Scum steal disabled parking badge

goz83

I'm feeling a bit disgusted at the moment. I had a long day at work and after the kids were all settled, I decided to go to the cinema, so I drove to the Odeon in Coolock to catch a 9pm show. I am a disabled driver, and so parked up in one of four empty spots. The carpark was fairly empty overall.

After the film, I came out to find that my driver window was smashed and my disabled parking permit was missing. I had a very expensive satnav in the armrest storage area, which thankfully was still there. The only thing missing was the badge.

Car park security told me it happened at 9:15 and the Gardai were on the way. So, apparently the idiot that broke into my car actually went into the cinema and was clearly seen on their higher quality cctv, before going back out and getting into a car with at least one other person, driving around the back of the cinema, walking around to the front, where my car was parked (with his hood up) and showed his scumbaggery off on cctv.

Gardai arrived after a while and took my details. Offered to take car for prints, which I declined, as I got the feeling that dusting for prints was not going to turn up anything. So, it's autoglass in the morning and a good hoovering.

It's only window and some inconvenience, but I hope the fcukers crash and burn and die a horrible death. Breaking into a car and stealing is bad enough, but to steal a disability badge is about as low as one can go.

Atlantic Dawn

Pure scum to do that, whatever use they think they would possibly get out of it.

Yes I wouldn't have bothered letting them bring the car away for prints, you would be without it for days. Even if it did lead to a 100% match and confirmation of the thief when it goes to court he would take out the violin and mention some illness, addiction or family history where he wouldn't get as much as a slap on the wrist. It's as frustrating for the Gardaí as the effort to catch these people is thrown back in their face by zero punishment in the courts.

Grolschevik

I may be misremembering, but didn't you say elsewhere in a recent post something along the lines of "it's not just those who are mobility-impaired who can get the badge"?

If so, and if your disability is not immediately obvious to a casual observer, is it possible that this guy thought he was being a bit of a vigilante by stealing the badge of someone he might have assumed wasn't entitled to park in that spot?

(Hence the theft of nothing else...)

goz83

Grolschevik wrote: »

I may be misremembering, but didn't you say elsewhere in a recent post something along the lines of "it's not just those who are mobility-impaired who can get the badge"?

If so, and if your disability is not immediately obvious to a casual observer, is it possible that this guy thought he was being a bit of a vigilante by stealing the badge of someone he might have assumed wasn't entitled to park in that spot?

(Hence the theft of nothing else...)

Good memory, but no, the car the scummer arrived in was a good 20 minutes after I arrived. Besides, I can't quite jump out of the car as of yet, because I'm not long after surgery and still have weekly Physio and my gym visits show I'm less flexible as the pensioners beside me on the exercise Matt. If I had of been seen, then it would have been obvious enough that I wasn't as able bodied as I should be. When I feel strong, I don't use the disabled spots.

No matter the case, unless there's an emergency, there's no excuse for damaging someone's property to steal a disability badge. Shameful behaviour. Would love to have witnessed it. A little adrenaline does wonders for back pain.

colm_mcm

This was on tv about badges being stolen in London where parking is difficult to find. Does the badge entitle you to free parking or just use of the spaces?

uck51js9zml2yt

colm_mcm wrote: »

This was on tv about badges being stolen in London where parking is difficult to find. Does the badge entitle you to free parking or just use of the spaces?

Free parking.

Indricotherium

Are there some sort of anti counterfeit measures built into it? Producing a false one would seem less hassle than smashing s window for one?

colm_mcm

Addyson Old Sinus wrote: »

Free parking.

Not shocked it got stolen then.
obviously very scummy thing to do.

goz83

Indricotherium wrote: »

Are there some sort of anti counterfeit measures built into it? Producing a false one would seem less hassle than smashing s window for one?

All badges have a unique ID and barcode. If a parking warden scans it (and I have seen them do this in town) it will now show up as stolen. So, kind of pointless to steal, as it would indeed be easier to forge one, rather than make use of a stolen one.

It was obviously stolen by an idiot, because the car he came in is on cctv and I believe they have the registration number. The guy also went into the cinema and his face is on cctv.

The badge ID is 154886 for anyone who checks these things.

dar83

Sounds like the Odeon security team were on the ball, watching from their hut. :P

Chris_Heilong

Thats crap news Goz, cant believe the depts some of these scum can achieve.

uck51js9zml2yt

I've a badge for my mother.
It fell out of the car and as I hadn't needed to use it didn't realise it was gone.

Got a call from the Guards saying they found it in a foreign national car which they stopped.

The owner didn't look like the picture.
AGS said they didn't prosecute as they had more to worry about after being stopped

robtri

surely it be easier to photoshop and print out a good replica than to rob one...

Gumbo

robtri wrote: »

surely it be easier to photoshop and print out a good replica than to rob one...

They are a plastic card shaped now a days. Hard to get a photoshopped one like the older versions. They are styles slightly like the PSV ID badges.

pudzey101

Scum will have no luck for that , karma will catch up badge ID number will hopefully be traced , worst thing about it is theyll probably only be done for criminal damage if they are caught ....

goz83

pudzey101 wrote: »

Scum will have no luck for that , karma will catch up badge ID number will hopefully be traced , worst thing about it is theyll probably only be done for criminal damage if they are caught ....

Or not at all. A serious hiding is what these scummers need. Make sure they need the disabled permits they steal.

I was in Malahide this evening in the car. My luck, the back was acting up and I was (and still am) pretty sore. I had no badge, so couldn't park in the two empty disabled spots only metres away from the restaurant I was going to. So, I had to park a bit down on the mainstreet near the Garda station and walk down to the seafront. Going down was OK, but walking back up, I was in bits. Made me angry to think I would have been grand if I was able to park near the restaurant, but wouldn't have felt right parking there without a valid badge.

corks finest

goz83 wrote: »

I'm feeling a bit disgusted at the moment. I had a long day at work and after the kids were all settled, I decided to go to the cinema, so I drove to the Odeon in Coolock to catch a 9pm show. I am a disabled driver, and so parked up in one of four empty spots. The carpark was fairly empty overall.

After the film, I came out to find that my driver window was smashed and my disabled parking permit was missing. I had a very expensive satnav in the armrest storage area, which thankfully was still there. The only thing missing was the badge.

Car park security told me it happened at 9:15 and the Gardai were on the way. So, apparently the idiot that broke into my car actually went into the cinema and was clearly seen on their higher quality cctv, before going back out and getting into a car with at least one other person, driving around the back of the cinema, walking around to the front, where my car was parked (with his hood up) and showed his scumbaggery off on cctv.

Gardai arrived after a while and took my details. Offered to take car for prints, which I declined, as I got the feeling that dusting for prints was not going to turn up anything. So, it's autoglass in the morning and a good hoovering.

It's only window and some inconvenience, but I hope the fcukers crash and burn and die a horrible death. Breaking into a car and stealing is bad enough, but to steal a disability badge is about as low as one can go.

Country's getting worse

colm_mcm

not sure its getting worse CF. There was a time where liffey valley car park would have a few cars broken into every night to nick radios and satnavs.
scumbags aren't a new thing sadly.

Seth Brundle

goz83 wrote: »

Or not at all. A serious hiding is what these scummers need.

Also remember that theft like this occurs because there is a market for the stolen goods!

beauf

Why don't they make all these electronic like toll tags. Permits, tax, insurance, NCT. Then they could be scanned in seconds at check points etc.

goz83

kbannon wrote: »

Also remember that theft like this occurs because there is a market for the stolen goods!

There is that. But the lead up to this theft doesn't suggest a planned attack, but rather an opportunistic one. The thief probably intends to use it himself, or someone he knows. I could be wrong though.

beauf wrote: »

Why don't they make all these electronic like toll tags. Permits, tax, insurance, NCT. Then they could be scanned in seconds at check points etc.

Maybe cost. The plastic card is €35 delivered. They do have a barcode, so they can be scanned, but I can't imagine the gardai getting scanning equipment for this. There is a photo of the card holder on the rear of the card, but I think this would better be on the front, making scanning unnecessary at check points. If the card is displayed and does not match any occupants of the car, the badge should be called in to have it checked.

I don't think the badge should be displayed when the owner of the badge is not present. They can easily be abused. But that's another thread.

beauf

Electronic cost is negligible. But it would allow automated scanning. Which would improve detection and enforcement massively you'd hope. Which would then deter theft in the first place.

goz83

For jaysus sake. So, i'm driving driving up to the old mans place and I decide to let the window down. Nothing happened. I press at the button again, I hear the motor working and then "BAM". The whole window panel fell into the door frame! I tested the window after it was installed. It seemed ok. Tonight was the first time since Friday I opened the window.

Rang AutoGlass; told the lady what happend "Do you think it was from the repair" she asks me :rolleyes:

So, now waiting on a call in the morning. I'm wondering do I let the insurance company know, because there's no way i'm letting them put it down as a second claim.

Atlantic Dawn

goz83 wrote: »

So, now waiting on a call in the morning. I'm wondering do I let the insurance company know, because there's no way i'm letting them put it down as a second claim.

Yes I'd call the insurer first thing and say your not happy with the repair and your awaiting reply from the installer. They might hold up payment until it's resolved and this will speed up the repair.