My car was broken into and bike stolen - but police did nothing

I’ve lived north and south of the River Tyne, in South Shields and in North Tyneside, and I’ve got to say I’ve not found two better areas - and believe me, I’ve tried a few, having lived the length and breadth of the country.

However, that hasn’t stopped me having a brush or two with crime. And while, sometimes, it can’t be avoided, these things happen, it is just luck, you kind of expect the long arm of the law to be there to catch you when you fall. Well, that hasn’t always been the case.

Northumbria Police are like any other, they’re overstretched, likely overworked and, as is always the case when it comes to public services, most likely under-funded. After suffering two near ‘silent crimes’ myself in recent times, it does leave me wondering, could they have done more for me?

I have been unfortunate enough to have my vehicle broken into outside my property when I lived in South Shields, with some possessions stolen, but attempts to ‘hotwire’ the vehicle unsuccessful, if damaging. Stupid me left both pairs of my Ray Ban sunglasses in the central console, so they were easy pickings for the knackers who got their hands on them.

The main thing, though, was that they were unable to make off with the vehicle itself, even if the open door and loose wires did give me quite the shock when I rushed out to begin the school run that morning.

A call to the police was made and nothing really done. We were told it was a common thing and that thieves had been operating in the area, seemingly trying other cars on the street. What more can you do?

Then, years later, totally different area, I parked my bike up in Newcastle city centre, went to watch my beloved Newcastle United play, grabbed tea at a local Greek establishment, then wandered back to mount my pride and joy, only to find it was gone. Clearly my ‘best in class’ locks from a very well-known vehicle hardware company delivered nowhere near what they’d promised.

Angry, I reported the crime to police. And the next bit still to this day has me baffled. I was called back and told it was my job to request the CCTV from Fenwick, near where the bike was nicked, and then hand over to police.

Yes, they asked me to do their job for them! I didn’t, and nor did I get any recompense from the insurance company with the small print showing the excess so high I might as well bite the bullet and get an even better bike. Not the point, however.

So, it’s not been the best experience for me, when reporting crime in the region. I hope yours has been a little better - and we’d like you to tell us about it.

Silent Crime campaign

This is our launch of the National World Silent Crime campaign - and we are campaigning for the voices of victims to be heard.

We want you to tell us incidents that have happened to you, your family or your friends in your neighbourhood; how it impacted you and what justice was served - or not.

You can send us your experiences, good or bad, by filling out the form in this link.

The truth about how few crimes end with somebody being held to account is staggering. An offender was brought to justice in only 10% of reported crimes in 2023. That's bad enough but the key phrase there is 'reported crimes'.

Research shows that we only bother to tell police about four out of ten crimes. Add those two figures together and it is clear that the vast majority happen with absolutely no repercussions. And so they continue.

Why don't we report every crime and why isn't the criminal justice system better at making criminals pay? It would seem to me that faith in the systems that should keep us safe is at rock bottom.

Most of this isn't the police's fault, a lot comes down to a social care system that has collapsed and politicians who have turned a blind eye for decades. That doesn't mean that urgent action couldn't and shouldn't be taken. It doesn't have to be this way.

To force change, we need to unite and remind ourselves that these 'little' crimes are not acceptable. You should be safe and feel safe at work, at home, in the park and in our own neighbourhoods. We need you to tell us your stories and we, on your behalf, will take them to Downing Street. We need to stop being silent and we need you to help us.