A pilot whose top-of-the-range Mercedes was stolen from his driveway 17 days ago, says that the police did nothing to pick it up.
Harry Guilbert's mint five -year -old A class was taken after thieves in his house in Witington, Manchester had been broken into to get the keys.
But 17 days later he says that he is still waiting for Greater Manchester's police to help, even though the vehicle is equipped with a working tracker.
His vehicle was rated at the end of last year at £ 19,000 and only has 22,500 miles on the clock.
The vehicle had been outside his property for six weeks, while Harry, 32, tried to register it again with the DVLA.
He lived in his native Guernsey when he bought it in 2020, which meant that he still couldn't ride it in Greater Manchester after the records had expired.
This meant that he could not insure the Mercedes – it explained as 'off the way' while waiting for completing the paperwork. He said it was appreciated at £ 19,000 at the end of last year and only has 22,500 miles on the clock.
Guilbert said: 'I bought the car in January 2020 in Guernsey. Last year I moved from the Channel Islands to Manchester to Manchester. I moved to my house in August. I bought the car brand new for £ 27,000.
Pilot Harry Guilbert's A Class Mercedes has been stolen by thieves, but the police still have to go after it, even though the vehicle is equipped with a working tracker
Mr. Guilbert (photo )'s car was stolen while he registered it again with the DVLA
'It was on Guernsey registration plates and I can only keep it up for so long before I have to import it into the UK. Part of the rules When you register again, it is that it is declared outside the road.
“The thieves came down a small walkway at my house and broken into the back door, walked through the house, got the keys and took the car.”
Although manufacturer Mercedes is able to share details about the location of the car with the police, they cannot tell the owner for legal reasons.
Guilbert added: 'Mercedes can tell the police where it is, but cannot tell me for legal reasons. According to British law they are not allowed to tell me where my own car is. The police must turn on the chat and request the information.
'The car has been missing for 17 days and I contacted the police about eight times. I was only able to talk to civil operators.
'I just get that they leave a message for someone to call me back and that they never do. I have had one e -mail that said they have not yet contacted Mercedes. '
He continued: 'The car was not insured and so I didn't drive it. I had to wait until it was registered again before I could insure it in the UK. It was insured while on Guernsey plates, but as soon as the period in the UK had expired on those signs, I had to register it again before I could get a new insurance policy. '
The car was taken somewhere between 6.30 pm and 10 pm on January 16, while Harry was gone.
He said: 'I submitted a formal complaint to GMP about the way they handled this. The strange thing is, it is such an easy victory for the police of Greater Manchester. All they have to do is drop Mercedes an e -mail and they will give them the tracking information.
'Then they just call Vodafone and they will have a very good idea of where the car is. But it can now be everywhere – it has been missing for 17 days. I know that the tracker is still active on my car because I checked at Mercedes yesterday. '
Although the car is missing for 17 days and has an active tracker, the police still have to recover Mr. Guilbert's car
His father Paul said: 'The car is a mint five -year -old Mercedes with a lot of sentimental value. I would cost more than twice his current value to replace. A complaint has been submitted to the police who have not resulted in clear action in the same way.
'Legal advice so far is that there is a likely way to sue the police, but really, everything we need is the car back. Isn't this a simple, low -hanging fruit result for the police to find the car and improve the recovery statistics of their car theft? '
Greater Manchester's police said in a statement: 'An investigation was sent to Mercedes on January 23, 2025 and they responded that the vehicle could be followed.
'This does not offer a point accurate location for the vehicle, but will limit the location. An investigation is currently underway. '
