More than 600 thefts of Yorkshire stone have been recorded across Bradford in three years, with just 16 charges brought against those responsible, the Telegraph & Argus can exclusively reveal.
Bradford Council’s heritage champion, Councillor Val Slater, said that thefts had a major impact on the social and historic environment of Bradford.
She added that she was disappointed that so few had been brought to justice and called for anyone with knowledge or information about the theft of Yorkshire stone to contact police.
A Freedom of Information request by the T&A revealed that there were 343 crimes recorded in 2009, 151 in 2010 and 116 in 2011, amounting to 610 crimes.
Just 16 charges have been brought and four cautions relating to the total recorded thefts from 2009 to 2011.
Up to 573 offences were classed as undetected while six were ‘taken into consideration’, meaning the offender has admitted to the crime and had it taken into consideration for other crimes he or she has been charged with. One Penalty Notice for Disorder, meaning an offender in that crime must have also committed a disorder offence, was issued.
The news comes just months after Bradford Council revealed that thieves are leaving taxpayers with a £250,000 annual bill because of the sheer volume of Yorkshire stone and metal they keep stealing from Bradford landmarks and roads.
Such is the problem that even gravestones have been stolen from an historic graveyard, The Old Bell Chapel, and police are still looking for those who ripped up stone from the Bolling Hall Museum in January last year. A 21-year old man arrested in connection with the graveyard theft was released without charge and inquiries are ongoing.
Coun Slater said: “Although the number of thefts appears to be falling, it is unclear what the impact of this is. For instance has a higher number of individual thefts of a lower seriousness and impact been replaced by a smaller number of more serious cases with greater impact?
“In the last year, the theft of a major amount of stone from Bolling Hall and historic gravestones from the cemetery have had a major impact on the historic and social environment of Bradford.
“I recognise that the police have a difficult job to follow up and detect these crimes but I am disappointed that so few have been brought to justice. We all have a part to play in protecting our heritage and I would urge anyone who has any knowledge about theft of Yorkshire stone or any other damage to historic sites to pass on this information to the police.”
Chief Inspector Damien Miller said: “Yorkshire stone is often targeted by thieves because of its high value and it is often stolen late at night or early in the morning. To be able to tackle stone theft we need people to be our eyes and ears and report any suspicious activity.
“If you see someone pulling up stones then please stop and think – does this look right? If not make a note of the registration of the vehicle they are with and report it to us.
“It can be difficult to bring people to charge – and that is why we need the public to be ever vigilant. Despite this we have succeeded in bringing 16 charges in relation to it. Charging people is also not the only way of dealing with the crime. We also have a range of alternative options available to us.”
Steven Stanworth, the chairman of the Old Bell Chapel Action Group, said that it was “appalling and disgraceful”.
“I think it is a disgraceful situation when that is the only amount of people out of all of those offences. I don’t particularly blame the police, it is a lack of resources. I am very disappointed because we had CCTV and car details relating to the gravestone theft.”
Wibsey Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector, Alan Rhees-Cooper, said that he believed people were using a normal car and lifting one or two slabs in his area rather than ripping whole driveways up, and urged people to be aware of strange behaviour and report it on the non-emergency number 101.
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