This is indeed UK advice. The site is administered in the United States but we are all lawyers around the UK. In my opinion, you have a complaint to make to the police.
They were out of order because the car wasn’t stolen and they had no reason to take it back. Any dispute in respect of the finances is a civil matter between you and the lender. I would make a complaint in writing to the Chief Constable and thereafter to the independent office for Police Conduct. The police should not be wasting valuable resource repossessing cars for lenders.
If you have paid the full value of the car then in my opinion they are indeed responsible for any damage to it.
Get the car back, get quotations for any damage and then take the lender and the police to the Small Claims Court for the cost.
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