Really pissed off. Left lottie in tears

[realfood]

You can now get small video cameras for outside use with batteries. They will take still photos when set off by motion sensors. You could get photo evidence.

[realfood]

[Digeroo]

Galina you are a star.  I will dig them all up and move them to my garden.  Sorted.   It will be easier to harvest them anyway,  and the deer will not get them if it snows.  Mind you then the b*******  will probably attack my sprouts instead.  Looks like I will be moving quite a few brassicas.

My suspect has a very few cabbages of their own so if mine are relocated it will be interesting to note if they disappear instead.

Like the plan Ace I will get onto that too.  I am hoping to get a photo and if they ring the bell so to speak it will be easier to catch them at it.

Many thanks realfood, do you a link to one.

[davyw1]

Does your council not dish out free shed alarms shed alarms they are easy to rig up with trip wires, I dont know if we have any left up the shop but if there is i would willingly send you a couple.

[Kea]

I know exactly how you feel, I lose a lot of stuff off my allotment. This years has been really bad. The worst was the loss of 6 1kg buttercup squash last year I was furious. My plan was to use an Apple corer this years on one and put something horrible inside like a dead mouse and closing it up again but they didn't get big enough this years.
Another idea I've had is get some cornflour and blue food colouring mix and sprinkle it over the veges.....makes it look like it's been treated with something nasty.

[taurus]

I must admit I have split my greens this year between the allotment and garden.  As I have a feeling this might happen on my site, as already this year had my blackcurrants stripped.  The plot next to mine lost their strawberries.  I do feel for you Digeroo.  But I do like Ace and Kea's idea's and will be putting them into use. 

[kt.]

I ended up putting a 7ft fence around my plot after veg thefts.  Tin sheeting for the bottom third and chicken wire for the top 2 thirds.

[daitheplant]

When produce is stolen from your plot ALWAYS report it to the committee, it could be other people are having problems also. It might be worth getting a few trusted plotholders together and organising some evening and early morning watches onsite.

[gazza1960]

Due to thefts on our plot we asked the officer in charge to take steps,he offered to install dummy cams on a long pole,at present there are 4 that
give a 180 degree view,and although they are dummies the allotmenteers the last 2 years have suffered no further fruit losses from their respective plots.
Ill grant you not a pleasent way to carry on accussing your fellow plotters of stealing....but....it has stopped.
The officer put a clear sign on the board so that ALL were aware of cameras being installed and for what reason.

http://www.icctvsystems.co.uk/Item/swann_dummy_cctv_cameras

These are not the same as we have but a "cheap" option to maybe solve your situation.

Gazza

[Digeroo]

I have asked around and there have been a few other losses.  One guy has lost a lot of spinach. .

I like the idea of the cctv cameras.  We do not have a committee the site is a private one.

Some of the other losses might be deer.  My cabbages went including the root and so I am sure it is human. Deer tend to nibble as do rabbits.  At the moment though the deer are going for the strawberry leaves.

I was worried about my Xmas sprouts to I have dug them up and resited to my garden.

But I have put up a notice saying I have contaminated some of the veg and sprinkled anti theft dust about the place and so far this seems to be working.   (Sorry the formula of the dust if a closely guarded secret).

I caught a strange woman on site a couple of weeks ago and asked her politely but firmly to leave.  There is very little winter veg on our site so my plot is something of a target.   

[davejg]

If you catch the woman again or anyone else wandering around get them to hold something for you ( cup plastic bottle etc} befor you tell them to b****** off, you will then have fingerprints to pass on to others. The wildlife lot have stealth cameras very small battery operated take pictures day or night, there are some here http://www.trail-camera.co.uk/wildlife/Trail-Camera.htm.

[Nigel B]

You guys need to be very careful about this cctv stuff.
I, for one, would object enough for you to leave the lotty in tears again if you were filming me without my permission.
Sorry folks, but that's me. I will not consent to being filmed 'just in case' I am a criminal.
What I do on my allotment is a matter between me and my allotment, and nobody else.

Ccv is not the panacea some paint it to be, not by a long way. So far, all the studies I have seen show that without doubt, it does nothing to prevent crime.... Except in car-parks which also have foot-patrols with a working radio contact.
While it may seem easy to just plop a camera down somewhere to solve a crime, it isn't.  You don't automatically have the right to film people going about their perfectly legal business in case one of them is a criminal.

[daitheplant]

Digeroo, as the site is privately owned you should inform your landlord of the thefts. If he/she is not prepared to manage the site correctly ask them to organise a general meeting of plotholders so that a managing committee can be formed.

[davejg]

Mr B the trail cams will only take a pic of someone on the plot WHERE THEY SHOULD NOT BE. Personally if my trail cam gets a pic of someone i do not bother lilly law as attempted burglars at home have found out.

[Kea]

If the camera only photographs people on your plot it can't be a problem. The law requires a notice saying the area of your plot is being photographed.....it doesn't say how big the sign has to be.

[Digeroo]

My measures seem to be working.  Cabbages stopped disappearing.    The anti theft powder is certainly putting people off.  I have no problem with putting up a huge sign. 

[Nigel B]

If the camera only photographs people on your plot it can't be a problem. The law requires a notice saying the area of your plot is being photographed.....it doesn't say how big the sign has to be.

.. But it does have to be placed where people can see it easily.  People must be made aware if you are covering public places with it, and even footpaths count if the public can access them, you then become the Data Controller and have a whole list of things to do to ensure the security and disposal of the images etc...... And with good reason, in my opinion.


Sign away Digeroo. I'm really pleased that you're getting some good results!

[Aden Roller]

That's awful! I lose a lot to pests but thankfully none to human pests so far. Maybe it's a sign of how desperate some people are?

Even desperate people can have morals - asking is easy.

Stealing is not acceptable.

I would contact your allotment committee and ask for the rules to be enforced - a few notices saying anyone seen removing produce for another persons plot will receive immediate eviction / withdrawal of tenancy and a life time ban from the site.

[cambourne7]

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/visine.asp

I recommend you pop a sign up warning people you have used this on your veg and your letting them know so that when they have to call an 999 they know whats caused it :)

[Nomspatch]

Ace had the right idea with the fishing line and rape alarm there.but I would go one further..look in biker magazines and you will find a thing advertised called a "Door Mine" it is basically a trip wire that sets off a 'blank' shotgun cartridge....doubt anyone would return after one of those went off next to them...

[Aden Roller]

Digeroo are you still having problems with vanishing crops or have things improved?

I would be extremely disheartened if it happened to me!