It’s a strange, creepy feeling.

Basgetti

We lived up a track, half a mile from a B Road many years ago. Treated ourselves to new bicycles to enjoy the countryside. Miles from the village, we left them outside in our large, covered porch the night after we had bought them. They were gone in the morning. That was really, really uncomfortable.

A young neighbour had his bike stolen from the back garden. It was lifted over a 6ft fence. The insurance replacement took 6 weeks, but 24 hours later they broke their shed door, bike padlock and it was gone. It was clearly someone he knew.

We hear occasionally about vans being broken into, but it is often when tools have been left, so again someone who knows the victim. It does seem that they think insurance will pay - but then we all do.
Oddly, people still park half way onto the pavement, even though we have had a spate of thefts of catalytic converters and other engine parts, which are easier to get at from cars parked this way

About 20years ago the police turned up at 7 am to search the house because my husband was suspected of a crime. In the end, of course, he was totally innocent, but having the house searched our stuff looked through felt just like being burgled. Some of the things they had moved stayed in the wrong place for months because I just didn't want to touch them after strangers had been looking through them.

Sadly, that's the society we live in. I saw a programme about a poor town in the north of the UK. Some families didn't have enough money for basics, so the answer was to steal things and sell them on.

It must have been really awful for you to think that crime was happening so close to you.

Garden furniture theft happens quite a lot on our estate, how they manage to lift them over 6 feet high fences puzzles me as most have padlocked gates.
Some thieves are lacking in powers of observation, one stole two bikes from a porch of my neighbour opposite. My house has 4 CCTV cameras and he stood in direct line of one.
The next day police did a door to door check to see if anyone had seen anything, as it was 2 am they were not successful. We said we would check the CCTV, the policeman was thrilled as he hadn't realised we had cameras even though there is a notice in the front door window and a large yellow poster on the facia board 🙄

Garden ornaments and sometimes newly planted trees ,shrubs and plants disappear overnight in my area .

Nannylovesshopping

sandelf

Depressing. We are on a town road (East Sussex) - well lit, everyone I've met is clean and polite, quite large front gardens - yet my nice Christmas door wreath was removed within a day or two - haven't replaced it - too expensive.

I’d be inclined to wander round the streets until I found it adorning the thief’s door, presuming as it was expensive, prob unusual, and steal it back/knock on said door, may I have my wreath back…… you thieving git……

Unless the door wreath is a one off, this could be very embarrassing if the neighbour had one, legitimately purchased, that was the same design.

In reverse when living in Cheshire a friend went down to her front gate one morning. She found a bike has been dumped over her hedge She reported it to the police but no one claimed it. She rode that bike for years

How horrid, Chicken!

Chicken, how awful. How can people have no conscience about inconveniencing others, stealing, causing damage?
I know crime has always existed but the amount of serious crime certainly seems to has risen significantly over the last decade or so. I have to keep reminding myself that most people are decent. We get crime warnings of break-ins, car theft, etc, from our local police force via Facebook now. It certainly makes me mindful that it occurs close by and usually during the night.