Following a number of thefts of fish from garden ponds recently, PC Dick Collins, Crime Prevention Police Officer for the Vale of Glamorgan gives the following advice: “It seems that Koi Carp in particular are being targeted at the moment.

These fish can be very expensive, but they are also pets and losing them can be a traumatic event.”

“It would be wise therefore to consider what security measures you have in place in your garden to protect your fish. It is not only the Koi Carp themselves, but also other pond accessories and garden ornaments that are attractive to thieves.”

• Firstly consider, how easy it is to get into your garden?
• Do you need to restrict access from the front garden to the back garden?
• If someone can get into your garden easily without attracting suspicion, it gives them more time to steal from you.
• Are your fences and gates in good repair?
• Do you have security lighting?
  Low energy dusk to dawn lighting is environmentally friendly and cheap to run. (9 watt lighting to the front and 11 or 16 watt lighting for the side and rear).
• Are there overgrown areas where someone could hide?
  Cut it back so you can see what's going on. Gravel on paths and driveways can alert you to someone approaching so intruders will not be so keen. Prickly plants and trellis can provide extra protection from the intruder.
  Security cameras, webcams and intruder activated lights are increasingly becoming more affordable.

“Each Koi Carp has unique markings (like a fingerprint), so you could consider taking photographs of your fish and recording them for identification purposes.”

Fish & Chips

“Technology today means that you can now microchip your fish in the same way that you can have your cat and dog chipped. This would involve a qualified person inserting a micro chip about the size of a grain of rice into your fish. The chip would contain information about the owner, and can be read by a scanner being placed over the fish.”

“Other considerations could be signage around the garden letting people know that your fish are protected by security measures.”