[Laverne88]

We are currently trying to find out wether we can get a grant to improve the fencing around our allotments....... but like someone said a few postings back, if they want to get in, they will. If they threw all their energy into growing their own instead of trampling over everyone elses they would be better peopl.
Do you think the police take this issue seriously enough? I know I was incensed when the BBC had an article about 'crimes' on allotments ,one morning, a few months ago - they reported it as if we were a bunch of whingeing train spotters. It was really patronising and you got the felling that the attitude was 'oh well it's only a few vegetables grown by a few old men'

I'm thinking of breeding a new kind of dog.......... a plotveiller.

[lacewing]

There is a nature reserve at the back of our site,  where a crowd of youths hang out in the evenings, they regularly raid our plots and sheds for building  material's to make camps, they also take watering cans and any cooking utinsels they can find. They trample over crops and leave gates and shed doors open as they leave. We have made several complaints to the council and to the police. The council made an effort to errect a four foot chicken wire fence that even a rabbit could  manage to jump over.

 One evening recently, a plot holder had been working late on his plot and was getting ready to leave, when all of a sudden there was banging and kicking at the back of his shed, he could see the youth's through the hedge and shouted at them to clear off but they held their ground and started goading and shouting abuse back at him, so he gave chase and tried to grab one of them to make a citizen arrest, but he found he was out-numbered as more youth's appeared and he gave up.

The man returned to his plot and within twenty minuets a fleet of police cars arrived outside the plot, out came several police officer's, told the plotholder to put his hands in the air and stand still, after a body search he was handcuffed,
taken to the police station and put in a cell  for the night. Fourteen hours later he was released on police bail to return on the 1st of June, charged with assault. 

[GillyHen]

...he was handcuffed,
taken to the police station and put in a cell  for the night. Fourteen hours later he was released on police bail to return on the 1st of June, charged with assault. 

Absolute state of farce in the name of the law 

[GillyHen]

It strikes me as odd that thieves will break into maybe 20 sheds on our site and hardly take anything

I mean, what exactly do they think they are going to find..? Chainsaws? Gold plated secateurs? Expensive lawnmowers, when there is no grass..? Petrol? What exactly?!!

[lacewing]

...he was handcuffed,
taken to the police station and put in a cell  for the night. Fourteen hours later he was released on police bail to return on the 1st of June, charged with assault. 

Absolute state of farce in the name of the law 

Seems to me that the law is always on the side of the offender, but then the offenders make sure they are well clued up as to where they stand with the law, they would do well to study a few other things that might teach them how to be better human beings!

[NigelB]

I'm thinking of breeding a new kind of dog.......... a plotveiller.

Funny as.  Made me giggle audibly.

I know it's a serious business though, and the story of the gardener's arrest is probably the main reason why yobs act as they do.... because they can.
In my view the Police are complicit in this too, they know exactly what's going on but are such complete jobsworth's they will follow their set procedures, like hens following a straight line, and it will go all the way to a magistrates court at our expense, the poor gardeners expense, and even the yobs themselves as more taxpayer's money being spent on the court system is keeping down the amount of money available to pay for their benefits.
My advice to all is to become as vocal as you can about how the policies the police use are causing such distress. Become complainers. Attend every Neighbourhood Watch meeting and have your say, and keep doing it.
It has been my experience that the police can sometimes need a reminder that their job is to protect us, the law-abiding, and not the loutish yobs that are deliberately playing them and their 'set procedures' and have them running around arresting people they should have no business doing.
Attend local council meetings too, and ask them to ask your local police to attend to their electorates security.
Write to your MP. Actually no, don't write yet. Wait until after the revolution when we've replaced the current band of thieves with people with more honourable politicians, if such a beast still exists.....

Blimey, didn't I go off one one..... 

[Yorkie]

We have excellent relationships with our local community police officers - one of the PCSOs has allotments as one of her responsibilities.  She drops into the association shop most weekends and they encourage us to liaise with them whenever there are difficulties.

We were also given some money by a police fund to contribute towards CCTV hosted on the next door school site.

Not all police are the jobsworths you so cynically describe.

[Babstreefern]

Believe me, cops and/or security guards are your worst offenders.  If they come to look around the plot to make sure everything is safe and/or secure, and nobody is about, they help themselves to your produce .  The best thing would be if we had electricity and have CCTV infra-red.   On my plot, I've got a small area of fencing that anyone can climb over.  So I went to Fryers Nurseries and bought a rambling rose that had the most thorns.  Its growing lovely at the moment , and believe me, it definitely has thorns .  I would love for some cretin to climb over and fall in that when its fully up and operational.

[Yorkie]

Believe me, cops and/or security guards are your worst offenders.  If they come to look around the plot to make sure everything is safe and/or secure, and nobody is about, they help themselves to your produce . 

I presume you can cite convictions to justify your allegations, whether stereotypical or specific?

[Laverne88]

http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?go=homepage&scope=all&q=allotment+crime

[Yorkie]

Thanks for that Laverne - I wasn't disputing that allotment crime may have been reported in an uncomfortable way.

My question was seeking evidence for the sweeping statement that the worst offenders for lotty crime are the police and security guards rather than any other sector of the population.

[Laverne88]

I posted it just out of general interest , Yorkie............... now I'm campaigning for bringing back hanging (baskets)

 

[brendabel18]

our allotments have had  a spate of break in over the last month, nothing taken except for some seeds form one chaps shed,  we think they are after power tools which no one keeps on the site.

I think there is something to be said about just leaving your shed door unlocked, as said before if they want to get in they will so at least you wouldnt have to be replacing doors all the time.....

[Babstreefern]

On police/security guards queries, I knew of a security guard years ago.  He was a dog handler, and one of the places he guarded was a supermarket, and as he quoted "10 bob an hour, and all you can take".  As you can see from the amount he earned, it was quite a few years ago, and even those days, it was a pittance he was on. 

[oldbean]

Download the book from here.

Having one in your shed with the lid off at night will mean either they will not return, or you will get some extra free material. Either way you win.