– They have crawled under here and then broken open the lock from the inside, says Knut Henrik Hofgård. He is a church servant in Åsnes and shows how burglars got into a locked tool shed at Arneberg church in Åsnes. The thieves got in through a narrow gap in the door. Photo: Frode Meskau / news A lawnmower worth over NOK 100,000 was stolen. And this was not the first time. – The same type of theft happened last year. I think it is sinking a little low not to leave things in cemeteries alone. I think that is a low goal, says Hofgård. Hofgård is frustrated by the situation. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Earlier this summer, mowers were stolen from Gjessåsen and Våler churches in Åsnes municipality. Overall, four mowers have been stolen from the Åsnes churches. It was the newspaper Glåmdalen that reported the lawnmower thefts first. 9 cases Missing lawnmowers have caused headaches for several people in the Solør area recently. A few miles further north in Våler, Anne Kristine Rossebø has also experienced the same thing. This is the second time Anne Kristine Rossebø has been the victim of lawnmower theft. Photo: Stein S. Eide / news Rossebø already experienced having his lawnmower stolen three years ago. That is why she was alert when she heard about similar thefts in the area this summer as well. – We bolted the barn door shut with large screws, says Rossebø. But it wasn’t enough. – On the night of Saturday, people got in here through a crack at the front of the yard. And they got the lawnmower out, she says. – I think it is serious. It shows that they get involved no matter what measures we take. – Similar to order thefts A total of nine lawnmowers have been stolen this summer in Solør and Kongsvinger. Summer is high season for thefts, and the thieves are looking for different things than at other times of the year, says Sigmund Clementz, press manager at the insurance company If. – In the summer, Norwegians love to be outdoors. Then we make cozy places and put out many valuable things such as barbecues, lawnmowers and bicycles, for example, says Clementz. Sigmund Clementz is press manager at the insurance company If. The picture was taken in a different context. Photo: Vilde Jagland He thinks the thefts in Solør sound as if they are mobile criminals on the move. He points out, among other things, that the area is close to the Swedish border, but also that there are specific things they are looking for – in this case, sit-on lawnmowers. – These thefts are similar to what we can call order thefts. It works so that the thieves know that precisely these clippers are popular and easy to resell, says the press manager. – All the signs that these are mobile profit criminals who have specialized in this. Taking matters seriously Head of investigations Rune Bekkemoen at Kongsvinger police station says the police are prioritizing the investigation of the missing lawnmowers. According to Rune Bekkemoen, there have been more thefts of lawnmowers this summer than usual. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Three mowers were stolen in the region during the weekend. Bekkemoen says they see these thefts in context. – Since they have happened so close together in terms of time and within a certain radius, it may indicate that it is the same perpetrator, says Bekkemoen. This is how you can prevent Sigmund Clementz in If says Anne Kristine Rossebø did everything right when she stored her clipper indoors. – I would recommend keeping the lawnmower locked up either in a shed, garage or barn when it is not in use, says Clementz. It was a Husqvarna lawnmower that was stolen from Arneberg church at the weekend. Photo: Frode Meskau / news The press manager also recommends marking the lawnmower both visibly and invisibly. – Visible can be, for example, engraving or scratching in a telephone number. There are also marking systems that mark invisibly. It is important if the police come across a temporary storage place so they have the opportunity to trace back to the owner, otherwise it is difficult to take out the accused, because they have to prove that it has been stolen. There are also serial numbers on several types of lawnmowers. It may be a good idea to take a picture of this number, but it is known that thieves often remove this number from stolen goods. From this barn belonging to a private farmer in Våler, someone has unscrewed large bolts and taken away the large sit-on lawnmower that stood here Photo: Frode Meskau / news He also advises to be on the lookout for suspicious behaviour. – It is difficult to describe, but you know it yourself when you see suspicious behaviour, he says. – It could be, for example, cars driving slowly past and looking in for something. Cars standing still for long periods of time or people walking into the area and around yards where they really have nothing to do. Can be covered by insurance Clementz says that an ordinary lawnmower that does not need registration in the motor vehicle register is normally covered by contents insurance. – If you experience such theft, I recommend contacting the insurance company as soon as possible, and reporting the theft to the police. – This is a typical form of everyday crime that many are exposed to, which is important to include in the statistics, he says. Hope the band will be taken Kirketjener Hofgård hopes the seat clipper band will soon be taken. – We have six cemeteries to go over, and we are three and a half men. Without mowers, there will be a bit of a line in the bill, he says. The grass continues to grow in the cemetery. Here is Hofgård on another clipper that has not been stolen. Photo: Frode Meskau / news – We all hope that the police will catch those who are involved in the thefts, but it seems that everyone is without a trace so far, says Hofgård. Published 07/08/2024, at 09.00 Updated 07.08.2024, at 09.12
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Several churches and people in the Solør area have experienced the theft of lawnmowers – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
