The criminal pinstripes — including an X for “good target” — were used to stake out houses for burglary
The criminal pinstripes — including an X for “good target” and a flower for “rich” — were used to stake out houses for potential burglaries
A concerned South West London resident has sparked a discussion on social media about whether their property has been evicted for a possible burglary – after finding a mysterious cross etched on a plant pot this week.
The owner of the property, from Richmond, posted on the Next Door app their concern after finding the pinstripe.
In the past, UK police forces have released a list of symbols – dubbed the ‘Da Pinchi Code’ – that they say can be used by criminals to mark homes as targets for burglaries – including a flower sign meaning ‘rich’, a D symbol meaning ‘too risky’, and a sign sign suggesting ‘vulnerable woman’.
Others have suggested that the markers are simply an “urban myth.”
The resident of Richmond wrote this week, “We found the black chalk “x” mark on our pot on our patio this morning.
“This is definitely a man made mark and wasn’t there before when I washed the pots a few days ago and would have noticed it. We’re afraid this is a robbery as a possible target.’
Urban myth or a real code? Police have in the past released a list of symbols that could have been used by burglars to stake out property
This week, a South West London resident said they found a chalk cross on a plant pot on their patio, fearing it could be a symbol used by criminals
Many responded by saying that the mark could indicate that the home of the social media user could have been identified as a target by criminals and that caution should be exercised.
One of them replied, ‘It’s a known burglary mark, car on the ride worth taking (or CAT converter) and also known as looking like vulnerable people who live there. Be sure to move the pots.”
Another wrote, “My friend had a marker on her driveway and her car was stolen.”
MailOnline has contacted Surrey Police for comment.
Other people dismissed the idea of a meaning behind the symbols as “scare-mongering,” saying there’s little evidence the pinstripes ever lead to a home burglary.
One of them wrote: ‘I’ve heard stories about “secret burglary marks” before and it always turns out to be paranoia about something completely innocuous. I guess it’s all an urban myth, if someone was going to break into a house, why on earth would they advertise it in advance by leaving markers outside?’
Another agreed, saying, “Burglar signs are a myth, despite local police departments and tabloid media falling for them. Can anyone find an example of a house that was broken into and had markers found outside as well?
“We should see a picture of it, but as far as we know it was just a kid playing with chalk.”
The Safeguarding Hub, which provides online advice to raise awareness about protecting vulnerable people, says the jury is out on whether the symbols will actually be turned into crimes.
The website states: ‘The use of the symbols is now being disputed by some police forces who have released statements advising that there is no evidence to link these signs to any crime.
The argument against the link to burglars argues that these are in fact harmless road markings used by utilities or broadband companies to indicate planned works.
“However, somewhat like ‘crop circles,’ these reports of odd markings continue to pop up locally.”