Burglars Want Your Garden Tools, Aylesbury Vale

The number of burglaries go up in the spring, so police in Aylesbury Vale are trying to tackle that with a 'day of action'.Officers say burglars normally target our homes, but when sheds or other buildings are left open in the warmer weather, they go for those as well.

Garden sheds, outbuildings and garages are a popular target as they probably have expensive items like lawn mowers, hedge cutters, pedal bikes and power tools in them.
Insp James Davies said:

"We aim to raise awareness of outbuilding, garden and shed security and we will be working in partnership with Aylesbury Vale District Council to provide local residents with vital crime prevention advice, to help prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime during the upcoming spring period.
"I would also like to thank local businesses George Browns Ltd, D & A Sheds, and Preston & Bisset Nurseries for their help in supporting the events.
"In addition to these road shows and events, the neighbourhood teams will be carrying out high visibility patrols in the town and the rural areas. The team will also be carrying out a series of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) operations during the spring period and proactively patrolling burglary hot spot areas to target known offenders.
"We will be about and about, if you have any concerns or just want some advice and information, approach your local neighbourhood officers who will be there to assist you.
"We will also be sending out messages via Thames Valley Alert to residents with crime reduction advice, so I would urge people to sign up."

Here are the events taking place:

• Burglary non-dwelling shed road show event, which will run from 8am to 5pm at the Old Gaol, Market Square. Officers will be accompanied by members from the AVDC offering shed crime prevention advice and handing out timer switches.
• Crime reduction event, which will run from 8am to 5pm at Rushmere Country Park, Great Brickhill.
• Security marking tools event, which run from 10am to 12pm at Haddenham Library, followed by garden centre visits in the local area.
• Farm Visits, CESAR marking and patrols in the local area of Winslow from 12pm to 9pm.

The town neighbourhood team will be carrying out the following events:

• A mobile police station will be set in the Aylesbury Market Place from 10am to 3pm, offering crime prevention advice.
• Crime prevention events from 10am to 3pm at Homebase in Broad Fields Retail Park, B&Q in Vale Hundreds Retail Park and Wickes in Cambridge Close Retail Park.

The neighbourhood teams and ADVC will be hosting some additional events and road shows at garden centres. The teams will be carrying out the following additional events at garden centres:

• Wednesday (26/3), World's End Garden Centre, Wendover - 11am to 3pm
• Wednesday (2/4), Buckingham Garden Centre, Buckingham - 11am to 3pm
• Wednesday (9/4), Homebase, Aylesbury - 11am to 3pm
• Wednesday (16/4), B & Q Aylesbury - 11am to 3pm
• Wednesday (23/4), Haddenham Garden Centre - 11am to 3pm

And these are some of the tips the police have for you:

• Make access to areas where sheds and outbuildings are located as difficult as possible - lock all side and rear gates using a bolt and padlock or hasp and staple lock and make sure fencing/hedging is secure. Prickly plants can be used around the fence line to deter access.
• Install passive security lighting in gardens.
• Keep sheds, garage and outbuilding locked with good quality locks - padlock alarms are available from hardware shops that sound if any attempt is made to tamper with it.
• Consider putting bars on the windows of sheds etc. to prevent break-ins.
• Strengthen the security of sheds by reinforcing door hinges, fitting doors with non-returnable screws or coach bolts.
• Not leave tools and equipment in gardens but keep them locked away and consider securing these with cables and chains with robust padlocks.
• Have power tools, garden implements and pedal cycles security marked with a post code and house

(Reproduced from Mix96  20th March)

Gardien Comment:  All the above is very sound advice - quality product solutions can be found at www.garden-security.co.uk )

Antique Victorian urns stolen from Colwyn Bay garden

 

AN ANTIQUE Victorian garden urn has been stolen from Colwyn Bay.Police are appealing for information after the theft between 2pm on Sunday, March 9, and Monday, March 10. The large cast iron urn was stolen from the garden of a property on Abergele Road. police spokesperson said: "Due to the weight of the item it is believed that two people would have been needed to move the urn from its location."The antique garden ornament is described as 4ft high with an 18ins diameter. It is daffodil shaped with ridges running down the sides and has a lip around the top edge. It has a concrete base which measures 18ins, which was also taken.   
The spokesperson added: "Inquiries into the theft are continuing and there is an appeal to anyone who has information, who witnessed the theft or may have been offered a similar item for sale to contact members of the Investigation Support Team on 101 quoting reference number RC14035771."
Aternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(Reproduced from NorthWalesPioneer,  12th March)

Gardien Comment:  Once again we remind you that nothing is too heavy to be stolen. See the advice at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/garden-antiques-security.aspx

‘Beloved’ dog stolen from St Albans garden

 

         

                 

Police have released a photo of this “beloved” pet dog that was stolen during a burglary in St Albans on Wednesday.
The theft happened between 9pm on Wednesday, March 5 and 10.30am the following day at an address in Dellfield.
The criminals entered the rear garden and forcibly removed the dog, which is a two-and-a half-year-old male Jack Russell, that was in a shed at the time.
Pc Lee Gough, who is investigating the incident, said: “The owner of the dog has been left devastated by the theft of their beloved pet and I would urge anyone who knows of the dog’s location, or has been offered it for sale, to contact me immediately.
“I would ask anyone who remembers seeing anything unusual or suspicious around the stated times to also contact me as it’s possible you may have information that can assist the investigation and reunite the dog with its rightful owner.”
Anyone with information should contact the non-emergency number 101, or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(Reproduced from hertsad.co.uk  8th March)

Gardien Comment:  Sadly there are many reports of animal theft in recent times. Extra care needs to be taken to ensure your animals are safe. See the various advice at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/garden-security-advice.aspx

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