Two drivers have claimed that their local police force was too busy to investigate their Jaguar being stolen, forcing them to "steal it back".

Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson reported that their Jaguar E-Pace had been stolen from their home in Brook Green, west London, earlier this month.

The Jaguar came equipped with a ghost immobiliser, making it harder to steal, as well as an AirTag locator, The Times reported.

The couple found that the car was parked around three miles away in Chiswick, prompting them to call the police to notify them of the vehicle's location.

The couple was forced to 'steal' their own Jaguar E-Pace back earlier this month

When speaking with the 999 operator, they were told that the police were unsure when they would be able to investigate.

They were also told to call the 101 non-emergency number if they searched for the vehicle and found it themselves.

The car was first noted as being missing on Wednesday, June 4, with the AirTag last noticing the vehicle outside the home at around 3.20am.

The next update saw the vehicle located in Chiswick at 10.30am, forcing the couple to act, even without assistance from the police.

The couple installed additional security features in their Jaguar E-Pace

The couple eventually travelled to the pinged location of the AirTag and found the Jaguar E-Pace on a back street in Chiswick.

While the car was discovered, the Times reported that the interior had been ripped out as the criminals attempted to access the wiring.

Forbes Pirie and Simpson had installed extra security measures in the vehicle as they had previously had another car stolen.

The couple suspected that the theft was "reasonably sophisticated", claiming that a tow truck or a flat-bed truck could have been used to transport the vehicle.

Forbes Pirie, a successful barrister, posted on networking platform LinkedIn that "stealing" the car back was "kind of fun".

Despite this, she questioned whether this type of crime would continue to plague the streets if there were no repercussions from an "overwhelmed" police force.

Following the couple retrieving the vehicle, the Metropolitan Police said it would be in touch, with a forensic team set to arrive this week.

Speaking to The Times, Forbes Pirie said: "Since we’ve found it, lots of people have touched the car and the police say that they're going to look underneath the carpets and at the fuse box to see if there are prints there.

The Met Police has specially designated officers to deal with vehicle thefts

"But it wouldn’t have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That's the one criticism I have."

Across London last year, data from the Metropolitan Police states there were 33,530 offences of "theft or unauthorised taking" of motor vehicles.

The Met Police has specially designated officers who tackle motor vehicle crime in theft hotspots around the capital.

GB News has contacted the Metropolitan Police for a comment.