Sponsored by
Grieving Corby families are victims of bag thief
Sick thieves have been preying on relatives visitng graves of their loved ones at a Corby cemetery.
Several people have reported handbags being stolen at the Shire Lodge cemetery, in Rockingham Road, in the past two weeks.
Memorial stonemason Gary Grant, who works on site at the graveyard, said he had heard of four handbag thefts this month.
Two incidents have been reported to police and two have been reported to Corby Council, who manage the cemetery.
Patrols will be stepped up to try to stop the thief.
One victim, who asked not to be named, said: "My bag was taken on Sunday. I heard there have been several reports over the past few weeks. A young lad has been seen hanging around, pretending to look at graves before taking people's bags.
"The people who go there are so vulnerable and they feel safe because it's such a peaceful place.
"I want to warn people to be careful with their belongings."
Mr Grant said: "A few people have come in and have told me their bags have gone and asked me if I had seen anything.
"We have seen a youth hanging around. As far as I'm aware there have been four bags taken in the past month, although we don't generally have any problems here at all. It's normally a safe place."
Hundreds of mourners visit the cemetery each day and most cars are left parked at the gates.
A Corby Council spokesman said: "We have received a couple of reports of incidents at the cemetery and are currently looking at options to prevent further incidents which could include extra signage, extra patrols by our neighbourhood wardens or using mobile CCTV cameras.
"We would urge the public to report any incidents to the police."
Police confirmed two handbags had been stolen from cars in recent days, one on Saturday at 5.30pm and the other on Sunday at 4.10pm.
A spokesman said: "We will be conducting patrols in and around the area to reassure people who use the cemetery. People should always lock their doors and close windows when leaving their car, even if it is only for a short period of time."
Did this story shock you? Leave your comments online by registering on our site or going to our Comment Room.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North west
