'Facebook solved my crime, not police'

'Facebook solved my crime, not police'

Give that woman a... high five!

People standing at the window of a parked vehicle
People standing at the window of a parked vehicle/Instagram Screenshot/@BBC

There are many emotions that one goes through when they are a victim of crime. 

Sometimes seeking justice is important for the person, whilst at other times, the person just wants to forget and move on. 

In this case, a woman whose car was stolen wanted to get it back. This is why she reached out to social media for help...

It seems that the police in England are taking longer to deal with serious offences and are in turn charging fewer suspects, this was according to research done by BBC. 

This behaviour from law enforcement is forcing residents to take matters into their own hands. 

After feeling let down by the law enforcement, Michelle Almond told BBC that "she felt forced to turn to social media for help when thieves stole the car she relies on for her job as a community care assistant." 

"After reporting the theft and giving a statement, she rang the police three or four times a day for help without receiving a return call. Meanwhile, on Facebook someone responded to her post about the theft, saying they had seen the car being joyridden around a nearby estate and that it had been recorded on their CCTV." (BBC)

She decided to take things into her own hands and tracked the car down. After reporting this lead to the police, they did nothing.

She followed up on the lead and found the car parked in front of a house. 

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Her detective work got her into some trouble though. One night after deciding to follow the car into a dead end, a man threatened her with a crowbar. 

Luckily, she was not hurt, and she even shares that she is angry that she put herself in danger to recover her vehicle. But her vehicle is her source of income and after seeing the police do nothing, she felt she needed to act on her own accord. 

Well, it seemed in this case her actions proved to work as the vehicle was found the next day with the windows smashed in. 

The BBC reached out to the police but they declined to respond.

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