How Dumb -UPDATE-

[jaybee]

Let two young fellas rent the rooms downstairs till they got on their feet. Yesterday i noticed something not right in my workroom and discovered a penn overhead and rod missing plus my 650 alvey star drag. Well of course one guy is blaming the other. the older of the two as i write now is on his way to cash converters at capalaba to retrieve paperwork on the penn and rod which apparantly is still there, he has the paperwork on the alvey which has been sold at cash converters at woodridge. :( #the police say he will still be charged because he drove the car and the younger guy to the two stores. all i want is my gear back. the police say once they have the paper work from Cash Converters it wont be too hard to relocate and return my gear. guess someone is going to be out of pocket, and Cash Converters advertise how much pride they take in ensuring their gear is legit, yeah right.
cheers
Joe.

[jaybee]

Just returned from the police station, where i met the older of the two guys, he has put a deposit on my penn and rod and is paying it off, the police will track down the alvey, but it is going to be up to the New owner if he willingly hands it over. In the meantime to save facing charges of fraud the older fella just went to Capn Blighs with me to layby a new one just in case. not all stories end this well. oh btw, if he fails to produce he gets charged with fraud, so i guess he as some incentive eh. The younger 15yr old is in Tamworth and the police cant do a thing about him, and if they could, their response was, he will just laugh at us cause he will get a good behaviour bond.
cheers
Joe

[agnes_jack]

Glad to hear youv'e had a reasonable result Joe.
Mongrels!!!

Regards, Tony :-/

[jaybee]

Thanks Tony
cheers
Joe

[westie]

:'(A message to be learnt AGAIN ... Same happened to me some years ago fires went through the Landsbough area and a good friend ( well he was then) lost the lot he used to deckie on the game boats all over place and had heaps of gear. So as I was in full time owner opperator and no time to fish, thought do a good deed, so I loaned him my 2xTLD 15's mint cond, saw him some months later and asked how are they going he said great and thanks again and we had a beer. Then 12mth after I said at a comp at Mooloolaba Hey I might get them off you as I have a trip coming up and the response was Haaaa Yahhhhh and walked off so off after him and did a Pauline Hanson Please Explain Oh had a kid staying with me and he knocked them off and bolted anlog with a heap of other stuff but the cops said that there would be no hope of getting them back and I don't have insurance and at that i just looked and said BUT I AM WITHOUT 2XTLS's what are you going to do and the repley was ...... NOTHING.......some MATE.... he lost them 7 mths before I saw him at the Comp and still didn;t ring me to let me know.

There is a good side to this and it helps to talk about it today I was VERY good friends and still am with some off his former employers Haaa Ohhhh Yahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[jaybee]

yep westie lesson to be learnt by all, this young guy is facing fraud, and if so faces a long hard slog to say different, but if he does the right thing while he has a chance he can turn his life around. it seems doesnt matter how much i get burnt i can still see the good in people, no wonder i am broke eh.
cheers
Joe.

[chemmy]

if some one stole my gear they would be biting down on a nuckle sandwitch ;D ;D ;D

but i guess you gotta give some one a chance once in a while

[jaybee]

Chemmy more often then not, a knuckle sandwich will get you into more trouble then the criminal, even they have protection
cheers
Joe

[gunna]

Mate of mine had a camera stolen from his car. He located it at Cash Converters within 2 hours - but had to pay to buy the thing back. Thats one law that is wrong wrong wrong.

[scuttlebutt]

gunna,

your mate shouldn't have had to buy the camera back. If he reported it to the Police they have the power to seize the camera from Cash Converters and then investigate how it got there. That's how it works in Queensland anyway - though I admit I don't know the legislation relevant to Sydney

cheers,

steve

[gunna]

No - down here if the Converter can show he bought it in good faith ie verified and recorded the details of the seller - then he is not responsible if it is stolen and the goods are legally his. Pity about the fake ids the sellers use.

[jaybee]

Gunna is right in what he has said it applies in Qld as well. If i can prove Cash Converters bought my stolen gear of a theif, and they sold it, the police can only contact the new owner and inform them the gear is stolen, it is up the new owner if they will give up the gear. If so they will not get a refund, so it is all in good faith. If however, cash converters still have the property in question, and ownership can be proven, then the police have the right to seize said property from cash converters. having said that, with all the false advertising this company has done on to television over the years, professing that they take all care to "insure the people selling the property own the property" has been nothing but false and misleading to all the general public. I am still battling to get my gear back at present, as the said person said to the police he would buy it back for me, however i have found he has fled the state, the police are slow to act, Cash Converters say the gear is still there and if he doesnt make a payment they will sell it, even now they know they are in possession of stolen property. And this is because i cannot contact the officer who took the complaint, he has refused or is too busy to return my calls i make every 2nd day, and no one else in the police force is interested, they say you have to contact the officer who first took the complaint. I am now thinking that maybe this officer either doesnt care or is related to the offender. either way, after this weekend i am putting in an official complaint, as i have recorded in my dairy the date, time etc and the person i have spoken too, since this debacle has started. Like i said earlier in this thread, crims have more protection then the victims
cheers
Joe.

[scuttlebutt]

Jaybee, it doesn't have to be the original officer you spoke to because from what you've said, initially you didn't make a formal complaint of stealing.

Instead you entered into a civil agreement with the young theif that he was going to replace your gear. (That was your first mistake - bargaining with a thief - or maybe second - shouldn't have looked after him in the first place).

Anyway, Police don't deal with civil agreements, so you can't expect any further action from them if that was how you left it.

To get your gear back:

1. go down to the local Police station and find out if an official complaint of stealing has been lodged - if it has, there will be a Crime Report number, or otherwise known as a CRISP number. Anyone in the station will be able to perform this simple computer search. From what you've said so far I suspect a CRISP report has not been lodged.

2. If a report has been lodged, ask which officer it has been detailed to, and attempt to contact them. If unsuccessful, make sure the counter-person sends the officer an e-mail requesting they contact you. (written messages get lost)

3. If no report has been lodged, insist that you wish to make a formal complaint of stealing. You may encounter excuses such as "it needs to be reported to the original officer you spoke to " but this is simply not correct. If there is no previous report, you can make the report to any Police officer, at any station in Queensland.

4. Depending on the civil agreement you've made with the theif (aka - to buy you a new one - what were you thinking?) the Police may be able to go and seize your property.

Note - it's no good getting cranky at the Police for what's happened so far. I think you're really mad at yourself for being sucked in by two young louts, having your gear knocked off by them, and then (and sorry if I'm repeating myself) bargaining with a criminal

I suspect you know full well that if you went ahead with a stealing complaint in the first place you'd have your gear back and at least one young punk would have learnt a lesson. You had him right there in front of you - at a Police Station for christ sake - and YOU decided to bargain with him instead.

Oh well, good luck with it,

Steve

[jaybee]

Well scuttle
thanks for your advice, much appreciated, however i have been through all of the above and still no action. the reason i bargained with him, was because he insisted in front of the police of what his intentions were, and beleive it or not, the officer more or less said i would give a chance, beginning to think that maybe the said officer was related to the kid, who knows, i have been to the local station to file a report, but keep getting told, because this other constable has all the details in his black book it is up to him to contact me. so now where do i stand after ringing every other day, with emails being sent to him to contact me, and no one else wanting to do his work, so to speak, will keep you informed
cheers
Joe

[scuttlebutt]

Yeah, sounds like you might be getting the runaround then. May be worth asking to speak with the officer in charge and let him/her know how upset you are about the situation. If they can't help you for one reason or another you are entitled to know why.

You could consider making a complaint against the officer/s concerned - if you genuinely feel you've been poorly treated - that's a matter for yourself. Such a complaint can usually only be taken by a senior officer and you can be pretty sure your stealing complaint will be attended to with a renewed vigour.

Like I said before, if a Crime Report hasn't been lodged by the original officer, then technically you shouldn't have to wait around for him to get back to you. Any officer can take the initial report, even if they refer it to the original officer for investigation. Sounds like you're getting flicked 'cause no-one wants to do the report when the original officer should have done it.

Anyway, keep onto them until you get an answer. If your gear's still at Cash Converters, and you make a formal complaint of stealing, the Police can go and seize it. No ifs or buts.

Remember, don't get fobbed off by counter staff. Keep your cool, but don't leave there without at least a Crime Report number. Let them know that stolen property belonging to you is sitting down at Cash Converters and you want it back.

I hope it works out for you.

cheers,

steve

[Duyz72]

The Cops are pretty good when it comes to getting back your stuff. A mate of mine (aren't they always) had his business broken in to (car stereos, obvious targets) and a very unique and massive car speaker was stolen. Obviously the cops were called and reports were taken etc. Well that day we decided to do the rounds of the local pawn brokers and there the speaker was in Cash Converters. We told them it was stolen property. They of course did the run around, we bought it in good faith, can you prove that particular speaker is the one that was stolen etc. Well we could, because it had been damaged and repaired, the repair was described and located. Cash Converters although doing their damndest to hold on to it just couldn't. The cops came around and we took it there and then. Although since you have the evidence of the guys admitting it, and having the paperwork from cash converters, get the cops on to it. It isn't your job, they will look after you, the best bet is go down to your local cop station and do it face to face. Just tell them your story, and ask how you can get the result you want.

Good Luck

[#flyology#]

Scuttlebutt, come and see me when you are working next and I will authorize 3 hours OT for you for all the advice you have given. ;D

folks seriously, if you have gear stolen report it. If you go soft on thiefs, they will take you for all they can.

Giving some one who is "down and out' another chance is usually the end of your gear. Would you knock someone elses stuff off??

[turkey_beach_boy]

Wasnt cah converters started so all the junkies had somewhere to sell their stolen goods

[Skipsta]

Mate, I would put this down to a learning experience for yourself and everyone out there who have read this thread. #Zero tolerance with thieving Junkie pricks. #If this happens, don't enter into any negotiations with the thief, report the matter to the police and take the hard line. #Don't worry the slightest about Cash Converters who are the greatest fences in the country. #They have their own recourse to seek restituion through the courts, as they are the complainants for the fraud matter.

I don't believe a complaint against the police is the answer, it does mean a lot of rigmerole for you and will not guarantee the outcome you want. #I agree with the excellent advice of Scuttlebutt who suggests having a chat with the OC. #He will usually work 7-3p Monday to Friday, ring ahead, make a proper appointment rather than lobbing on the counter, and speak to him/her in a rational way and keep your cool. #Believe me a "Fire and Brimstone" attitude with the police is totally counterproductive. #Go along the lines of, "I am a member of the community and I don't believe I am being provided with the 'Service" that I am entitled." #If all else fails (and I don't believe it will) and you are hitting a brick wall, then suggest that you have no other recourse than to take the matter further. #The beauty of this, is the boss is now a part of the situation and it is now in HIS interests to sort the matter.

I also give this advice under the assumption that what you have said is 100% correct and in my experience NOTHING told to the police is normally 100% correct, be it 5% or 99%, it is human nature to hold back things. If this story is in anyway embellished, don't waste your time.

Remember the junkies bank on the "goodness" of normal members of the community. #They know if they drop their pants to it and beg for mercy "good" people cut them some slack. #NEVER CUT THEM ANY SLACK. #My three fiddy.

[jaybee]

Well after months of phone calls, going to the station in person, Friday i had, had enough, told the duty sergeant if this officer doesnt return my call, i will writing a formal complaint to the police commissioner, his reply, that wont do you any good, but go ahead if it makes you feel better. an hour later i recieved the said call. was asked to call cash converters to see if the gear was there. this time they said oh a voxson amplifier under this person name, no i said, penn rod, reel etc, stolen in june, they then turned very rude to me and said they cannot give information over the phone having already doing so. it appears this guy is still hocking stolen gear at Cash Converters, officer rang today, to say he was onto it, not doing a crime report just yet, want to do a search and chase his where abouts first. feel a little releived, would say cc has sold my gear by now even knowing it was stolen, have insurance, but thats not the point.
cheers
Joe.

[darren]

F*ck Cas Converters they are just as guilty as the junkies they sold over $2000 of my gear and deny all knowlege of the theiving little junkie >:( The police said to me their hands were tied #:-Xbut did ring me letting me know what time the little junkie was being let out of jail ;D so a small amount of satifaction was granted.
The worst thing is that they go b4 a judge #and legal aid says they have a disease poor bastards pity it wasn''t the plague.
I better calm down now #;D hope you get some justification out of it cheers Darren

[88fishframe]

As a licenced secondhand dealer specialising in fishing and boating gear, I know how hard it is whith the number of fraudsters we have going around these days, mostly junkies of one type or another. However, I cannot understand why some other dealers would even want to have suspected stolen gear on their business premise. I have been caught out only on two occassions, I couldn't hand the gear over quickly enough to Police even though I have been out of pocket several hundred dollars. I put it down to 'business risks'. I have even had it go the other way - a couple years ago before becoming a dealer I was a fishing reel collector. I purchased a couple grand worth of 'reel' good gear from a large franchise. I could have tripled my money on ebay but 3 days after the purchase the dealer rang and said Poilce had been in and identified all but one of my reels I purchased as stolen. They refunded me my money and I posted back the reels :(All I can say to Qld residents is if you have had something go missing and can identify it at a pawnbrokers, then make a proper complaint to Police. My business gets a look over every couple of weeks or so by Police and I wouldn't have it any other way. :D

[Skipsta]

However, I cannot understand why some other dealers would even want to have suspected stolen gear on their business premise.

88Fishframe, if you are one of the good ones, I applaud you and your honesty, and there are many good pawnbrokers out there. But in answer to the above quote, it's simple mathematics. Here is an example.

A dodgy pawnbroker buys 10 high quality cameras for $100 each from various shitebags. Police come along and seize two of them and return them to their owner. He then sells the 8 cameras for $1000 each. He has just made a profit of $7,000

Even if the police seizes 8 out of the 10 (Which will never happen). He still makes $1,000 profit.

They can't lose and it is incredibly hard to prosecute a second hand dealer for receiving stolen goods. + the above ratios of what some second hand dealers pay to what they sell it for as described above is common place when they KNOW they are dealing with junkies.

>:(