The National Police have reminded people that if you break into a car to rescue an animal trapped in the sun, you’ll be done for vehicle theft.
Their Twitter message comes in response to a popular bit of nonsense doing the rounds online which urges people who see an animal locked inside a car to take a photo, then break into the car to rescue the animal. According to the myth, the photo will protect you from legal consequences and prove you to be the hero – it will also allow the police to prosecute the owner of the vehicle for animal cruelty.
https://twitter.com/policia/status/869128938253144064
Nonsense say the coppers. Using this theory, anyone caught red handed breaking into vehicles could get off scot-free. If you try breaking in, you’ll be done for vandalism, theft or attempted vehicle theft. You could also seriously hurt yourself.
I mention this because I’ve seen several versions of this message doing the rounds of FB, with many people taking it to heart.
Anyway, the cops say that if you spot a distressed animal locked inside a vehicle, you should call 091 or 112 to report it. Officers will then decide what action to take.