You know what kind of car thieves won't steal? A car with flat tires. Cops in Kabul, Afghanistan have taken the extreme measure of puncturing the tires of all cars parked after dark to prevent theft. It's like shooting someone in the leg instead of the arm.
The practice was discovered by NPR when a guest left their office in Kabul. He got to his car in the evening to discover that his tires were slashed. And he couldn't report it to the police for a simple reason.
They are the ones who slashed the tires.
Nesar Ahmad Abdulrahimzai, Kabul's police chief in the 10th district, has made the call to slash the tires of cars parked after dark to prevent thefts. He says that the police are poorly equipped and need to do something to prevent auto theft.
Here's what's curious: NPR says that in the last six months, there have been just two car thefts in this area of Kabul. Maybe it's because they all have flat tires?
Problem is, police aren't using discretion and are just slashing all the tires as they see fit, and they aren't reimbursing people for the tires they slash. So it's good for the tire shops in Kabul, bad for the car owners of Kabul.
The puncturing of the tires is vandalism and illegal, but police say that their warning is enough to make it ok. Kabul's police chief says that the 10th district is abusing its power and he will stop the practice.