Somebody Keeps Stealing My Fruit Trees

sunnyc on 04/07/2017 - 14:16
Last edited 06/07/2017 - 19:17

I have caught somebody trying to steal my freshly planted fruit trees a couple times. I called the police but they are let go and does it again. Its the front lawn so my dogs can't be let out as they will just escape. Does anybody have a suggestion? I can only think of booby traps.

To be clear, they aren't stealing fruit. They are uprooting the tree and taking it.

UPDATE: I have CCTV footage, the police caught the person and let go because they just don't care. I also had my bike stolen 5 years with clear face image and I still don't have an update. When my car got nicked by another car and I reported it, they said if I wanted to go through with it, I might have to pay for damages. Clearly, police are doing their jobs protecting taxpaying citizens hence I come here looking for help.
UPDATE 2: I have a fence in my front lawn. It's not hard to open the gate and take the tree.
Update 3: My dog is a puppy husky and hates being chained ( It's inhumane) . Also, he is known to escape. Last week he escaped 3 times from my house. Twice ripped the fly screen and ran out. Once when I was taking out the rubbish and he followed me out and I had to chase him for 5 km. Luckily that time was 1 am in the middle of the night and only 3 cars were passing on parramatta road when he crossed.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2017 - 14:22
    +33

    Video video video, then internet.

    • Wystri Warrick on 05/07/2017 - 01:22
      +6

      No ACA/TTN

      • siresteelhell on 06/07/2017 - 05:47
        +23

        Take a photo, go to officeworks and get it blown up and laminated then post it on your front fence for everyone to see… shame them…

        • resisting the urge on 06/07/2017 - 18:00
          +2

          Or find out where they live and stick it on their fence too, so their neighbors can see what they have next door!

        • sunnyc on 06/07/2017 - 19:23
          +5

          [@zerovelocity]@siresteelhell: I'll pay the delivery guy and have it in everybody's mailbox.

        • Hoolio on 08/07/2017 - 20:18
          +2

          Lol what if they steal the photo game over man, game over

        • smartazz104 on 09/07/2017 - 11:25

          They'll probably steal that too.

    • Gusper on 08/07/2017 - 00:35
      +2

      Once read that the best way to stop someone stealing your computer was to cast concrete around the case. It's just too heavy to steal. In this case a concrete or steel plate around the trunk would stop them taking the tree without stripping all the roots off which would defeat the purpose.

  • pantsparty on 04/07/2017 - 14:22
    +24

    Any chance you can move them to your backyard? Some people are just dirty grubs and will take anything.

    • sunnyc on 04/07/2017 - 18:16

      nope, not enough sunlight areas.

      • PleasureMe on 06/07/2017 - 15:00
        +23

        You should just plant your trees on the roof. That way they can't get stolen and they will get plenty of sunlight!

        • Agret on 08/07/2017 - 17:33
          +2

          Thanks KenM

    • ireadtermsofuse on 06/07/2017 - 12:39
      +1

      Yeah just like when low life scumbags stole my Christmas lights

    • ntt on 07/07/2017 - 13:09
      +1

      Any chance you can move them to your backyard?

      Did you mean the thieves or trees?

  • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2017 - 14:31
    +18

    do not boobytrap your property. You are opening yourself up to a world of prosecution if whoever is stealing them gets hurt by them.

    Agree with frugal rock, video. or plant trees elsewhere on your property

    • ItsMeAgro on 04/07/2017 - 17:14
      +23

      do not boobytrap … prosecution if whoever is stealing them gets hurt…

      That's what actually worked for us (Western Sydney, 1990s).

      My dad's solution was to tie nasty sharp fish hooks every few cms along a piece of fishing line and wrap it around the tree trunk like barbed wire.

      The trees weren't stolen again.

      I don't know if I'd actually recommend this, but more because the thieves might escalate things for some nonsensical "revenge", than any possible legal liability.

      As @karanimal said, the criminals could maybe sue you for their injuries…but honestly, these kind of law-punishes-the-victim stories your elderly right-wing uncle forwards you in emails aren't as common as you might think.

      Besides if the law does favour the perpetrator over the victim here (which may not be the case) will the thief really try it? Go to the police and say "I was just minding my own business, trying to steal some trees, again, and this evil bastard put hooks on his trees"?

      Maybe a sign that says "warning, stealing trees may result in injury" is enough to absolve you…? It certainly should be, of course.

      I mean, the injuries should be minor enough to cause no significant financial damages. What will they claim? Cost of bandaids?

      (Couldn't believe it when this happened to us as a kid. Of all the things to steal!)

      • Randxyz123 on 04/07/2017 - 17:37
        +14

        A sign to warn them off would probably be enough to cover yourself legally for that. I'd laugh if some dole bludger complained to the cops because they got injured stealing a bloody tree.

        • owli on 05/07/2017 - 15:32
          +32

          @mnermner:

          since capitalism is all about stealing other people's labour

          I think you are getting your economic systems confused.

        • Talsek on 05/07/2017 - 19:20
          +5

          @owli:

          Perhaps not,some people see extracting surplus value (for profit) as theft.

        • TenaciousTom on 06/07/2017 - 09:16
          +2

          A sign? If someone can prove that you set those up intentionally to cause harm to another person, you're in deep shit no matter what.

        • ItsMeAgro on 06/07/2017 - 10:57
          +3

          @TeanaciousTom:

          Yes officer, it's a religious tradition from my Irish ancestors. Cold iron wards off the leprechauns, to be sure.

          …oh yes, I knew it was sharp, but why would that have stopped me? Can I really be blamed for not guessing that some crazy idiot would try to steal a tree?

        • mikeford81 on 07/07/2017 - 08:31
          +2

          @mnermner: Is it ironic to spout off about capitalism on a website specifically aimed at shopping?

        • TenaciousTom on 07/07/2017 - 12:24

          @ItsMeAgro: Absolutely yes you can. Your ignorance is going to get you in trouble…

        • mossfrog on 07/07/2017 - 18:03

          @TeanaciousTom: How does this work regarding things like razor wire on Gov owned sites etc? Surely razor wire is installed as a deterrent on account of it's ability to fark you up and not because it looks rad. If you bust yourself up breaking into private property to steal someone's gear I can hardly see the police being on your side.

          The Law of Trespass states that, after asking someone to leave and they refuse, you can remove them using "reasonable force".
          I suppose some sort of large trebuchet arrangement with a sign stating "Please leave my property" may work? In any case i'd keep a record of when you contacted police and what their response was so in the event of an incident ie. you catching the person and beating the snot deploying resonable force to remove them.

        • [Deactivated] on 10/07/2017 - 11:31

          @mikeford81: not at all

        • [Deactivated] on 10/07/2017 - 11:32
          -2

          @owli: I think you're getting your economic systems confused

        • TenaciousTom on 10/07/2017 - 16:34

          @mossfrog: Razor wire wouldn't qualify as a booby trap as it is clearly visible. There are infinite cases of people being held accountable for a trespasser even just slipping over on their driveway. Please DYOR as IANAL.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2017 - 17:40
        +13

        fish hooks is great for deterring someone from stealing your fruit trees. Not so great when some happy kid comes running along, sees some cool & delicious looking fruit on your tree and then gets a fishhook in the eye trying to grab one from a branch. (not that there will be any fruit any time soon but you catch my drift). That could be someones dog, cat, elder lady who tripped and fell, etc.

        BAM you are at fault for boobytrapping something that would be easily accessible and you are at fault for negligence

        • BertieBrown on 06/07/2017 - 10:38
          +1

          Yeah, I'd imagine any reasonable magistrate/court/authority would look at a situation such as this and try to determine how much pre-meditation was involved to cause injury. Accidentally leaving something dangerous outside is still a silly thing to do but it's a lot different, and in the case of arranging fishing hooks etc on a tree I'd also imagine far more easily distinguishable from something intentionally placed to cause injury. A bit like leaving an upturned take outside on the lawn vs partially burying a rake so it will cause injury to the unsuspecting.

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 13:18
          +2

          Why would the kid take the fruit? Is this normal?

          What happened to if-its-not-yours-don't-take-it.

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 13:55
          -1

          @lolbbq:

          How long has it been since you were a kid?

          We used to absolutely terrorise the neighbourhood from sunup until the street lights came on. Jumping fences, chasing animals, building forts in the forest, gathering random fruit from random trees and having one of our kid brother eat it

          Its a (profanity) fruit tree, fruit is fair game in a kids mind. Ever heard of the saying "low hanging fruit"? might be applicable in a kids mind

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 16:40
          +9

          @karanimal:

          Not that long ago. I still remember that as soon as I had the capability to comprehend and as soon as I had the capability to perform said actions I was taught to obey the law.

          1) Taking what does not belong to you without the permission of the owner is theft
          2) Damaging what does not belong to you is vandalism
          3) "Terrorizing" the neighbourhood is breach of peace at best
          4) Entering another person's property without permission is trespassing

          I don't know what people teach their kid's these days but maybe that is why people are going around stealing trees. Always do anything with the owners consent/permission. If you don't teach the kids when they're young when will they learn?

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 16:59
          -5

          @lolbbq:

          Taking some fruit from a tree is probably one of the most harmless things in the world

          and being a kid and getting into trouble is what being a kid is all about. Hopefully you are more fun in person than on the internet…

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 17:16
          +3

          @karanimal:

          The law is the law, if is not about how you choose to interpret it in terms of how much fun there is to be had vs how much harm might be done.

          You don't have to break the law and disrespect another person's property/privacy to have fun.

          Being a kid is about learning to be a good citizen, not every kid grows up learning what they did as a kid is certainly not okay when they're 25.

          If being law abiding is not being a fun person, so be it. I do not have to be fun for you, but I have to be law abiding for everybody.

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 17:25
          -7

          @lolbbq:

          Are you kidding me? did you not have a group of friends as a kid? Get together with 5+ 8-11yr olds are just run around? Ever heard of the goonies?

          Of course you'll do something dumb every once and a while, doing those things, getting caught, feeling bad about actions you took, etc is how you grow up and learn.

          Grabbing a piece of fruit off a tree and getting a fish hook in the eye/hand/face sounds like a great punishment for such a harmful action. Pull yourself together man.

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 17:31
          +8

          @karanimal:

          Well, all my friends had parents who taught them the same thing. I took something that did not belonged to me (a sticker) when I was 5 or 6, I remember it to this day. Nobody told me it was fair game. Nobody normalized that behavior.

          I never agreed that getting a fish hook is appropriate punishment for theft. But that does not make theft right.

          If you want something that does not belong to you, knock on the door and ask the owner. I did that, I did not take liberties.

          Why not teach the kids early on instead of normalizing such behaviors and then letting them become the state's responsibility when they're older. Pull yourself together man. I don't understand how you're even suggesting a moral cop-out for theft.

        • Cusack on 06/07/2017 - 19:53
          +1

          @karanimal:
          We mustve played together when we were kids.

        • Cusack on 06/07/2017 - 20:02
          +1

          @lolbbq:
          We ran around taking fruit as kids. I haven't stolen any fruit trees as an adult. They're not linked :)

        • [Deactivated] on 06/07/2017 - 21:51
          +1

          @Cusack:

          Cool. Maybe it is time we updated the definition of theft : Taking what is not yours except if you are a kid taking fruit from trees.

          Hmm. What about adults taking fruit from trees? Or kids taking flowers, or fish from a pond, some bees from a hive or a roll of toilet paper? perhaps?

        • dji1111111 on 08/07/2017 - 10:04
          +1

          @karanimal:

          You sound like one of those irresponsible modern parents who claim their dead/badly hurt child was a sweet kid with good heart just having 'fun' after they get killed/hurt doing something irresponsible/dangerous often at the detriment of others.

        • serpserpserp on 08/07/2017 - 19:11

          @lolbbq:

          Boys will be boys dude. Shame you had a boring childhood learning to obey the law at 4 years old.

        • dji1111111 on 08/07/2017 - 21:47

          @karanimal:

          Yep, i have figured you out alright. Very classy lol

        • [Deactivated] on 09/07/2017 - 15:10

          @serpserpserp: So boys will be allowed to break the law and girls? Stay at home to do chores?

          I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or what but I'm pretty proud that I learnt to obey the law at 4.

          I'm not sure what sort of social conditioning has you believe that it is a "shame" to learn to obey the law at 4.

          Should we teach them to break the law at 4? Or more appropriately, push the limits of the law till their at an age where it is no longer socially acceptable to do so?

        • ItsMeAgro on 05/07/2017 - 02:16
          +2

          intent to inflict grievous bodily harm

          I'd say pricked fingers probably don't count, though…

        • whooah1979 on 05/07/2017 - 02:22
          +3

          @ItsMeAgro:

          It's fortunate for us that it's not up to you to decide what is or isn't an offence.

        • ItsMeAgro on 06/07/2017 - 11:03
          +1

          @whooah1979:

          …wait… you're not serious, are you…? I was joking, mate. Of course Pricked fingers is not anything close to grievous bodily harm, that's not some controversial point open for some kind of debate…

          Sorry, maybe you're joking too and I just got whooshed…

      • abb on 07/07/2017 - 09:16

        I had a similar, but probably less "booby trap" idea.

        Star pickets to form a small perimeter around the tree, with barbed wire.

        Add a floodlight so no-one can accidentally walk into it, and additionally to illuminate the thief. They're probably less likely to poach a tree under the watchful eye of a floodlight. A "video surveillance" sign might also help.

    • nobro25 on 06/07/2017 - 07:37

      I heard somewhere back where a burglar sued the house owner coz he injured his leg inside their property whilst he was robbing the place.

    • outlander on 06/07/2017 - 18:18
      +1

      You don't have to hurt them. Take a lesson from police, and use 'non-lethal' means
      My goto would be a sprinkler setup to a motion sensor, but a bug zapper turned electric fence or a microwave dish would also be acceptable.

      • abb on 07/07/2017 - 09:13
        +5

        a microwave dish

        Oh yeah, one time I saw a Tupperware container when I was about to jack a car. Turned around and quit the car stealing game for good that day.

        (What did you mean?)

        • outlander on 07/07/2017 - 10:44
          +2

          That was spectacular

          No, not a tupperware container xD. Theoretically, you can take magnetron from a microwave, combine it with a parabolic dish, and create a focused beam of energy that makes people feel like their skin is on fire. I think the military was playing with it as a crowd control tool

        • abb on 07/07/2017 - 14:17

          @outlander: Got ya. It's more likely to kill the person making it than anything else though!

        • outlander on 07/07/2017 - 15:16
          +1

          @abb:
          Kill? No, no. Melt their face a little.. ok sure now thats a possibility, but with the apocalypse looming we'll all be like that soon enough. If anything you'd be doing them a favor, by bringing them into the trend early before it becomes passe. Melted faces are all the rage in the wasteland

          Realistically speaking however, that low a power would probably just screw up the wifi of some poor bastard unlucky enough to be in the line of sight, but a man can dream. A man can dream…

        • abb on 07/07/2017 - 16:42
          +1

          @outlander: Beryllium is quite deadly, so are high voltages… Magnetrons are not to be messed with lightly!

          Sign me up for a trendy face melting though, once it's been proven ;)

    • casval on 09/07/2017 - 01:37

      Smear the tree with chilli. Carolina reaper if you can get your hands on them . Coles sells them sometimes. No injuries but it will hurt.

  • oscargamer on 04/07/2017 - 14:32
    +25

    If you know the person, get an intervention order against them forbidding them to be within say 100m of your place. If they breach that, it's an arrestable offence. They will eventually get the message. You'll need video.

  • Baebs on 04/07/2017 - 14:40
    +19

    Bikies.

    2nd more obvious solution: Move them to the backyard - you can't steal what you can't see.

    • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2017 - 14:47
      +2

      not sure why you got a neg vote … thought this would've been the 1st reply.

      • Baebs on 04/07/2017 - 14:48
        +1

        I was literally wondering the same thing…

      • furys12 on 05/07/2017 - 09:11
        +5

        i clicked on this thread just to see how long it would take for the bikies post to appear, disappointingly long is how

        • tomsco on 05/07/2017 - 09:19
          +2

          While 18 minutes after the first post does not seem that long, I too am disappointed bikies was not the first suggestion.

        • John Kimble on 05/07/2017 - 13:33
          +2

          Maybe the mods should just setup an automated bot that posts "bikies" in response to every post as soon as it is posted?

    • tonsta on 06/07/2017 - 14:46

      seems to be default answer to all problems on these forums

  • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2017 - 14:45
    +8

    Dig a large circular hole around the tree (tree remains on an island) and install a drawbridge with finger print scanner to activate.

    But in all seriousness, set up some CCTV and if its a repeat offender you can raise the issue. Potentially a case of destruction of property I'd say?

    • Skinnerr on 08/07/2017 - 19:15

      Or just a big hole in front of it, put a blanket over the hole and cover with leaves/grass sorta like this (nsfw) and put something at the bottome that will alert you when someone falls in like some kind of sensor alarm.

  • Fergy1987 on 04/07/2017 - 14:46
    +19

    Why would they steal the tree - then they have to look after it! they should just steal the fruit!….need to start using their brains :P

    • scrimshaw on 04/07/2017 - 14:57
      +7

      Maybe… trees take time and maintenance effort to grow, so by stealing somebody else's you're literally stealing their time / effort they put into growing it.

      • D C on 04/07/2017 - 18:16

        This.

        Takes a bit of effort to grow some trees from seed.

        Common with new houses as well, you put in plants and put down turf and someone steals it all the next night.

    • wordplay on 04/07/2017 - 20:22

      they can sell them pretty quick on gumtree for a good bit of dosh, much better money than putting a couple of lemons/oranges on there

    • Sensiekatie on 05/07/2017 - 10:11
      -1

      In another town a family were going around removing plants and selling them at the markets. Good mark up on the product.

    • outlander on 06/07/2017 - 18:21
      +4

      plot twist - They own the tree, and are just trying to steal it back

  • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2017 - 14:49
    -1

    What's the OP going to do when the tree is fruiting and the fruit are getting stolen? The perp is just saving the OP some hurt down the road :)

    • cannedhams on 07/07/2017 - 17:11
      +2

      The bloody possum takes all mine. Fat bastard takes a bite out of every single guava and throws them on the ground. Havent seen a mango in years. Wheres my sympathy, i ask?

      • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2017 - 17:13
        +4

        I bet that possum would be delicious on the bbq :D

  • scrimshaw on 04/07/2017 - 14:56
    +4

    Can you somehow weave some chains or rope into the roots of the tree, and then tether the rope to something immovable, like a nearby fence?

    or try my sonic grenade idea… rig your tree with a bunch of cheap keychain alarms that you buy from a $2 dollar shop. Use fishing wire so that it's strong but invisible.

    and if they try to uproot it in the dark they most likely can't see it hidden.

    Won't cause any personal injury but at least you will get an audible notification.

  • sparkles on 04/07/2017 - 14:57
    +7

    Smear the tree completely in dog poo.

    • sunnyc on 04/07/2017 - 18:19
      +5

      I can do that but they wouldn't care.

  • dogboy on 04/07/2017 - 15:09
    +18

    I would stake out the tree and follow them when they steal it to find their address. Wait x years until the tree is mature and then steal all the fruit off of it so they get none.

  • NancyCat on 04/07/2017 - 15:23
    +31

    Sensor light (the bigger/brighter the better).
    A sign on the tree: Property under surveillance.
    Motion activated sprinkler.

    • goosegog on 05/07/2017 - 16:50
      +4

      Great ideas - well done. All reasonably inexpensive, but good deterrents

    • saintmagician0 on 05/07/2017 - 22:30
      +2
      • red food dye in sprinkler water =D
      • NancyCat on 06/07/2017 - 12:19
        +8

        Red food dye + chilli powder, mix with urine.

  • JetLi on 04/07/2017 - 15:24
    +4

    cheapest solution, don't plant anymore. You will just have endless frustrations, if they don't steal the tree, people will just end up stealing the lovely fruit later on, which would make you even more pissed.

    • CandyMan on 08/07/2017 - 09:19
      +2

      Yeah stop planting and start stealing. If you cant beat them join them

  • armdrags on 04/07/2017 - 15:43
    +4

    Just last night I saw somebody stealing fruit from my neighbour's house. The guy took every single fruit! I hate thieves.

    • JetBombat on 05/07/2017 - 19:58
      +4

      Did you do anything about it?

      • armdrags on 05/07/2017 - 23:10
        +1

        Yes I did. I scolded at the thief for stealing and told the thief to never come back again. If the thief had been stealing fruit from my tree or any of my personal property I would have held the thief down and teach him a lesson. Would also force the thief to hand over ID so I now know his address also for reference in case he return to my address for revenge. What would you have done?

        • daleyboy79 on 06/07/2017 - 10:01
          +9

          Middle of winter … that calls for a good ol hosing down ;)

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