Stolen Caravans and Instuments

Subject: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Abuwood
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 01:12 PM

At Rose & Castle Morris's weekend, held at Ashton near Northampton , a lot of property was stolen. Whilst everyone was out touring the local villages, on Saturday, the rugby club where we were all encamped was raided, and (to my knowledge) at least 2 caravans were stolen, and other caravans & vehicles broken into. Amongst the missing items were several musical instruments.

I have obtained some details of what was stolen (see below) and have the contact details of the owners. Understandably at least one Morris side had little option but to get in their cars & drive straight home, so I wasn't able to collect all the info.

I have a call outstanding with the Police in Northampton , because I want to make sure that the list is complete before disseminating it. The police may also have additional information which they would like me to include…they will be calling me sometime after 2 this afternoon.

I'll be in touch later in the day & would be grateful if you could then spread the message as widely as possible.

From one victim-

48 –bass Galotta Accordion, with the digits "75" somewhere in the serial no.

Steel stringed Guitar (no real distinguishing marks, I'm afraid) - 21st birthday present– (31 yrs ago). Pickup with battery inside.

Nylon Stringed guitar.

And from another -

"It is a Castagnari MORY tuned C/F with one strap only. It is in a brand new BLACK CASTAGNARI RUCKSACK. The Mory is about 10 years old and is well played, It has the Castagnari metal nameplate on the front and the arc of raised wooden pieces on the front grill. My Mory is finished in CHERRY wood and has indentation on the edge of the keyboard towards the bottom where my fingers have rested as I play. It has a good number of marks and bruises and has Velcro strips to accept my pick up.

It is tuned in C/F with the half row to my specification. It is a much loved instrument and I am keen to have it returned. Any help you could offer would be greatly valued."

passing this on for the folk network.....
Ali

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Cats
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 01:48 PM

We'll keep our eyes open and pass the info on. It might be worth them contacting the Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravan Club to get the caravans put in their magazines.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 01:54 PM

One Mudcatter just had his pipes returned after they were stolen about a year ago after someone found them on eBay. Be sure to tell folks to watch there for their instruments and good luck to you all.

This is one instance where my love of peace is overtaken by my desire that the thieves should be drawn and quartered!

kat

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: nutty
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 02:00 PM

I know how upset you must be Alison .... I do hope you manage to get everything back.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Leadfingers
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 02:35 PM

Indeed kat - The peace Loving Socialist is overtaken by the urge to recommend a return to the Birch and Public Execution !!

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 02:54 PM

How dreadful. I hope everyone gets their stuff back. It must quite heartbreaking.

Good luck

Rhiannon

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Abuwood
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 02:54 PM

Not my stuff Hazel - just circulating for a friend..
Does worry me though especially as my daughter is borrowing our caravan to take it to Northampton!

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 03:57 PM

Will keep eyes and ears open.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 04:10 PM

Alison - I just got word of this by e-mail, and was going to start a Mudcat thread when I saw you'd got there first.

I've danced at a Rose and Castle weekend (long time ago though...) and am very sorry to hear this.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 04:12 PM

Usual advice about serial numbers. Check your domestic insurance policies - you may find instruments are covered if not used for professional or semi-professional purposes.

I acquired a very cheap old caravan a while back and promptly dented it quite badly, as well as ripping out the internal cupbards to make guitar shelves, so it is most unappealing to thieves. But I only ever take the cheapest and most replaceable instruments camping. If you tow it with a Skoda (I did for a while) that is further deterrent to thieves. I have left a skoda unlocked all night in the middle of Chatham and the local scallies are too proud to nick them!

Caravans can be insured and probably decent ones will be.

More seriously, great sympathy, and a wish of a public birching for the thieves and the remval of their right hands without anasthetic (preferably by use of a mincer).

Also consider what Bishop Gundulf did for a recent weekend: take an off duty security guard and leave him minding the camp.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 04:17 PM

Richard - I left the keys in a Yugo once... still there the next day, and that's in London where they'll nick anything!

Hope the stuff turns up.

LTS

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Mr Red
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 05:42 PM

I'm afraid the only way to deter them is to patrol the campsite and carry a few cheap cameras (with flash). You don't have to have a good picture - the flash going off will warn the miscreants. Chuck the cameras in the hedge if it looks dicy - if they stop to look for them the police might just arrive in time to help them look.

The cameras come in handy for car accidents - carrying the camera is a cheap form of insurance.

I did this at Redditch one year when youths seemed hell bent on talking their way in to THEIR community centre with all the indoor camping gear. Only the girl seemed to sidle off to the side when I playfully offered to take their photos - she had sussed my bon homie was a little more than friendly. The three lads were too - well lets just say - too Redditch.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 02:48 AM

At the risk of upsetting people, the fact that two caravans were stolen may, (strongly stress MAY) suggest so-called "traveller" involvement.
Good call on cameras Mr. Red, a supply of cheap disposables ought to be made available to any festival steward on the security roster.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST,John Golightly
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 03:12 AM

More...

If you come across anything please contact Northampton Police on 08453 700 700 quoting the incident number (567) and date of the incident (1-July-2006)

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: pavane
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 03:38 AM

Mr Red - could carry TWO cameras - chuck the decoy in the hedge!

It was almost certainly 'travellers' who stole a caravan where mine was sited some years ago. It had a separate bedroom at the end - that's one thing they look for. It was actually seen disappearing down the road, but was long gone when police arrived.

They also broke into mine by ripping open the door from the bottom. Stole almost nothing, just a few items of clothing, but the caravan was a write-off. I am told by repairers that this method of attack usually damages the van beyond repair, as all the joints are strained.

One tip - stick or paint your postcode on the roof in large letters. It can then be identified from the air.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: The PA
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 04:50 AM

Were the caravans security tagged? Horse trailers have a security tag on the coupling. Any trailer showing signs of this being removed or missing is viewed as suspecious and would not be touched by a genuine buyer. This will make them very difficult to sell on.

Post code letters and numbers can be purchased. These are around 2ft high and even if they are removed they leave an imprint of the letter/number behind still visable. Not pretty but effective.

Sympathy and good luck in getting your possessions back to all concerned.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Kara
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 06:34 AM

Would it be a good idea to post a full list of the instuments stolen in this incident here. Most thieves are not folk musicians so will have to sell the intruments. If possible customers ( musician) knew what to look out for they could contact the owner rather than buying then.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 07:13 AM

About a month ago the 'travellers' appeared at a well known highland stop off place near me. When they went all that was left was 2 caravan chassis' and a load of ashes and rubbish. This is the usual fate of stolen caravans, even the aluminium cladding gets rolled up and weighed in a the scrap yard.
Giok

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: open mike
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 11:21 AM

what are "travellers" ?
good luck to all involved
and best of hopes for safe return of all..

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 12:18 PM

They are gypsies, but in most cases they are not true gypsies in the old fashioned sense. These are people who go from place to place, offering to do sub standard manual jobs for householders, like garden clearance or resurfacing driveways. They don't do a good job, they overcharge, and they dump the resulting rubbish in laybys and public open space rather than pay to use the dump. There is a tendency for other peoples property to disappear when they do. They give real gipsies a bad name.
Giok

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: pavane
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 02:01 AM

And they don't pay taxes, rates or contribute anything other than the mess. Mostly Irish 'tinkers' in our area, who give the Irish a bad name too.

Perhaps someone will post a few photos of what they leave behind for the council or landowner to clear up.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Cllr
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 05:07 AM

I have informed a couple of the local music shops Hobgoblin and Bedroom Acoustic, If there are any more details of whats missing please lets us know on this thread. Cllr

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Kara
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 05:22 AM

I don't think it helps to ruminate upon the origins of the thieves as no one knows who they are. A thief is a thief no matter where his great grand father come from. There are a lot of very honest travellers tinkers irish and muslims in the world just as there are bad ones.
The only way to stop instument theft is to refuse to buy stolen goods. (and the same goes for bikes)

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: John J
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 06:38 AM

Scottish, please.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: jojofolkagogo
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 09:23 AM

GOOD LUCK ON RECOVERY ...


JO-JO

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 12:02 PM

DB please reread the post, it is not anti Irish it says that these particular people give the Irish a bad name. Not I would hazard a guess a condemnation of ALL Irish people, just these particular misfits.
G.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: kendall
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 04:33 PM

While in England I saw a caravan with a wheel lock attached. The kind the police use to stop people who rack up hundreds of dollars in parking tickets. It was backed into a space with a wall behind it, and a sign in the back window saying "If this caravan is moving it has been stolen, call police." Inside there was stuff piled up in the back window so a thief couldn't see the sign. It could only be seen from private property.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 07:49 PM

Well said, Kara. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST,Clive Thorne
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 06:49 AM

As a member of Rose and Castle I would just like to emphasis how much we regret what happened at our week-end. We are all very angry and upset by it, but can only imagine what it was like for those who actually had stuff stolen (well actually some of you told us what it was like!). After many many years of problem free camping at the Rugby Club this came as a shock to us all. Obviously security is something that will pre-occupying us next year, but that's not a lot of comfort to those who lost stuff this year.

I also know that the Rugby Club Staff also very upset by, and angry about the incident.

This was obviously a blight on the week-end, but we hope that it won't put people off coming again.


Clive Thorne
(Rose and Castle)

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 07:40 AM

There's no point calling the police if you see a caravan being stolen. Doing something about it is too much like hard work for our increasingly useless police..

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: kendall
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 07:49 AM

I don't know how it is in the UK, but in my part of the world the cops will respond if you insist. If you offer to sign the warrant you will get results.

In order to make a misdemeanor case the one who witnesses the violation must sign the complaint. No cop can testify to something he didn't see.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 07:50 AM

Hey whats the weirdo going on about?
"anti-Irish pro-Muslim Scotch people."
I thought some poor bugger had been robbed, and i was looking through for details to pass on to freinds re incident.
Is a shame but the other contributer was right I am afraid.
There would be no point stealing most things if decent honest law abiding people were not prepared to buy stolen property in order to have things cheap.
Lets hope that people are insured or get their stuff back.
Will mention circumstances to people around this area.
Is nice to hear that trvellers are the bad ones and not at all likr the real gypsies.
I will try and remember that real gypsies good travellers bad.
Theere was three old travellers
come to our front door
Trying to nick a video
and one sang high
and another sang low
but one of thems a real live
gipsy oh!

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 08:01 AM

Very humourous Tim, nice to know you took what you wanted out of people's posts and ignored the rest!
G

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 12:54 PM

Ah well you see I am a trveler of the message board,
I may be wrong but havent all gypsies or travellers or romany,s been regardedas theives and vagabonds throughout the centuries?

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 01:38 PM

Only by those who don't know any better!
G

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 08:06 PM

One could learn a lot from an OLD THREAD. Paying particular attention to Aine's postings.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST,Greycap
Date: 10 Jul 06 - 08:12 PM

I keep looking at this thread and hoping for some sign that the instruments and caravans have been recovered. Instead, it seems to be diverting from the original purpose.
Let's look for a way to help folks, huh?

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST,Clive Thorne
Date: 12 Jul 06 - 05:17 AM

There is some progress.

I was out with the team last night and it appears that one of the caravans has been recovered and is now back with its rightful owner (one of Rutland Morris Men). Also I believe the police have arrested someone, though whether for the theft or for 'receiving' is not clear. Let's hope that this leads to further recoveries.

I'm sure you will all be shocked, as I was of course, to learn that the caravan was found on a 'Travellers' site.


Clive Thorne.
A member of (not an official representative of) Rose & Castle.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jul 06 - 07:52 AM

Most of us will be extremely un-shocked to learn that it was on a travellers' site.

The only surprise is that they allowed it to be found, rather than getting rid of it quickly.

Subject: RE: Stolen Caravans and Instuments
From: GUEST,Clive Thorne
Date: 12 Jul 06 - 11:46 AM

Dear Guest,

I was trying to express sarcasm, but its not so easy in a posting. I know how to SHOUT, but not how to indicate sarcasm!!

Perhaps they probably thought that the police wouldn't dare touch them for fear of being accused bigots/racists.


Clive,