Theft of wood! Hidden CCTV cameras in our olive trees?

[OurManInChania]

Hi after after a few weeks abscence on lockdown we went to look at our Olive trees.We have about 950.We have only looked at the first 30 and have already noticed about 6-7 freshly cut off large sections by thieves.I would say within the last 6 weeks .By large sections I mean whole trunks cut off right off the at the base.Two trunks on one tree.They cut the branches off and presumbly loaded the whole section of trunk onto a pick up truck. I`m seriously considering the placing of CCTV cameras in the trees at strategic locations (or waiting in the dark with a shotgun loaded with buckshot).Any other solutions? Is it worth going to the police? We thought Crete was better than this!

[Kilkis]

...We thought Crete was better than this!

There are criminals wherever there are people.

Warwick

[Jeffstclair]

Yeah we had this happen down this end of the Island last year...best thing is to report it to the agricultural police as soon as possible with photos and details about location of the trees ...The local police will have contact details for your local Agrofilicas

[OurManInChania]

...We thought Crete was better than this!

There are criminals wherever there are people.

Warwick

You think I don't know this already? Not really a very helpful or informative reply thank you!

[Kilkis]

...You think I don't know this already? Not really a very helpful or informative reply thank you!

Then why make the comment "We thought Crete was better than this!" It implies that you think there are no criminals on Crete. Either you know there are, in which case why are you surprised that someone robbed you, or you think there aren't, in which case it was an informative reply, i.e. there are.

You ask, "Is it worth going to the police?" Are your olive trees insured? If so it is worth going to the police to get a crime number that you can give to your insurance company. Do the trees have any unique identification marks that would allow the police to return them to you if they happened to find them? If so it is worth going to the police to give them a description of the identifying marks. Do you think it is your civic duty to report a crime to the police in the hope that it might get the criminals caught and stop other people being robbed? If so it is worth going to the police. Do you think going to the police will get your property back and/or prevent more of your property being stolen? If so it is probably not worth going to the police.

All over the world people are robbed, mugged, raped and murdered. I am sure that the incidence of such crimes is lower in Crete than in the Baltimore projects or the Sao Paulo favelas but that doesn't mean it won't happen to you. In my area I know of people who have been murdered in their home and people who have been tortured to open a safe. I know personally people whose house was broken into and all their cash and jewellery stolen. After that they were so frightened they daren't leave the house unless someone came and house sat and in the end returned to the UK.

Warwick

PS I wouldn't recommend buckshot. It is pretty lethal, although not as lethal as a slug, and you don't really want to spend 15 years in a Greek jail for the sake of some olive trees. Birdshot would be safer if you intend to shoot the robbers at relatively long range or, if you think you might shoot them at shorter range, I would suggest rock-salt. I'm told it is immensely painful but unlikely to kill.

PPS I suspect that a CCTV camera is more valuable than the olive trunks so they will probably steal that if you install one.

[Kamisiana]

...You think I don't know this already? Not really a very helpful or informative reply thank you!

Then why make the comment "We thought Crete was better than this!" It implies that you think there are no criminals on Crete. Either you know there are, in which case why are you surprised that someone robbed you, or you think there aren't, in which case it was an informative reply, i.e. there are.

You ask, "Is it worth going to the police?" Are your olive trees insured? If so it is worth going to the police to get a crime number that you can give to your insurance company. Do the trees have any unique identification marks that would allow the police to return them to you if they happened to find them? If so it is worth going to the police to give them a description of the identifying marks. Do you think it is your civic duty to report a crime to the police in the hope that it might get the criminals caught and stop other people being robbed? If so it is worth going to the police. Do you think going to the police will get your property back and/or prevent more of your property being stolen? If so it is probably not worth going to the police.

All over the world people are robbed, mugged, raped and murdered. I am sure that the incidence of such crimes is lower in Crete than in the Baltimore projects or the Sao Paulo favelas but that doesn't mean it won't happen to you. In my area I know of people who have been murdered in their home and people who have been tortured to open a safe. I know personally people whose house was broken into and all their cash and jewellery stolen. After that they were so frightened they daren't leave the house unless someone came and house sat and in the end returned to the UK.

Warwick

PS I wouldn't recommend buckshot. It is pretty lethal, although not as lethal as a slug, and you don't really want to spend 15 years in a Greek jail for the sake of some olive trees. Birdshot would be safer if you intend to shoot the robbers at relatively long range or, if you think you might shoot them at shorter range, I would suggest rock-salt. I'm told it is immensely painful but unlikely to kill.

PPS I suspect that a CCTV camera is more valuable than the olive trunks so they will probably steal that if you install one.

And today's word " Patronizing"

[Kilkis]

...but accurate and evidence based.

Warwick

[jackdaw]

Does anyone remember a report, during the winter, of 90 olives being cut down during one night? Somewhere near Kissamos?

[paul g]

I lived in London for fifty years and was robbed once, came to Crete in 2006 and was robbed in 2006, 2007, 2010.

[Kilkis]

I lived in London for fifty years and was robbed once, came to Crete in 2006 and was robbed in 2006, 2007, 2010.

A few years ago, I can't remember exactly when but probably around the time period you quote, Paul, there were lots of burglaries committed in the Apokoronas area to the east of Chania, especially targeting ex-pat homes. Many ex-pats were driving vehicles with UK plates. Firstly the thieves would reconnoitre the area to discover which properties had ex-pats living in them with a vehicle with UK plates. Later they would check the taverna car parks in the early evening looking for vehicles with UK plates. When they spotted one it was a fair bet that the owners would be there for some time eating a meal so they could go and burgle their property in safety. Mostly they stole small easily disposable items, like cash and jewellery, rather than stealing things like TVs, computers etc, so they were in and out very quickly. Around the same time there was quite a big outbreak of burglaries around the Tavronitis area also mainly targeting "estates" where the properties were mostly owned by ex-pats.

I forgot to mention in my previous post, if OurManInChania was serious about guarding his olive trees with a shotgun he should be prepared for the thieves to shoot back and they won't be using shotguns. Probably they'll be using high powered hunting rifles or semi-automatic assault rifles. There might not be a vast number of criminals on Crete but the ones that do exist are pretty serious.

Warwick

[Maud]

I think ‘outsiders’ are always a target the world over! I read an interesting article on the BBC website yesterday about Jamaicans returning to the island after being away for many years. - The murder rate of ‘returners’ proves to be much higher than for people who have lived on the island all of their lives. Locals see them as incomes, having more wealth, which makes them a target.

Crete is still one of the safest places to be. Cretans in general are honest, proud people, with a strong religious bias. If a member of a family is caught stealing it would bring shame on all of them. - Look at the reaction re the man who murdered the woman scientist who was out jogging near Kolymbari last year!

However, it is human nature that if certain people see someone with more than them, some will see at that as an excuse to steal. - In some countries you cannot walk the streets wearing jewellery, let alone leave it in your house!

Sadly, society is changing everywhere. I remember back in the early 1980’s a UK family, (who spent a month on Crete every summer), telling us they had had their beach parasol stolen out of the back of their jeep when it was parked in Kissamos. They were disappointed that it had happened, as no such think had occurred over previous years. The chap said that he thought it must be tourists, as Greeks would have their own parasol......and anyway would not steal out of the open back of his jeep. - I think he was correct! Even now, in less touristy areas, people leave their belongings on the beach whilst going off to a taverna for lunch. Sadly though there also also some Greeks these days who think such behaviour is acceptable.

In our experience the best way to keep your belongings as safe as possible, (be it trees or personal belongings), is to become part of your community. When that happens your Cretan friends/neighbours will look after you. Basically they are still good people, and true friends once you form a bond. I am sorry about your olive trees, but don’t write off the Cretans in general as bad people because of it. Crime will happen everywhere! I would certainly leave your gun at home though! - Not a good idea!

[filippos]

If a member of a family is caught stealing it would bring shame on all of them.

Absolutely agree. When a person gets out of line someone will say, "Stop that or I'll tell your mother." We joke that it doesn't matter whether the miscreant is 5 or 65.

On the subject of honesty, about 20 years ago, a friend left his wallet on a café table and didn't realise until the following morning. Immediately he hot-footed to the café where the owner greeted him with, "I thought you might be here early. Did you forget something yesterday?" "Yes, my wallet." "Mmm, what's it like; what colour?" Our friend described it at which point the café owner burst out laughing and said, "I know it is yours. Last night Giorgos Xxxx tried to bring it to you but he doesn't know your house. He brought it to me and said he knew it belonged to Joe Bloggs as the bank card has that name on it. He was surprised you didn't come back last night as there's quite a lot of money there, too."

The 'quite a lot of money' was over €2,000 to settle a bill at a builders' merchant.

[Yin&Yang]

A very very similar thing happened to my husband two years ago, in Kalyves. Andrew’s wallet had fallen out of his short’s pocket and onto the floor. It was handed in by a local and kept behind the kafeneon’s bar. Incredibly we didn’t notice it missing for two days as we hadn’t left home since and when we finally realised we called the kafeneon owner who had it, all still intact. Also, about six years ago, when Andrew still smoked, he bought a 200 pack and left it at a taverna, again in Kalyves. We went back first thing in the morning. The taverna was opened up but not a soul in sight. The cigarettes were at the till, so I wrote and left a note in my best Greek thanking them and off we toddled.

I’m aware of only one (attempted) robbery of a house in our village about five or so years ago. From a description, he was not Cretan nor ex-pat, was caught in the act, tied to a tree and dealt with by the locals, who THEN called the Police.

[paul g]

yes, have done that trick with wallet in a coffee bar, it was returned with everything intact.

[Maud]

A German tourist left a very expensive camera hanging off the back of a chair (lunch time) at a friends taverna. He didn’t miss it until the next day. He returned the next morning in a panic. The German kept thanking our friend, and saying how he could not believe how lucky he was go get it back. - Our friend was confused......he could not understand why the German did not expect it to still be there! - I had to explain that most places are not like Kriti!