Car mirror thieves plague Deurne. This month it has already struck twice in many places, especially in more luxurious cars. Bart van Gogh has two BMWs. Last night the side mirrors of his cars were stolen for the second time. The damage amounted to 4,000 euros. “It’s a real plague,” says Bart, who filmed the car thieves via a surveillance camera.
At the beginning of December, car mirror thieves already struck in various places in Deurne. “They walked around and stole mirrors two streets away. From BMWs, but also from a Mercedes Sprinter company bus,” says Bart.
And last night it happened again. “Again, all four mirrors of the two BMW X5s are gone. The perpetrator is ready in less than two minutes. I filed a report with the police again and forwarded the camera images to them.” Bart is insured for theft in the car, but not for theft outside. So he has to pay for the new mirrors himself.
“That is quite striking.”
The question is whether it is the same perpetrator. “The first time it was someone wearing a hood and a scarf. Completely in black and also with black thin work gloves. The face was barely visible. And this time it was someone who is much more visible and is only wearing a hat. So I doubt whether it is the same perpetrator, but they struck again in the same places in the area, which is striking.”
Bart lives on Helmondseweg. Mirrors were also removed from Derpsestraat. More local residents share their stories about mirror thefts in the neighborhood app. “Those mirrors can be resold, but the electronics and sensors in them are also worth a lot,” says Bart. “Due to a malfunction, the street lights in the area were also turned off this time, so it was pitch black everywhere.”
“Maybe engrave the license plates in the mirrors?”
He doesn’t really have a solution to prevent the thieves from coming by for the third time. “Maybe engrave the license plates in the mirrors, but that will only help if they don’t steal them for the electronics.” In America there are already special Kevlar covers for the mirrors for sale, that cannot be cut with a knife.
Mirror thieves also struck more often in other places in the province, for example in Waalwijk a year ago. The police take into account that it is theft on order, a spokesperson said at the time. And in May, a man was arrested in Veghel who had the glass of 20 mirrors in his backpack.
A certain type of silver is often used in the mirror plate. It is picked apart and sold to ironmongers. Furthermore, mirrors of luxury cars are often equipped with special technology, such as heating, lights and darkeners that dim the light in the mirror when a car with bright lights approaches.
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