutter on the street. If the car has been on different streets then I'd guess nutter from elsewhere trying to target one of the users.

Jaska

755 posts

149 months

Saturday 19th October
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If you're mad enough to slash tyres repeatedly, meaning they continuously leave the house with a knife, then no attempts at rationalising, common sense, logic, film footage etc are probably not going to help unfortunately.

recordman

407 posts

132 months

Saturday 19th October
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Just get a set of run flats and carry on with their life.