Widow distressed at bronze plaque theft

12:13pm Monday 28th April 2008

CREMATORIUM staff are coating memorial plaques with a liquid to thwart metal thieves.

Oxford Crematorium has been plagued by thieves taking the plaques as part of a metal theft crimewave - and just days ago they were at it again as they took one for former union steward Martin 'Nod' Morley.

The crematorium in Bayswater Road, Oxford, is using a substance called Smartwater, a liquid which stains thieves' hands.

Police believe Mr Morley's bronze plaque, which cost £800, was prized from the wall in the crematorium's Garden of Remembrance some time between 8am and 4pm on Monday last week.

Mr Morley, of Sadlers Court, Abingdon, was a lifelong Arsenal fan and former union steward at the BMW Cowley car factory who passed away on New Year's Day.

His widow, Anne Morley, 53, said: "It's just so distressing. I don't know why anyone would do such a thing. There is some real scum out there.

"Don't they realise that we've been through enough? Nod only passed away in January and this is just another thing to get through.

"It would have been Nod's birthday in a few weeks and I wanted the plaque there for that so people could go and see it and pay their respects - now it's gone.

"I know what I would like to do with them if I found them."

Though Mr Morley's plaque was the only one taken, police are investigating if it was connected to the spate of metal thefts across Oxfordshire.

In September last year, about 200 plaques were stolen in an overnight raid by thieves.

Over the past 12 months there have been at least 2,000 reports of metal thefts in Oxfordshire, ranging from old cars to lead from church roofs.

Crematorium manager Trish Smith said: "Following a spate of thefts of plaques in 2007, Oxford Crematorium has recently introduced a SmartWater system.

"This acts as a strong deterrent to crime in our grounds of plaques, giving comfort to families that the memories of their loved ones are safer."

Mrs Smith said: "We have ordered a new plaque and trust that this will bring some comfort to his widow. Mr Morley's new plaque will be treated (with SmartWater)."

Det Sgt Gavin Collier, who runs a priority crime team in Oxfordshire, said: "There is a massive market for metal which is why we have seen a rise in this type of theft.

"The use of Smartwater is definitely the way forward in preventing this and is a massive deterrent to thieves."

Anyone who might have seen something is asked to contact the police on 08458 505505, or anonymously call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555111.

Smartwater is a liquid invisible to the naked eye that only shows up under ultraviolet light.

Each bottle has a unique code registered to the premises where it is used helping police to link criminals to the crime scene.

Once the Smartwater comes into contact with people's skin it can last up to a month and even longer in the case of clothing.

The majority of police forces across the country carry out checks for Smartwater on criminals to link them with thefts and it has a 100 per cent conviction rate when used as evidence in a court of law.

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