Too annoyed to post it yesterday. My fence has been deliberately smashed leaving a hole larger & wider than my gate! I think only reason they never got in was cos I had some stuff behind the inner panels.
I appreciate that allotment break-ins occur, but the area that was done is on the main road - directly under a street light, right opposite the houses! >:(
Temporary job fix at the moment till the weekend. Supported some wooden boards with razorwire on top, behind the hedge inside the allotment, away from the path.
Well I'm glad they didn't get in KT we are in the middle of a theft spree again, even got a circular from the beat bobby today!
::)
Bad time for us to know how you feel.just had a visit to our allotments 36 sheds etc vandalized doors ripped off windows smashed one burnt to the ground police not interested. Repairs well underway.
Don't these dick heads have a Xmas break. >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
We had two or three plots broken in to the other night; one guy had a polytunnel slashed. The guy was on CCTV further up the lane, coming down with an Alsatian. One day we'll catch some of them.
I've had panes smashed in the greenhouse and it looks like someone has been dancing on one of my onion beds. Carrots taken too but still plenty left.
moonbeam,
get the police interested.We had 21 sheds including mine burnt to the ground three years ago. I took lots of photos of everything as police 'to busy'.
three years later my photos helped put away a chap who went from burning sheds,to slashing tyres, to racial hatred,(he was picked up by police on the last two) he kept a diary of the fires three years earlier and my photos and evidence was suddenly needed.
get a crime number and report every lottie fire and brake in to the police/shades x
(http://www.zen78303.zen.co.uk/files/blogpics/likeashot.jpg)
The police told me "if ya don't leave anything in ya shed they have no reason to break in...do they". :P >:(. I don't lock my sheds any more at least they don't smash the door in. :(
We have lost several thousands of pounds worth of equipment this year, not me personally you understand but I have to try to get the insurance people to cough up (wasting my time).... now people are starting to say we should stop open days as it attracts thieves!!!! I don't see your average yellow book reader as an allotment thief!
:-\
We had the same mentality on our site. Now the tennis club has installed CCTV and we get to see what they look like, they don't look like the sort who comes to that type of occasion.
Well B***er me. Just been to plot for veg for the weekend and guess what? Nothing appears to have been taken from inside the shed (but I don't leave anything worth pinching in there),but half of my leeks have gone!!!!
I'm not going to bother replacing the lock, it seems like a waste of money to me.
I've been told not to put a lock on the shed once it's up (sure I mentioned that before so sorry if I'm repeating) as those are the sheds the local yobs try to break into then. I'm not even planning on keeping my very few tools in it but stashing them in bin bags by the bramble pile or something instead. They just look like part of the 'rubbish' pile right now (it's not rubbish of course, it's couch grass happily dying in black sacks) and no one has bothered them yet, knock on wood.
Not sure if I'll laugh or cry if they steal my veg next year. Cry because I'm actually trying to grow my groceries, or laugh because I don't predict I'm going to be very good at this! So they'll get some pretty pathetic stuff. ;D
Not a good sign that you're by the road and streetlights though! I thought that would be my one advantage with my plot because it's in a similar place.
Tina.
I know how you feel I've been attaked three times with someone taking a definite liking or maybe dislike to my blackcurrant bushes, after beeing pulled up & replanted twice on the 3rd time they were pinched. Also half my swede crop has been pulled up and thrown round. My OH keeps muttering about razor blades or broken glass :o but I told him it would be us that would end up in trouble >:(
Sorted the fence out today. All fixed. Wire mesh in front of solid wood panels. Razor wire on the inside of the bushes on top & slightly behind the wood. I have also tied hessian to the fencing running at 90degrees to the damaged fence to obscure peering eyes inside. Looks well smart from inside and outside. ;)
Glad youv'e sorted things KT.
Just had a thought, what a pity they didn't help themselves to the swiss chard,no-one likes that. ;D
I hate it when people nick your produce, and like it even less if they just dig it up and throw it around.... at least if they have taken it someone gets to eat it!
>:(
Sometimes it's not allways people braeking in but other plot holders. :(
very true sometimes it is, the adjacent plot holders to me seem to think all thats on my plots is fair game to just lift and use on their own plot >:( mind you half the time the moron looks wasted on somat so we have spent the whole weekend starting to put up a much higher fence which basically we shouldn't have to but its either that or lose the rest of what we have managed to acquire to some one who has no concept of whats right or wrong ( and yes i know its them because of various items which were defo ours i.e certain markings etc)
That the problem now days nobody seems to know that is right or wrong,or they just arrogantly forget. >:(
we're bordered by a private road, the backs of large gardens and a railway line. Our chairman is also a retired policeman and he can't recall the last time we had trouble.
However, I have begun to have problems with the 70+ year old lady who owns the private road. She also has a plot on the site. My plot borders onto her road. She has taken it upon herself to keep moving my things around and has - in the process - wrecked a tyre on my trailer....
I'm not happy and have had a conversation with the plot chairman. It's delicate because "she's lived in that house for 40 years and views the whole area as hers". I don't care, she's damaged my property!
On another note, new year's morning saw 50 cars in our area, and 50 cars in the town 2 miles away, have between 1 & 4 tyres slashed, soft-top roofs slashed and broken windows. 8 people have been arrested, charged & bailed. They were aged 14,15,15,16,17,18,20,20 (I think). Little fuggers.
Guess who got 4 tyres and a roof done... I demand a kneecap in return!
Our lotties have just been 'done over' by local yobs, apparently they broke into about 15 sheds and succeeded in finding an air rifle and a small amount of petrol, with which they shot 4 chickens in a neighbouring shed and then set them on fire. This also caused two additional chickens to die of fright.
What on earth possesses these imbeciles? >:( >:( >:( I honestly think i'm living on the wrong planet sometimes...
we're still waiting for the mother ship to come and pick us up, especially when we hear about things like this >:( >:(
I've no patience for people who have been allowed to get away with murder till they think they own the place and can do what they like. We're currently having to sort out the legacy of such a person on my site, and it's a major palaver.
Quote from: froglegs on December 30, 2006, 23:06:25
Sometimes it's not allways people braeking in but other plot holders. :(
Dead right!
We have had outsiders nicking the odd thingy but last summer I lost quite a lot of strawberries. In among the leaves I found a flip-flop. I suspected my next door neighbour's teenage kids. I knew they arrive just as I'm usually on my way home, so, I left the flip-flop on the path outside. Sure enough, the whole family wandered along past my plot when a shout went up...eh! Ma! I found it...!There she was holding it up!
Another guy I suspected I almost caught red handed. I must have been just seconds too late. I heard his wife shouting as I walked down the path with my dog, (left the car at the top of the path). I came round the corner to see him running back to his plot from the direction of mine. Now, my plot is (was) at the top. There's only me and the theiving neighbour up there. When I got to my plot I found my water butts missing (which he must have taken a day or two earlier) but this time all my guttering had gone! When I have visited his plot in the past, I've always been invited into his hut for a drink. Not this time. His door was shut, unusual on such a hot day, and he was sweating like a pig. No sign of my guttering but a very hot and sweaty neighbour got the message of how quickly castration can take place if I can proove who nicked it!
Needles to say, I left my plot at the end of last December after 5 years. The trouble didn't start until these two new people moved in!
I still say bring back the Birch.
So do i.
What a sad world we live in :(
kev................when did these yobbos pinch ya birch?
Marestail, it was a while back, from my shed can you believe, I heard BARKing and I saw a small bloke with his dog running away with my Birch, I shouted for him to LEAVE it alone but he was gone but I thought I recognised him. Later I TWIGGED who it was, it was his STUMPy appearance that give him away, I reported it to the local police they come round to see me and said they tried to ROOT him out but he seems to have gone to GROUND. Anyway Special BRANCH got involved and caught him after a long car chase, Would you believe he was driving a ROBIN Reliant and had been drinking WOODPECKER cider and he was still CROWing on about his innocence but after a SWIFT arrest it was all over, in court he blamed his girlfriend TREEsa BLOOMfield still he's doing BIRD now so hopefully they will bring back the BIRCH. (every cloud has a SILVER lining).
Sorry to hear of all these problems, as you may remember my shed got tipped last year, nothing since (fingers crossed) its just so, so sad that people cant leave other people be.
I make a point of not going on others plots if they are not around, and when I was growing up would never go causing damage/pinching veg etc, its just not the done thing.
I cant believe how bad things are getting with petty crime. Although I'm too young (29) to have experienced "a clip round the ear" by the local police man, I feel bringing it back might do some good, not "softly softly asbo, asbo, must look after them they have problems blah blah blah"
Regards
Matt
Returned to my plot this morning to assess gale damage - 8 or 9 panes gone in the greenhouse, surprised as it is well sheltered. My neighbour did worse though, looks like he lost all of his panes.
Later on the secretary arrived, to explain that we had 'visitors', they had broken some gates and smashed glass, and did some petty stealing from sheds. The police took notes, and intend to keep an eye out, but all we got was a number for victim support, not a lot of help that will be. In the circumstances, I consider myself lucky.
Even as I went home, there were kids climbing in the B&Q skips opposite the plots, pulling stuff out and being a nuisance. Apparently, the yard staff have been told not to approach the youths etc, because of possible legal problems. What is the world coming to ...
A good one to use is that non drying paint from B&Q. I just paint it on the tops of my fences and along barbed wire and other places morons might climb over. Even if the moron gets in at least you'll have ruined quite a lot of its clothes........ which is a nice thought. ;)
We have a policy in our allotment that nothing of value is ever kept in our huts and over the years the break ins have got less as the morons get to realise that its pointless breaking in. Luckily the majority of people who live near the plot seem to live on Macdonalds so they dont steal veg. That might sound like an ignorant generalisation but unfortunately its true.
One old bloke on the plot has regular break ins to his hut at night but they just sit about and use it as a den, he's used to it now they've even started leave notes to him saying 'thanks for the use of the hut' and tidy it up before they leave. Its like a wierd human version of the symbiosis between clown fish and sea anemones.
I was told last week by a council officer that if we want to use anti-vandal paint we have to put up a notice saying that it is being used in case the vandals complain about damage to their clothes.
Can you believe that? :o :oHe wasn't joking either.
I think its unlikely they'd complain. I'm using it anyway I'd just say the old man before me painted it a few years ago, if they can be dodgy so can I.
In the summer veggies were being stolen >:(, the mesh fences were bent over so you could see where they were coming over the fence, I asked the bloke in charge to get the council to put grease on the fence he said if they put grease up they would have to put up signs to say they were greased what cr ap. >:( So I know the park keeper ;) and he give me a big pot of grease and I did it myself, seems to have worked for now. ;) ;) :D :D ;D ;D 8)
Make yourself a small pot from an old tin can with a bit of wire laced through the top. Put some of the grease in and add a small amount of old engine oil and melt it down by putting the tin in the ashes of a bonfire. Stir up then paint on where you like. That should definitely keep them away, or if not, at least you will recognise them !!!!
Hi
I see that you say the poilce not interested, well being in the job maybe this will help.
1, report all damage no matter how small just keep reporting. as more evidence will help.
2. Get in touch with the local PSCO( Police community support officer) for your patch,
3. Try to logg times you think it occurs see if a pattern occuring.
4. Contact your local crime reduction officer.
5, if u still have no joy or response, take time out to write to your chief constable direct explaining none help.
i know it is so difficult and police do not all ways get things right, but constant badgering does work
hope this may help
regards
steve
One of our plots is rented by a local school for boys with emotional & behaviour difficulties. The plot is only worked intermittently - which usually involves a group arriving, looking at the waist high grass, scratching their heads, sighing and leaving....This year, with the assistance of the local authority, the plot has been strimmed and a 4ft strip has been rough dug - yes at last we all thought....something positive.
At the weekend, a group of boys walked across the plots (completely ignoring the paths >:() so I went into Mum mode and told them off, the sensible ones turned and left, leaving the truculent one to go into "You can't tell me what to do" mode.......anyway long story........ The boys are from the school and had come to 'visit' their plot - I can relate to that ;D
Thinking they might want to take their revenge for being 'dissed', I phoned the local community policing unit, to raise my concerns about possible vandalism on the plot that night and spoke to the answerphone ::) and did not receive any follow up the next day.
Arrived on the plot yesterday to find that my plot was untouched.....but.....the two large greenhouses on other plots had every pane smashed. Now the two events could be completely unrelated (I hope they are - those boys have enough problems) BUT it is easy to jump to conclusions
So this time I emailed the police, noting on their website that they promise the respond to every email and also tailor their patrols to meet the needs of the local community....................................................................................still waiting...
Still wouldn't want to chop off the top of their little finger tho - the unknowns for vandalism or the police for not following up ;D
but making them pay for replacement panes and fit them might be a way.
Yes Mrs KP, you are right - that would be community service in action - and don't forget the face to face apology AND clearing up the broken glass......