Peterborough private hire driver ‘forced to leave city’ after car repeatedly broken into

Dad of two Mohammed Mirza (43) claimed police would not investigate the break-ins as there was no blood and no tools left behind, and that he was told to track down CCTV from Peterborough City Council himself.

He said: “I don’t know how many times my car window should be broken for police to wake up and do something. I am feeling vulnerable and scared and nothing is being done.

“I am losing my money each day I miss work, and the expense of replacing the glass is on me as it is not covered by insurance. Also, it is mentally affecting my health. This is forcing me to sell my house and leave the city unwillingly because police are not able to resolve or stop the crime.”

He added: “Criminals know very well that our police are not going to take any action until they leave a tool or blood mark, which is encouraging them to commit crime regularly.”

Mr Mirza said last September his car’s windscreen and passenger window were smashed in two separate incidents in Padholme Road and Eastfield Road. A dash cam was stolen in the second incident, and he was unable to drive his young children to school.

The driver’s side window was also smashed on February 3 and 18 this month, with bank cards stolen on the first occasion.

Detective Inspector Tom Rowe said demand for police services is “high” and that the force has to “prioritise every call”, adding: “This means we have to make some difficult decisions around resource management.”

He continued: “We take vehicle crime seriously and understand the great inconvenience it causes victims. We are looking at ways to proactively target offenders in Peterborough and help people to keep their vehicles safe.

“I would urge victims to continue reporting offences so we can build up a picture of where crimes are happening and direct resources accordingly.

“We will be making contact and working with Mr Mirza to investigate the latest offence and assist with crime prevention advice. We would urge all motorists to avoid leaving any items in their vehicles as they can represent an open invitation to an opportunity thief.”