Owners distraught after French bulldog stolen from garden

A French bulldog puppy has been snatched from a garden surrounded by a 20ft wall only a few months after moving in with her new family.
Seven-month-old pup Paris was swiped from the back garden on Commerce Place, Aberdare, while her family were in the house.
Now it is feared the playful pooch has either been sold on or forced to fight against trained canines in illegal “dog-baiting” bouts.
Paris’ owner Claire Dillon said the family are devastated by the crime.
“I had gone inside the house with the kids to watch a helicopter from the window,” Claire, 38, said.
“Paris had only been out there for about ten minutes and she is normally waiting for me at the door.
“As soon as I walked out there, I had a feeling something was wrong.”
Mum-of-four Claire knows that pedigree pets like Paris can fetch up to £1,500 on the black market.
“I can’t believe this has happened to us,” she said.
“It’s unbelievable the way they have taken her.
“There is literally a 20ft wall at the back of the house with 6ft and 7ft fences around the garden.”
And now charity Rhondda Animals in Need has warned stolen dogs may be used as bait for brutal blood sports.
Linda Webb, who has worked at the Penygraig-based charity for 23 years, said: “There have been so many dogs stolen in the area recently. I can’t believe it.”
And Linda advised that dog owners can do simple things to protect their pets.
“It only takes two minutes to steal a dog,” she said.
She advised owners to fit them with a dog tag and not to leave their dogs unattended in the garden.
South Wales Police (SWP) said they are aware of the theft and are urging people to come forward with any information.
“It is obviously distressing to have a loved pet stolen,” an SWP spokesman said.
Paris has a distinctive bald patch near her left rib. Anyone with any information can contact SWP on 101.

(Reproduced from WalesOnline, 27th Feb)

Gardien Comment:  Keep them out of your property. See the advice at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/walls-fences-security.aspx

£4,000 bike stolen from garden in Taunton

         

A DISTINCTIVE £4,000 mountain bike has been stolen from a garden in Taunton.

The hand-built bike was taken on Monday (February 10) from Maxwell Street.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: “Enquiries suggest that the stolen bike has already been sold and we would appeal to anyone who has bought the bike, or seen it being ridden, to contact us.”

It is a full-suspension Specialized mountain bike with a black, white, green, red and blue frame.

It has a white, red and grey seat and various stickers on it including one which says ‘Bike Tart’.

It has blue handlebars and a white Canadian leaf on the brakes. The wheels have a single red spoke with ‘All American Classic’ written on the wheels, hydraulic disc brakes and fox rear suspension.

The spokesman added: “There are some easy steps you can take to secure your garden and reduce theft.

“Restrict access to your garden by using gates on side passages and securing them with strong hinges and a decent padlock, and consider prickly plants within shrubbery to deter thieves.

“Chain bikes and other garden machinery/tools together or secure bikes to a ground anchor in a shed – and make sure the shed is locked securely.”

Anyone with information about the theft should contact Avon and Somerset Police on 101 and quote 14273/14.

Alternatively, phone the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. They never ask your name or trace your call.

(Reproduced from ThisistheWestCountry, 14th Feb 2014)

Gardien Comment:  See the article on Bike Security at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/bike-security-print.htm

Bideford police appeal after series of garden ornament thefts

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a number of thefts of garden ornaments in the Bideford area over the last fortnight.
The first incident occurred in Bideford when a concrete bird bath with a stand design of two otters was taken from a garden between 7pm on February 12 and 9am on February 13 (crime ref: CD/14/318).
In Appledore some time between 5pm on Thursday and 5pm on Friday, a small gold and white pergola made of concrete was taken (crime ref: CD/14/376).
Between Wednesday at 1pm and Thursday at 1pm in Westward Ho! a green coloured statue of a Romeo and Juliet design was taken from a garden (crime ref: CD/14/375).
And in Westward Ho! a black sea serpent ornament approximately three feet long was taken between Thursday at 4pm and Friday at 8am (crime ref: CD/14/374).
Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward by calling non-emergency number 101 quoting any of the above crime references.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

(Reproduced from North Devon Gazette, 26th Feb)

Gardien Comment: See the advice at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/garden-antiques-security.aspx

Theft (from Gardens)

High-level garden theft hit the headlines when firms such as Sotheby's in Billingshurst began to develop a specialist market in antique garden statuary, seats and urns. Victorian cast-iron twig and vine benches which had mouldered for years under dripping summer trees suddenly acquired astonishing value. I first wrote about this new phenomenon in the Nineties. Sadly, although it's no longer new, it's still with us. As always, the thieves manage to stay a step ahead of the increasingly sophisticated alarms and marking systems that owners are forced to employ to hang on to their cherubs and quietly mossed-over lions.
As I reported before, the National Trust, in whose gardens is a remarkable collection of antique urns, statues and furniture, has been the victim of some particularly damaging thefts. At Wallington in Northumberland, thieves were disturbed as they were trying to remove the fine lead statues which decorate the walled garden. The tenant of the portico house in the garden fortunately discovered the perpetrators when he returned home late at night.
Police put thefts from gardens in the same category as burglaries from houses, so you can't put an exact figure on how much is stolen from gardens. Latest Home Office figures suggest that five thousand gardens are targeted by thieves every week. Most commonly stolen are garden plants (nearly a quarter of those who suffer from garden theft lose trees and shrubs, sometimes whole hedges).
Tools are popular with thieves, but many gardeners now etch or paint a postcode on expensive items. That makes them much more difficult for thieves to sell on. But the stolen lawnmowers, strimmers, generators, garden tractors and power tools I wrote about originally are still favourite targets. Keep a record of the serial numbers; if your nicked chainsaw gets found, it's the easiest way to prove you are the rightful owner. Use gravel for your garden paths. The inevitable scrunch is as good as a shed alarm.
Stealing lawnmowers and strimmers can be seen as the outdoor equivalent of lifting televisions and DVD players from inside houses. Reprehensible, but comprehensible. What is more surreal is the way that an entire pond, together with fountain and fish, can disappear > in a night, as happened to a gardener near Crewe in Cheshire. But all those who love gardening wince more painfully at news of plants being stolen than they do when told of purloined lawnmowers or strimmers. As well as being animate, plants are personal, in a way that a ride-on mower can never be.
So it's particularly shocking when entire collections of rare plants are stolen. Some time ago, it happened at the botanic garden at Ventnor, Isle of Wight, where, over 17 years, the curator, Simon Goodenough, had built up a fine collection of pseudopanax, strange spiky plants originating in New Zealand.
There's a worrying increase, too, in the theft of dogs from gardens – running now at 135,000 a year. Top of the list are springer spaniels, border terriers, and boxers. Dog thieves have evidently got good taste. But it's a mystery how a dog thief can ever persuade a springer to go off in the right direction when their owners so rarely can.
Insurance companies, always quick to spot an opening, are now offering specialised garden insurance to home owners. Policies vary in their comprehensiveness. Some cover plants in conservatories and greenhouses, but not those growing outside. Some cover hedges but not individual shrubs and trees. Check your policy. Full cover for plants may be available. But for an additional premium of course. Some companies offer substantially reduced insurance premiums if a house and garden are not left unoccupied for long periods. Some home contents policies will only cover garden machinery if it is kept under lock and key.

(Reproduced from The Independent, 7th December - article by Anna Pavord)

Gardien Comment: An excellent article on the subject of garden theft. We set up Gardien to provide solutions to these very problems, see www.garden-security.co.uk

Historic statues stolen from Godinton House garden

Two historic lead statues worth £30,000 have been stolen from the garden at Godinton House in Kent, triggering fears they will be melted down and sold as scrap.

The two statues, which depict a nude dancing man and a female muse, were taken by thieves on Monday night. A tenant on the ancient estate, near Ashford, discovered the theft the next morning.

The oldest statues in the garden, the pair have stood in the grounds since the late 19th century and are valued at around £30,000.

The trail left by the intruders suggests that the figurines were taken away in a trolley, which was wheeled across the grounds and lifted over fences – one of which is now slightly broken.

Nick Sandford, the estate manager at Godinton, said, “This charming pair of lead figures date back to the 18th century and have been at Godinton for at least 100 years. They form the focal point at the end of the Tennis Lawn.

(Reproduced from telegraph.co.uk  22nd Nov)

Gardien Comment: No matter the distance from buildings, items of value need some protection. If possible, electricity should be run to the vicinity and a CCTV system installed - if not a Solar security light should be installed in the area as this alone may be sufficient to scare off thieves.

Statues stolen from Blandford garden

 

                   

The deer statues that were stolen.

BLANDFORD Police are appealing for information after four large bronze statues were stolen from the rear garden of a house in the Thornicombe area of the town.

Officers said this morning that the incident happened sometime between 5pm on Tuesday, October 29, 8am the next day.

Those responsible gained entry to the garden and made off with two deer statues – five and four feet in height – along with two one-foot bronze fawns.

Andy Woodford, of the Dorset Police Crime Management Unit, said: “Following extensive enquiries, I am now able to release an image of the bronze statues.

“Their owner has been left extremely upset by this incident and they are very keen to have them returned. “I am appealing to anyone who may have seen this theft take place, or saw any suspicious activity in the area around the time of the incident to contact Dorset Police in confidence.

“It is possible someone may have seen the offenders loading these items onto a vehicle and these details could help us identify those responsible.”

No arrests have been made.

Call Dorset Police in confidence on 101, quoting crime number C:13:C:45526. Alternatively, call the free and anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.

(Reproduced from Bournemouth Daily Echo, 11th Nov)

Gardien Comment: Yet more heavy items being taken. See the advice re Garden Statues at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/garden-antiques-security.aspx

Garden ornaments stolen by thieves during night raids

 

The stolen sundial.

        

     

Thieves raided gardens and stole ornaments worth a substantial amount of money.
Police are appealing for information after several thefts in the Kirkby Lonsdale and Carnforth area.

The first theft was on Saturday night, October 26, when two distinctive antique intricate stone-carved acorn gateposts were stolen from the entrance to a property in the Fairbank area of Kirkby Lonsdale.

On the same night in the Fairbank area, two large vintage garden urns and an antique sundial were stolen from a front garden.

Two further thefts were reported on October 28.

One was near Fairbank, where a four foot concrete lion water feature was stolen from a front garden.

In Lupton, Carnforth, two antique grey sandstone balls were also reported stolen from the end of a driveway.
DC David Moffat said: “Some of these items are worth a substantial amount of money, and we are asking the local community to help us track them down.

“Many of the items are large objects which would have been difficult to move.

“I would urge people in the Kirkby Lonsdale area to ensure all valuable property is secure, and if you notice anything missing please report it to the police.

“If anyone has seen anything suspicious in the area recently, or has any information, please call Cumbria Police on 101or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(Reproduced from the Visitor, Nov 10th - Lancaster and Morecambe)

Gardien Comment: Nothing is too heavy to move for those determined to take it - see the advice re Garden Antiques at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/garden-antiques-security.aspx