Recurrence of car window smashing and property theft in Vinh city

Smashing car windows in broad daylight

Although the incident happened more than a week ago, when recalling it, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thang (born in 1983), residing in Ben Thuy ward, Vinh city, still could not help but feel indignant. According to Mr. Thang, it was around 10:20 a.m. to 12:00 noon on February 22, 2024, when he parked his Honda City car on Pham Dinh Toai street, in front of the Provincial People's Court, opposite Vinh International Hospital to go to work. When he finished his work and returned to the car, he was shocked to discover that the passenger side window had been broken. Upon checking, he discovered that the thief had stolen his crossbody bag, which contained money and all the documents under the name Nguyen Ngoc Thang.

After discovering the incident, Mr. Thang reported it to the police and posted information on Facebook in the hope of recovering the documents if the thief left the bag behind. According to Mr. Thang: “For a long time, cars have been considered as our mobile homes, so many documents, including personal items, are left in the car if they are not necessary to carry them when going out. But I didn’t expect the thief to be so bold, daring to break the glass to steal property in broad daylight, right on a road with frequent traffic.”

Similar to the case of Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thang, before that, on the evening of December 31, 2023, Ms. LTO, in Ha Huy Tap ward, Vinh city, went to attend the year-end party at the Yen Son block cultural house and had her car window smashed to steal her property. According to Ms. LTO, she went to attend the year-end party at the block cultural house, so she left her car on the sidewalk nearby, when she came out, she discovered that the car window on the passenger seat was smashed. When checking the property in the car, she discovered that the wallet in the bag placed on the passenger seat had been taken by the thief. "Because it was inconvenient to carry the bag with me, I left it in the car, I didn't expect the thief to be so reckless, even in a crowded place," said Ms. LTO.

The thefts that have occurred show that cars are no longer inviolable as many people think. Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, owner of an auto repair shop on Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street, Vinh City, said: If the front glass of a car is made of 2 layers, with plastic in the middle, the side glass is made of one layer, so its ability to withstand force is weaker. Therefore, just a moderate force can break it and thieves can easily steal the property inside the car.

Be vigilant

The story of thieves breaking car windows to steal property is not new, because in previous years in the province, mainly in Vinh city, many similar incidents have occurred. Not only were the windows broken, many cars also had their logos, rear cameras, wheels removed by thieves... These subjects often take advantage of deserted times, mainly at night, targeting vehicles parked in front of houses, apartment buildings, and on the street where no one is watching.

According to previous cases that have been investigated and arrested, usually when a criminal acts, one person will quickly approach and operate while his accomplice acts as a lookout outside. After finishing the job, they jump on a motorbike that is waiting to escape. However, recent cases show that the form of operation of the subjects is increasingly reckless and daring, acting even in crowded places, even during the day, causing panic and anxiety for the people.

According to Ms. TTHY in Le Loi ward, Vinh city, many times she only goes to the market for a bit to buy food, so she only brings enough money, and leaves her handbag and wallet in the car to avoid forgetting or dropping them... But after the incidents of car windows being broken in broad daylight, where people pass by, she is very worried. Now, every time she gets out of the car, she has to carry her handbag, which is very inconvenient.

It can be seen that the number of cars is increasing (according to statistics from the Traffic Police Department of Nghe An Public Security, as of December 31, 2023, the total number of vehicles being managed in the province is 177,533 cars of all kinds, accounting for the majority in Vinh city, of which over 90,000 are cars, the rest are trucks. In January 2024 alone, there were 1,948 newly registered cars).

In reality, not every family has a garage or a secure parking space. Therefore, many cars are forced to be parked in front of the house, on the sidewalk, or in the apartment yard without anyone to guard or look after them. In addition, many people are still subjective, leaving many assets in the car such as cash, laptops, phones, etc. This reality, combined with the lack of vigilance of vehicle owners, has aroused greed and created favorable conditions for bad guys to take advantage of the situation. In addition to losing property and money to repair cars, many car owners said that the most troublesome thing is having to redo all personal documents, which takes a lot of time and effort to travel, etc.

According to an investigator of Vinh City Police, along with verifying and handling the subjects, in previous years the City Police organized announcements on loudspeakers, distributed leaflets, and posted them on car doors to warn people and proactively take preventive measures against this type of crime. After a long silence, the situation of breaking car windows to steal property has now recurred.

Faced with this reality, along with the verification and handling of the police force, the first responsibility for protecting personal property must be the property owners themselves. Therefore, to prevent the situation of breaking car windows to steal property, people need to bring their cars indoors or park their cars in places with security guards. In particular, valuables should not be left in the car if they have to park on the street, in a place out of sight, with few people passing by. At the same time, when an incident occurs, it is necessary to promptly report it to the nearest police station for investigation and clarification.

The act of breaking a car window is an act of causing damage to other people's property, and can be administratively sanctioned according to Article 15, Decree 144/2021/ND-CP with 2 fines from 2,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND, or from 3,000,000 VND to 5,000,000 VND depending on the act caused.

Article 178 of the 2015 Penal Code, amended and supplemented in 2017, also stipulates the crime of destroying or intentionally damaging property with 4 penalty frames. In which, the lowest penalty frame is non-custodial reform for up to 3 years or imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years. The highest penalty frame is from 10 years to 20 years. Offenders may also be fined from 10,000,000 VND to 100,000,000 VND, banned from holding positions, practicing a profession or doing certain jobs from 01 year to 05 years.