Car broken into - Garda procedure?

Recently had the misfortune to have my car broken into. As soon as I spotted the glass and the gaps inside I rang the Gardai. They arrived a number of hours later, I asked them if they wanted to see the car and they already had. They then asked me what was missing. I told them I hadn't touched the car but what was obvious from the outside was the stereo.

Now I wasn't expecting the CSI team to come out, but do they even fingerprint cars? Didn't seem like they'd done anything to me? After they'd gone I noticed several other items missing including from the boot - and rang the Gardai to add them to their report. I'm worried now that it looks like I'm adding things for the sake of claiming on the insurance.

What are the Gardai supposed to do? See the broken glass and the hole where the stereo was and deduce that the car was broken into and the stero taken?

shesells said:

Now I wasn't expecting the CSI team to come out, but do they even fingerprint cars?

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Not in my experience of reporting such incidents.

Didn't seem like they'd done anything to me?

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They presumably logged the incident.

After they'd gone I noticed several other items missing including from the boot - and rang the Gardai to add them to their report. I'm worried now that it looks like I'm adding things for the sake of claiming on the insurance.

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I doubt that the Gardai care and if you are being honest they you should not worry about the insurance.

The PSNI, back when they were the RUC, fingerprinted my car when it was broken into about 8 years ago. I was in a small town and lived near the station, so maybe they were just bored and overstaffed. Nothing came of it though - I did get a little brochure about being a victim of crime and how to deal with my trauma. Which was nice.

Thanks for the replies. They did say that they'd been out all morning responding to car break ins, there was an epidemic of them the night before so they were probably fed up!

Yes am being honest about the stuff missing, I would have noticed it before they came if I'd opened the boot but I didn't want to touch the car until after they got there - silly me!

A couple of years ago someone tried to steal mine. Wrecked the steering lock, the left side door, a few other bits and pieces (E2'300 worth of damage). Went to the copshop, attentive guard took down statement etc and commiserated. That was the last that I heard of it. I rang them up before my garage man towed it away (to see if they were going to take prints). Not a bit of it ..... it was logged ....... finito. I live less than 3 minutes drive from the station!

Similar story to Simeon. Same sort of damage, reported it, they weren't interested. It was obvious the car had been watched, and it was likely the would be thieves would come back. But other than me ringing the cops I don't think I ever heard anymore about it.

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=73510

I've had two cars broken into and both cases were handled by the same station but totally different! First car broken into and extensively damaged - they barely looked at it. Second car got minor door damage (they didn't even enter the car as only the door hinge was a bit out of alignment. Tow truck came and towed it away for fingerprinting! It surprised me how they could treat both cases so differently but one guard told me it was the new super at the station wanted things "done right"!!!

when my car was broken into twice a couple of years ago, I reported it but the gards did not come out because I was a considerable distance from home in both instances, there was only broken glass and a couple of missing items, and to have had to wait for them would have added to the inconvenience.

In one instance, the officer told me that he had logged it and that would make the insurance process simpler.

My girlfriend's car was later broken into and they took about €500 worth of sports equipment, CDs and other bits and pieces. The Gards came out and had a look and they were up-front about saying that while they would log the incident (and again it would assist in the insurance claim process), they held out no real hope for recovery of any of the items.

I think that car crime like this is so common, and the replacements/repairs almost always a matter for the car owner themselves or via insurance, that Garda involvement is by necessity kept to a mimimum. I always think its worth reporting these things tho.