Audi driver ‘shocked’ after £40,000 car stolen and left on bricks in ‘secure’ car park in Birmingham

An Audi driver has spoken of the “shocking” moment he returned to a secure car park in Birmingham to find his £40,000 car on bricks and completely ransacked.

James, 57, was in the city visiting friends when he returned to the National Multi-storey Car Park (NCP) on Newhall Street to find his A3 saloon with the windows smashed, the console cut and the steering wheel stolen .

Food industry worker James, who did not want to give his full name, told BirminghamLive he was “furious and shocked” to find his 22-plate engine stripped in the Jewelery Quarter car park.

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The NCP told BirminghamLive in a lengthy statement they were “very sorry”. West Midlands Police confirmed they are investigating.

James parked her car at 7pm on Tuesday, June 4, after visiting friends, but when she went to collect her car at 8am the next day, it was burgled.

James explained: “I was a bit shocked when I opened the door and there was no steering wheel. They put a brick through the window, got into the trunk, took the tools out of the trunk that they stole.

“They took out the steering wheel and the center console with a hacksaw.” He contacted the police and said he could not find any NCP staff to help him, claiming he was connected to an overseas call centre.

James shared images of the car park’s secure entrance appearing to be cracked, meaning it was accessible without a QR code. He said: “I called the police, I looked around the car. They gave me an incident number and told me to get my insurer to pick up the vehicle. This is a £40,000 car, surely someone will go out and wipe it down for fingerprints.

“At that point I couldn’t get mad, I was shocked. Thank God I wasn’t there when they took the wheels off, it’s not a one-man job.”

He added that kind strangers bought him tea and stayed with him: “The number of people who stopped and told me they were so sorry it happened in Birmingham. It should be 24 hours. One of the entries that usually needs a QR. the code has been cracked.

“Whoever did it did it to order. NCP waived my parking charges and said they had escalated it to the incident team. If it wasn’t for my insurance company, I’d be crying in the corner.”

Incredibly, James said: “It’s not bad in Birmingham at all.”

Police ‘fully understand the frustration’

A spokesman for West Midlands Police told BirminghamLive: “We were alerted to the theft of parts from an Audi parked in a car park in Newhall Street which happened sometime on the night of Tuesday 4 June to 5 June.

“We have requested CCTV from the car park in an effort to identify the offenders. We fully understand the anger, frustration and impact this type of crime has on victims.

“We work hard to tackle car crime and this includes regular warrants for suspected chop shops, which is often where the parts end up. If anyone has any information about the theft of this Audi, please get in touch via Live Chat on our website quoting. crime reference 20/559274/24 Or call Crimstoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

NCP “very sorry”

An NCP spokesman said: “We take all crime in our car parks very seriously and work hard to try and stop people entering our car parks for reasons other than parking.

“We are very sorry that this incident occurred while the customer was parked in our car park. Unfortunately, crime is a problem that we, and all businesses that have buildings open to the public, try to prevent.

“We try to keep our car parks as safe as possible, but when our security doors are vandalized we have to go through the repair process, only to have them vandalized again.

“We are aware that we are not alone in these concerns, we have been meeting with West Midlands Police, Birmingham Council, local BID organizations and the Outreach Team regarding anti-social behavior and vehicle crime in Birmingham car parks.

“I also had a meeting with the BID manager for Colmore BID regarding the same issues. On 5th June 2024 we had a meeting with the Birmingham City Center LCSP Group which involved West Midlands Police, Birmingham Council and the BID groups. Issues relating to vehicle crime and anti-social behavior were discussed at this meeting.

“Over the next two weeks we have several meetings scheduled with BID groups and West Midlands Police. We cannot always say that we will be able to stop people walking or driving on our sites with the intention of committing offences, our patrol staff is limited. in how much they can detain criminals as they are parking lot operators.

“We have recruited extra staff to our sites in Birmingham and have ensured they cover important shift periods to deter this type of crime and we will continue to do everything we can to stop this type of crime alongside of the meetings with the relevant persons. people who can help reduce crime in this community.”

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