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Original poster

My things were stolen off my driveway

160 replies

Anordinarymum · 13/06/2021 06:20

One day when I was out some people came onto my private driveway and removed things which were clearly not left out for scrap people to take.
The items were at the top of my drive and of value. There was my grandson's pushchair which we had taken out of the car and put by the front door with a blanket and baby wipes and a cup. There were plastic boxes with lids containing kitchen electrical equipment , plates, pans and kitchen utensils and toys all neatly stacked ready to go into the garage. There was other stuff too and obviously not rubbish. Boxes of shoes and boots and two large items belonging to my son
My garage is full and the items were going in there as soon as I got rid of some furniture.

I had only been gone for 30 minutes and when I got back I noticed a boot on the path... and then I saw everything had been taken.
This means whoever did it had come across the path and onto private land.
If I ever leave anything out to be collected it is always placed next to the path and not on my driveway so it is obvious I do not want it, and the scrap people always knock on my door and ask.

My next door neighbour was burgled a couple of years ago when he went on holiday. They got in the house and took jewellery and money and things out of his garage.
We never heard a thing as the burglars got in through a window at the back.

He quickly had CCTV installed. He told me it was an expensive and state of the art system; his house and the road in front were all covered so anyone coming anywhere near would be caught on camera.

The day this happened to me he was in his office upstairs and saw the men arrive in a van and take my things. The van was parked facing his house.

When I got home I naturally knocked on his door and asked him if he had seen anything and he said yes he saw them taking my belongings.

I asked him if he could give me the number plate of the van from his CCTV and he said he could not access the footage.

I reported the theft to the police and they asked me if anyone had seen anything and I had to say my neighbour did but didn't see the number plate. No forensics as they did not leave anything behind and nobody could give the number plate so the crime could not be investigated.

I know my neighbour very well. We are good friends. I respect his decision not to help me but feel sad he has chosen not to. I have not fallen out with him, but feel disillusioned.

OP posts:
AlternativePerspective · 13/06/2021 06:48

OP the only one to blame here is you.

You left £1k worth of stuff out on public display. Your neighbour wasn’t to know that the van wasn’t going to pick it up. Your neighbour isn’t responsible for it being there or it being taken. And if your neighbour can’t see the reg number on the CCTV then he’s not being difficult.

Stop blaming everyone else and accept that you were irresponsible.

HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 13/06/2021 06:49

You should have told the police he has a camera and they could have asked. It may be cctv that only police can access. It may be dummy cameras.

Your frustration is at the wrong person. You should be annoyed at yourself for leaving the stuff out.

Sittinginthesand · 13/06/2021 06:51

Why did you tell the police the neighbour didn’t want to be involved? I bet he wouldn’t have said that to them himself if you’d left it for them to ask him!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Crime
FiddlefigOnTheRoof · 13/06/2021 06:52

You left expensive things on your driveway! Yes, people shouldn’t have taken them but you’ve been daft.

Thisusedtobeaniceneighbourhood · 13/06/2021 06:54

Unfortunate. But there is no way I would ever leave anything I wanted on my driveway unattended for any length of time.

We have cameras, but they probably wouldn’t pick up a number plate not on our driveway, though they would give information about car type and how many people on my drive etc. I would give information to my neighbours though.

Your neighbour might be feeling cautious because filming the public highway is a legally grey area. And so his setup might not actually give much information that is useful to you.

Original poster
Anordinarymum · 13/06/2021 06:57

I'm not surprised it got taken. I'm just shocked at the cheek of them. The stuff was there before we left and gone when we got back. I had tried to sort the garage out that morning and placed two boxes inside. I put a box containing computer things in my hall and I was intending to move the rest of the items when I got back. I had not intended going out but I had to nip out to collect something which is why I took the pushchair out of the car and placed it by the door and that is when they came. The large item by my front window was covered up in case it rained. I say I was gone for 30 minutes but it was probably less than that when I think about it.

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 13/06/2021 06:57

Sine covid, and during lockdown when people couldn't sell stuff on FB or use Freecycle it has become commonplace to leave stuff outside your house for people to help themselves.

I agree that leaving a load of stuff on your drive then going out wasn't a great idea, and that whoever took it may have thought they could help themselves.

Garden furniture thefts have been a problem where we live, so when we went away for the weekend we hid it away.

Original poster
Anordinarymum · 13/06/2021 06:58

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

You should have told the police he has a camera and they could have asked. It may be cctv that only police can access. It may be dummy cameras.

Your frustration is at the wrong person. You should be annoyed at yourself for leaving the stuff out.

I did not say I was annoyed with him. I said I was angry with myself
OP posts:
Claphands · 13/06/2021 07:01

He’s clearly not if he won’t help.

I don’t understand your point here, you basically told the police there were no lines of enquiry here as your neighbour was unwilling to help.

Original poster
Anordinarymum · 13/06/2021 07:04

@AlternativePerspective

OP the only one to blame here is you.

You left £1k worth of stuff out on public display. Your neighbour wasn’t to know that the van wasn’t going to pick it up. Your neighbour isn’t responsible for it being there or it being taken. And if your neighbour can’t see the reg number on the CCTV then he’s not being difficult.

Stop blaming everyone else and accept that you were irresponsible.

There are some weird people on here who don't read. I did not blame the man next door. I blamed myself. What part of that didn't you read ?
OP posts:
drpet49 · 13/06/2021 07:05

** Claphands

Sounds like your neighbour is ‘paying you back’ for not knowing his house was being burgled to me (not that it was your fault)**

^This. Your neighbour isn’t as nice as you think.

HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 13/06/2021 07:06

Your post is so focused on the man next door though. It shows where you think the issues is in your mind.

It's an odd thing to post about anyway. The way you have described the incident and your neighbour is stilted and doesn't accept any responsibility on your part.

Chalk it up to experience and move on.

Nothingyet · 13/06/2021 07:08

The cctv man may be concerned he doesn't comply with DPA:ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/domestic-cctv-systems-guidance-for-people-using-cctv/

Original poster
Anordinarymum · 13/06/2021 07:08

@Claphands

He’s clearly not if he won’t help.

I don’t understand your point here, you basically told the police there were no lines of enquiry here as your neighbour was unwilling to help.

My point was I know he saw everything. I was simply sad he felt unable to help for fear of repercussion, but I accept his decision not to want to get involved

I told the police about the crime in case the same people were stealing other property in the area. How will the police know if nobody reports a crime.

OP posts:
Original poster
Anordinarymum · 13/06/2021 07:10

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

Your post is so focused on the man next door though. It shows where you think the issues is in your mind.

It's an odd thing to post about anyway. The way you have described the incident and your neighbour is stilted and doesn't accept any responsibility on your part.

Chalk it up to experience and move on.

I fully accept responsibility. I asked the man next door if he had seen anything and he said he had seen it all which is why I asked for the numberplate. Why don't people read ?
OP posts:
LunaLula83 · 13/06/2021 07:10

Sounds like it was free stuff put out

ScissorsBike · 13/06/2021 07:12

I would have thought that was free stuff put out, sorry OP

HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 13/06/2021 07:13

I was simply sad he felt unable to help for fear of repercussion, but I accept his decision not to want to get involved

Did he say this is why he won't get involved?

I thought he said he couldn't access the cctv footage. This could be the truth.

SunshineCake · 13/06/2021 07:19

Surely as a crime has been committed the neighbour doesn't get the choice to not be involved. I'd be making a loud noise about this back at the police station.

AndAllOurYesterdays · 13/06/2021 07:21

But it's quite normal to leave stuff out you don't want any more for people to take. That's how we got my daughter's pushchair (although I did knock on the door in that case to make sure). It might not have been stolen but taken in good faith. I'd be surprised if the police could do anything anyway.

Gilead · 13/06/2021 07:22

The amount of people so willing to stamp on another when they’re down is appalling. Spiteful, smug and unkind.

user1471538283 · 13/06/2021 07:22

When we've cleared things out we've left stuff on the drive near houses with the expectation that people can help themselves. We've got rid of everything that way.

I'm sorry you've lost your stuff. It sounds like the people that took it drive around looking for things.

Original poster
Anordinarymum · 13/06/2021 07:24

@SunshineCake

Surely as a crime has been committed the neighbour doesn't get the choice to not be involved. I'd be making a loud noise about this back at the police station.
To be honest I don't want to upset him by causing distress when he clearly does not want to get involved. I have reported the crime and I'll leave it there. I won't fall out with him either. I just felt a bit pissed off with myself and a bit sad. I've learned a hard lesson and will not do it again.
OP posts:
slashlover · 13/06/2021 07:26

Could you post on local FB groups as the people may not have known it wasn't for taking?

NoraButty · 13/06/2021 07:29

Does your neighbour not mean he literally cannot access the footage? Some of these security cameras are surveyed by the company that installs it. Meaning that a burglar can’t simply disable or tamper with a home recording,

If that is the case it’s probably not in his contact to apply for footage when something has happened in the street but not to him.

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