Dog owners in South Croydon have been warned to be vigilant while out walking their prized pooches, after tell-tale signs suggesting that thieves may be operating in the area were found by gardeners at a local church.
Dog walkers in Croydon have been advised to take extra care over their – and their pets’ – safety
Plastic ties fixed to gates or fence posts are being regarded with suspicion following a spate of dog thefts over the past year, in and around Croydon.
Volunteers at St Peter’s Church in South Croydon tweeted on Sunday, “Please take care. These have appeared on handrails by the church but are nothing to do with work at the church.
“We have heard it is a sign for potential dognappers that dogs of interest are walked there.
“The tags have been removed but please take care.”
Lots of plastic ties could be a signal of lots of dogs nearby that might be stolen
Similar tags, in greater numbers, have been found on the gate to Roundshaw Downs, the site of the former Croydon Airport and a popular place for dog walkers.
Dog theft is a growing issue, with rapidly rising numbers of reported thefts since the start of lockdown a year ago.
Meanwhile the police have linked it with organised crime gangs whose usual areas of operation involve drug dealing, armed robbery and modern slavery.
DogLost, a charity helping dog theft victims, say that they dealt with 465 cases last year, up from 172 in 2019. Some liken the trauma suffered through the sudden disappearance of a much-loved pet to losing a family member.
Campaigners say those who are convicted of dog theft often only receive a fine. In any case, according to the Pet Theft Reform campaign, only 1 per cent of dog theft crimes have led to prosecution.
The Met recovered 17 stolen dogs in Operation Medusa
Last September, hundreds of officers took part in Operation Medusa, one of the biggest Met Police sting operations, when they raided an address in Star Lane, Orpington.
Seven arrests were made for offences including possession with intent to supply drugs, handling stolen goods and burglary.
The police were acting on information regarding crime gangs and were looking for guns, drugs and related evidence.
But they also found 17 dogs, all of them stolen from around south London.
Groups such as the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance are now calling for pet theft to be made a specific criminal and imprisonable offence.
How St Peter’s, South Croydon, warned neighbours on social media this week
It is reckoned that about half of stolen dogs are taken from people’s gardens.
To reduce the risk of dog theft, some owners are putting up higher fences, fitting their dog’s collar with a GPS tracker or using a steel-cored dog lead, to make it harder for thieves to cut the lead.
But as one campaigner told The Guardian this week, “This is a high-profit, no-risk crime. Very few cases ever reach any kind of prosecution.
“Police forces would take it more seriously if it was a higher offence. But a lot of cases are not reported as theft – they just presume the dog has escaped and without proof it has been stolen it won’t be investigated.”
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While dog theft is a sad reality, the cable ties connection is just an urban myth.
Similar versions have been circulating around the world for 8 years. Snopes, the hoax busting website, records rumours of dog thieves in Australia marking homes with bags tied to trees or coloured stickers. In Ireland more recently it was chalk marks.
Ask yourselves, in the era of smartphones and global internet access, why would a 21st century thief go to the bother of devising a sophisticated colour coding system to signal which dogs were worth stealing.
Cable ties on lamp posts and fences are a scourge, and should be removed. But the only crime their removal will tackle is littering.
The ties appearing is demonstrably true.
Gangs in the past have used chalk marks and other signals to identify likely targets for burglaries and other crimes.
And why would criminals use ties instead of their phones, even burner phones? Easy: you can’t trace a tie and link it in with anyone in the way that you might be able to with any kind of digital communication. Like the old chalk signs, is entirely deniable.
We’ve checked with the police on the matter of dog thefts. They say that they are following leads…
I hope they collar someone soon….
Hopefully not chasing their tails and barking up the wrong tree etc etc
The cable ties are probably a remains of signs that have been put up, probably for missing dogs or the likes, when they get ripped down the leave the ties, not unlike seeing loads of drawing pins in trees were people have attached notices.
Nice idea. It’s not the case, though.
this is a good idea.