Thefts of and from cars

There was mention in the daily chat thread of house break-ins. Thankfully not something that I have suffered although I have seen off a couple of sneak thieves in the past who obviously were not sneaky enough!

I had a car taken whilst at college and returned. Occasionally if running late returning to Leeds from Chester area I would, instead of street parking and walking in, I used to park it one floor down from the top of a multi storey car park without buying a ticket. The steps used to access floor above and floor below. I suspect the warden didn't search that one. One evening after college I returned for the car. It was gone .... horrible feeling. Coming down the stairs I walked into the ground floor level and the car was there. I did report to the police just in case ....

I had a car broken into with no damage in the Algarve 22 years ago. Cheap camera that we used on the beach and passports gone. Drove to nearest police station to report it and was met by a police officer coming out who said 'Good Afternoon Mr T'. Yep Passport was there. I did not give a reward to 'finder' as that was probably the thief or a mate.

17 year sago I returned to my car one evening to find it unlocked. Somebody had got in, broken the steering lock and presumably been disturbed. 

About 8 years ago in a busy supermarket car park we had left the car for about 10 mins. Whether a would be thief had been surprised by our return or something else had spooked them I don't know but they had dropped their very useful pry-bar into the area behind the car bonnet where the windscreen wipers park.

Is it me or is it par for the course?