Stolen garden ornaments recovered by police in Beaumont Leys

Police in Beaumont Leys, Leicestershire, are hoping to reunite over 100 stolen garden ornaments with their owners.
The haul of stolen property was discovered by officers in the garden of a house in Stocking Farm on Friday May 29, following a tip off from a member of the public. A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the thefts and is on bail while enquiries continue.
Officers believe the property - which includes ornamental plant pots, wishing wells, gnomes, animal figurines, statues, hanging baskets, bird baths, solar powered lights and fence panels – was all stolen from gardens in the Stocking Farm, Mowmacre Hill and Abbey Rise area over the last five months.
Neighbourhood officers are re-contacting victims in the area to invite them to visit Beaumont Leys Police Station to view the recovered property and identify any which belongs to them.
PC Simon Walters, neighbourhood officer for Mowmacre Hill, Stocking Farm and Abbey Rise, said: “We are delighted to have recovered this property and are very keen to reunite it with its rightful owners. Clearly these thefts will have been distressing for the victims as not only has their personal property been stolen, some of which may have sentimental value, but somebody has been in their garden and invaded their privacy.
“So far we have managed to identify the owners of about 12 of the 109 items. One lady who came to view the property today was absolutely over the moon to see her garden statues again.
“However, there may be people out there who did not report the thefts to police and we are urging them to visit Beaumont Leys Police Station as soon as possible to see if any of the recovered property is theirs.
“I would like to thank the member of the public who tipped us off about the stolen property. This is a great example of how residents can work with their local officers to tackle crime in their community.”
For more information visit the Front Enquiry Office at Beaumont Leys Police Station or leave a message for PC 592 Simon Walters by calling 0116 222 2222, follow the instructions to leave a message for an officer and when prompted key in his identification number 0592.

(Reproduced from information released by Leicestershire Police, June 5th)

GARDIEN TIP: Marking items using forensic DNA would make owner identification a very simple matter. See http://www.garden-security.co.uk/selectaDNA-grease.aspx