16 April 2013

What kind of low life steals garden lights?

| johnboy
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hole

See that hole? It’s where one of my new solar powered garden lights used to be.

There were 12 of them bought for the princely sum of $1.50 each to light the path to the door at night.

But someone out and about in the Inner North couldn’t shell out $20 for their own, so they just nicked them.

I doubt cash converters will be offering much.

Thoughts for how to prevent future loss?

I was thinking something like this, but wouldn’t want to lose the cameras:

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OpenYourMind10:20 pm 16 Apr 13

Maybe they just needed something to light up their recently acquired big arsed fibreglass dinosaur!

Embedded pressure switch connected to a 12v truck horn has the potential to provide japes for the whole street.

I can confirm it doesn’t just happen on the northside. BTW, we paid $6 each for our lights!

Or, (and this just occurs as the first wine hits my brain) put up a really foul rhyming ‘poem’ about how sad the fairies (or better still Faeries) will be if someone steals the lights:

The winged* folk require these lights,
To land after their Faerie flights.
Please don’t make the Magic go!
Leave this lovely, Sylvan glow.

*with an accent, so it’s unnecessarily two syllables. I still can’t do that on my IPad.

I suggest a whimsical gnome to hold the sign. While potential thieves are vomiting, leap out and punch them.

Got any decent bushes near the front door?

Maybe rig up some new lights (on a concealed wire) hooked to a large horn hidden in some nearby bushes?

johnboy said :

A $500 camera system for the joy of watching the scrotes nick my $20 lights seems like overkill.

And someone said you didn’t understand economics the other day.

Put up a little sign saying; warning: electric shock DANGER. Hopefully the new lights produce enough light for the sign to be read. And it will be very attractive too, if you choose that horrible arty font they use on the park signs.

johnboy said :

A $500 camera system for the joy of watching the scrotes nick my $20 lights seems like overkill.

Perhaps you could rig up a system similar to an electric fence just in case the green lantern returns after you replace ’em?

ToastFliesRED5:10 pm 16 Apr 13

Bummer
I’ve had several sets (or parts thereof) stolen from at three properties now, the only theory I have been able to come up with is that these individuals are so stoned/drunk that they need them to see their way home or are just plain freaked out by the colours dude.

Other than sittin on the porch all night with a double barrel and sufficient beers or moonshine and a bull mastiff on a leash just long enough to reach the boundary of your property it’s hard to know what best to suggest

/redneck

A $500 camera system for the joy of watching the scrotes nick my $20 lights seems like overkill.

Rollersk8r said :

Yeah, people know they are cheap and easy to remove. Had mine stolen in broad daylight one Melbourne Cup day.

PS. Very funny Dilandach, call the police, yes, like when someone ignores a sign you twit.

Come on … four hours? Keep the average tight!

For $1.50 each is it even worth spending the time to secure them? I suppose you could hook on some wire (like a spear – easy to go in, hard to pull out). But either way they’re going to take it.

Reminds me of some friends (in a different state) who had their letter box taken and smashed every week by drunks. They did everything, including securing it to the fence (which resulted in the drunks breaking the fence). They ended up just putting a piece of pvc pipe in the ground, then every friday removed the (new) letterbox from its pvc sleeve.

I recently bought a cheap arse wireless web cam from kogan for $59, including delivery.

The beauty of this gadget is that:
– wirelessly connects to your wi-fi router (but still needs cable for power)
– motion sensors to snap pics of anything moving
– upload capability to deliver pics to email address or FTP server, in real-time.
– infra-red lighting to see in the dark

Just a thought, in case you want to catch these ferals redhanded.

Oh that video is a classic!!!!!!! Sorry about your lights as well. Never had a problem with anyone stealing them.

I’d go the cat video – but don’t bother with the camera, and use high pressure paint.

Yeah, people know they are cheap and easy to remove. Had mine stolen in broad daylight one Melbourne Cup day.

PS. Very funny Dilandach, call the police, yes, like when someone ignores a sign you twit.

troll-sniffer12:34 pm 16 Apr 13

Unless you’re due for a postcard from the Netherlands or somewhere showing your prize lights ‘on holiday’ like they used to do for garden gnomes. Had you considered that option?

Yeah yeah I know unlikely but I try and be a glass half full type 🙂

thebrownstreak6911:35 am 16 Apr 13

I had some nicked a few years ago. I figure I’ll just keep my eyes open, and one day when I see someone else’s being nicked I’ll go over and break the arms of the (inevitably) little shits doing the deed.

I feel your pain, when living i Amaroo, I had two sets (12 lights) stolen by kids (we found a crap load on Katherine ave smashed) and others missing.

The buggers also stole our candy cane things and santa please stop here signs which made my daughter really distressed!

Really sucks, but unless you start putting up cameras / sensor lights you’ll find it hard to keep them from stealibng them!

Btw – that youtube link will make you cry how funny it is.

Its quite odd, its quite often you hear of solar lights getting nicked. Its not like they’re in short supply or insanely expensive… perhaps there’s a perception that they’re expensive.

I do recall that when I was near the oval in Hawker one afternoon there was a giant pile of solar lights that had been dumped there, all different kinds. Didn’t take any though.

Have you called the police or even the AFP to have them tape off the front of your house as a crime scene? Have you marked in chalk outlines where the solar lights were?

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