Flower Thieves Very Frustrating

[JTemple]

I keep an attractive flower garden in my front yard. It's a lot of work to keep it trimmed, weeded, watered and healthy. Every spring through fall I get flower thieves. Recently we caught one of them and to my astonishment, even caught red handed, she refused to give the flowers back and said "There're just flowers!" Right, and I grew them. I did not want to get in a tussle over flowers and wind up with an assault charge but my neighbour just reached over and grabbed them out of her hand. I trimmed them and put them in a vase on the kitchen table. I do not know what I can do to stop the problem that has been happening for years and gets worse every year. I hate to bother police over minor delinquencies but it is an endless problem and the culprits are various low lifes. It's not as though it was a single thief. I am rapidly reaching the point of putting in paving stone and giving up on my garden. The sad thing is, the garden is so pretty many people come, just, to take pictures of it. It's kind of famous in the area and bees and butterflies love it. What would any of you do?

[AndyMH]

Well when somebody drove down the side of my car, did £3500 damage and did a runner, I installed CCTV.

[Moem]

Can you plant something prickly/thorny in between the road side and the flowers?

[cliffcoggin]

An electric fence as used to contain cattle around the edge. It won't cause injury unfortunately, but it will make them think twice.

[Moem]

it will make them think twice.

That's two times more than the number of times they are thinking now!
Some people's children...

[JTemple]

An electric fence as used to contain cattle around the edge. It won't cause injury unfortunately, but it will make them think twice.

That's actually a good idea. I'll need to check with the city to see if that's allowed within the city limits. I suspect it is not, after all, what if a small child, accidentally touched it. In fact, as I think about it, being right up against a public side-walk, it might be a pretty bad idea.

[Mick-Cork]

I'm thinking the same as AndyMH, a security camera.

You could also put up a polite little sign, maybe with a bit of humour in it but with a serious undertone, asking people not to remove plants or flowers.

I wouldn't pave it over, not without trying other things first.

[Edit] something like : "If we wanted our flowers to go walkies, we'd have planted Triffids! We hope you enjoy the display and please leave it as you found it."

Maybe put it out to others to come up with some possible words.

[AndyMH]

I'm thinking the same as AndyMH, a security camera.

It also gives you an excuse, if you need one, to get a NAS. My CCTV is a Synology NAS + surveillance station software (free with the NAS) and a couple of POE IP cameras (cheap chinese)

[cliffcoggin]

An electric fence as used to contain cattle around the edge. It won't cause injury unfortunately, but it will make them think twice.

That's actually a good idea. I'll need to check with the city to see if that's allowed within the city limits. I suspect it is not, after all, what if a small child, accidentally touched it. In fact, as I think about it, being right up against a public side-walk, it might be a pretty bad idea.

So a ring of land mines is out of the question then?

[RollyShed]

Put up a photo of the culprit(s) advertising they are thieves. If stated under the photo "this person took without permission" it implies but doesn't actually say "thief".

Imply the next person to do it will also have their picture taken.

[Schultz]

Recently we caught one of them and to my astonishment, even caught red handed, she refused to give the flowers back and said "There're just flowers!" Right, and I grew them. I did not want to get in a tussle over flowers and wind up with an assault charge but my neighbour just reached over and grabbed them out of her hand.

Good for your neighbor. People are so entitled nowadays. I wonder how did this happen (the entitlement)? They don't realize or think just how much time, work, and money goes into things they get for "free," or by theft.

P.S. How about a picture of your flower garden? I'm curious.

[MartyMint]

Flower thief problems?
good grief

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Talk to your local law enforcement agency to see what your options are. They might agree to respond to theft complaints if you could provide photographic proof of someone stealing your flowers and can identify the culprits. You may have to install several security cameras that can show the faces of the thieves and the license plates of their vehicles and post some specific signage.

I encourage you to at least attempt to do something about it. People (I use that term loosely) feel they can get away with things like this because the victims don't want to make a big deal of it or are afraid to do so. If the police aren't interested about doing something about it, possibly contacting one or more of local TV stations to see if they might do a story on the thefts and, possibly, the lack of support from the police might get results.

[JTemple]

Talk to your local law enforcement agency to see what your options are. They might agree to respond to theft complaints if you could provide photographic proof of someone stealing your flowers and can identify the culprits. You may have to install several security cameras that can show the faces of the thieves and the license plates of their vehicles and post some specific signage.

I encourage you to at least attempt to do something about it. People (I use that term loosely) feel they can get away with things like this because the victims don't want to make a big deal of it or are afraid to do so. If the police aren't interested about doing something about it, possibly contacting one or more of local TV stations to see if they might do a story on the thefts and, possibly, the lack of support from the police might get results.

It's not fear that makes me hesitate to involve police; police did nothing when my house was broken into and medications and money was stolen. The police said there was nothing they could do, "To bad". I suppose, if the loss of medications had caused a death they might have been more interested. After that I got 2 dogs, one was a big Rottweiler. No one has tried a break in since!

[JTemple]

Flower thief problems?
good grief

Do you do any gardening? If you do, you'd understand the frustration. A nice garden takes a lot of planning, work and some expense that's a waste when people keep wrecking havoc on it.

[HaveaMint]

Flower thief problems?
good grief

Do you do any gardening? If you do, you'd understand the frustration. A nice garden takes a lot of planning, work and some expense that's a waste when people keep wrecking havoc on it.

I tend to agree here, does it make a difference what they are stealing?

[Moem]

An easy option to start with is a small sign that says 'Smile, you're on camera'.

[Pjotr]

An easy option to start with is a small sign that says 'Smile, you're on camera'.

I love that one!

Perhaps another interesting option: on the very outside of your garden, so directly alongside the street / kerb, plant a row of flowers that are known to attract bees and other stinging b**tards in swarms:
https://www.countryliving.com/gardening ... ract-bees/

They'll gladly help you defend your garden.

[JTemple]

An easy option to start with is a small sign that says 'Smile, you're on camera'.

I love that one!

Perhaps another interesting option: on the very outside of your garden, so directly alongside the street / kerb, plant a row of flowers that are known to attract bees and other stinging b**tards in swarms:
https://www.countryliving.com/gardening ... ract-bees/

They'll gladly help you defend your garden.

There are cameras, I have tried signs saying so and the garden is exclusively bee and butterfly attractive plants. I may try to involve police BUT if they fail to show any interest to investigate burglary can I honestly expect them to care about garden plants. (No matter what I may have paid for said plants)

I often get about fantasies to committing criminal assault! Did you ever wonder why a "sweet, innocent" person gets into the news for having gotten a severe "senseless" beating. Well, just drive a person nuts for 10 years with "minor delinquency" and you might have the answer to some of those "senseless beatings" of those pure and innocent souls. (I know, they are definitely making me some what unbalanced. I'll be back on an even keel by the end of October)

[Mick-Cork]

Flower thief problems?
good grief

Do you do any gardening? If you do, you'd understand the frustration. A nice garden takes a lot of planning, work and some expense that's a waste when people keep wrecking havoc on it.

I tend to agree here, does it make a difference what they are stealing?

And to an extent who they are stealing from. When a piece of art is stolen it not only deprives the owner but also those that just want to gaze at it. Making light of the theft of flowers is the same as making light of the theft of anything that might otherwise bring joy to others. In a way it totally misses the point of the finer things in life.