Markings on kerbs in estate

smallorfaraway

A little while back, a van came around our park and the men in the van put a few blue markings down outside a few of the houses. The markings were on corner houses. A little stripe was put between two kerbstones, and next to it on the road a + symbol together with a number, eg +8.
A neighbour asked what they were doing and they claimed to be from the council, yet on calling the council, they had no knowledge of it.
Any ideas? The houses adjacent to the markings do not own dogs, so I don't think it's dog thieves.

Thank you.

Cuddlesworth

Markings for water meters. Considering the abuse they get, I could understand them saying they are from the council.

Ken.

Marking for water meters maybe.

smallorfaraway

Thanks but all our water meter work was completed at the time.

Ken.

Is all tarmac work finished on the estate roads? Could be that.

Thargor

Similar thread in Animals/Pets recently, see my pic in post #10, this mark was made a couple of days after they'd finished installing meters in this estate aswell:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057402702

Mandy12

If the council don't know about it phone the police and inform them of it. I've heard from the police themselves that what they are doing before burglaries, they are marking the house out on the pathway or the road outside the house and later on someone else will come back to break in.

smallorfaraway

ken wrote: »

Is all tarmac work finished on the estate roads? Could be that.

Yep, our estate has been completed since the early nineties

smallorfaraway

Mandy12 wrote: »

If the council don't know about it phone the police and inform them of it. I've heard from the police themselves that what they are doing before burglaries, they are marking the house out on the pathway or the road outside the house and later on someone else will come back to break in.

Thanks, I might just do that

smallorfaraway

Thargor wrote: »

Similar thread in Animals/Pets recently, see my pic in post #10, this mark was made a couple of days after they'd finished installing meters in this estate aswell:

Thank you for heads up

Chemical Byrne

Even if you have a meter outside your house that was put there in the 90's it will more than likely be replaced with a modern wirelessly read meter. They are probably marking them for replacement.

They may be contractors working for the council / Irish water so the council/IW might not know exactly what areas are being done on what day.

hfallada

Mandy12 wrote: »

If the council don't know about it phone the police and inform them of it. I've heard from the police themselves that what they are doing before burglaries, they are marking the house out on the pathway or the road outside the house and later on someone else will come back to break in.

I think thats BS. Why would someone want to draw attention to a house they want to rob? Plus this is 2015, why would they keep the details in their phone?

Rew

We have blue makings outside our house done in the last day or so, done by the council definitely, marking everywhere the paths and kerbs need repair.

MadDog76

hfallada wrote: »

I think thats BS. Why would someone want to draw attention to a house they want to rob? Plus this is 2015, why would they keep the details in their phone?

Although I doubt the "blue marker" lads in this case are burglars it is true that criminal gangs do indeed do reconnaissance missions and leave chalk markings outside homes prior to breaking-in at a later, more suitable time .......... believe it or not!!!

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/reconnaissance-units-stake-out-houses-for-burglar-gangs-227987.html

nc19

MadDog76 wrote:

Although I doubt the "blue marker" lads in this case are burglars it is true that criminal gangs do indeed do reconnaissance missions and leave chalk markings outside homes prior to breaking-in at a later, more suitable time .......... believe it or not!!!

I'll put the 'nothing worth stealing' mark outside my own place so......

Rew

MadDog76 wrote: »

Although I doubt the "blue marker" lads in this case are burglars it is true that criminal gangs do indeed do reconnaissance missions and leave chalk markings outside homes prior to breaking-in at a later, more suitable time .......... believe it or not!!!

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/reconnaissance-units-stake-out-houses-for-burglar-gangs-227987.html

The take away from that article should be the last line

A Garda spokesman said there was “insufficient evidence to significantly link such markings with burglaries”.

MadDog76

Rew wrote: »

The take away from that article should be the last line

A Garda spokesman said there was “insufficient evidence to significantly link such markings with burglaries”.

What the Garda spokesman was really saying was "S***!!! Another thing we missed!!! Ok, let's just make something up so we don't look stupid ......... again!"

L1011

MadDog76 wrote: »

What the Garda spokesman was really saying was "S***!!! Another thing we missed!!! Ok, let's just make something up so we don't look stupid ......... again!"

No - there really isn't any evidence. And chalk marks usually last all of a few hours in Ireland due to weather. It's a recurrent email scare story and little else. And considering it's been claimed and printed for decades they'd definitely have heard of it

Teyla Emmagan

We had this problem in our area recently. All these chalk marks appeared overnight on pavements outside houses and on back doors in laneways. Guards thought it could be a gang marking which houses are worth robbing (we were told this in the local station). Or young fellas messing. Either way, wash them off if what we were told. The council don't normally have a problem providing ID etc.

Rew

The giveaway that this isn't secret burglar code should be that everyone notices the markings and gets really suspicious. Hardy conducive to breaking and entering. I had a closer look at marking outside house today and they sound very like OPs. I would say who ever it was that picked up the phone in the council wasn't bothered to actually check.

MadDog76

L1011 wrote: »

No - there really isn't any evidence. And chalk marks usually last all of a few hours in Ireland due to weather. It's a recurrent email scare story and little else. And considering it's been claimed and printed for decades they'd definitely have heard of it

Well it has happened and it does still happen albeit less regularly nowadays ......... and this is from 3 different Gardai, 2 of which have seen the markings with their own eyes.