THE VICTIM of a brazen car theft in Solihull has appealed to motorists to be vigilant against car crime in the borough.
When Mrs McKenna’s Range Rover Sport was taken from her driveway in Tanworth Lane by masked men, she strove to locate it – but only retrieved its ‘savaged’ remains.
She was shocked by how easy the high-end car was for them to take. She said: “I saw a man drop off two men from a BMW, who were wearing balaclavas. One had a knife.
“It was so easy for them to take – they plugged a code reader into the pillar beneath the steering column, flicked off the cover and jumped in the doors.
“My husband and son went out to stop it, they were banging on the windows but the men drove at them and escaped.”
After the theft on June 27, Mrs McKenna thought her Range Rover was gone for good – but it was discovered days later at a ‘chop shop’ in Tyseley, when the tracker went off on another car that was being dismantled at the same time.
Police arrived at the scene, but a group dismantling the cars were able to escape the garage.
It is believed the known chop shop was shut down by police just months ago.
Mrs McKenna said: “Since the theft it has been awful spending my whole time when seeing a black Range Rover wondering if it was mine.
“This crime is rife around Solihull and around Tanworth Lane. I don’t wish to disrespect police but nobody seems to give a hoot, I feel passed from pillar to post.
“After the car was found we brought it back to see if it could be saved. Its unbelievable how its been chopped. They absolutely savaged it.
“It felt like we were violated to be victims of theft, and now we are victims of insurance companies, and the police won’t let us retrieve stolen items from the chop yard.”
She said the simplicity of stealing a car was a shock. “The experience has made me aware of how vulnerable we are because of technology, we are too reliant on digital tools but don’t think of simple security.
“Its so easy to break into keyless cars now – its all there on Youtube.
“The companies say the cars come with a tracker, but these can be scrambled so easily.
“In the 70s we had things like steering locks, which people should think about.
“Now we are getting ourselves gates and bollards as I think its important to make sure we are protected in future.”
