Brazen plant thieves plague Broome’s Chinatown redevelopment

The Shire of Broome say investigations are under way to find and prosecute brazen thieves who have been stealing plants from the recently redeveloped Chinatown precinct. A number of incidents over the past few weeks have seen plants stolen or damaged in the area, with the Shire pointing fingers at “semi-regular” offenders. In a statement released Tuesday, the Shire of Broome said it was particularly disappointing considering the plants had been grown in-house to save money. “The Shire’s horticulture team has grown thousands of our own trees and plants over many months, rather tan purchasing them, saving ratepayers a considerable expense in the process,” the statement said. “Disappointingly, certain individuals have been actively targeting the new plants in Chinatown and have been stealing them on a semi-regular basis. “The Shire’s CCTV network has captured the latest instance of this happening, at 1:43am on Sunday June 6, with the number plate of the offending vehicle and vision of the offenders provided to police.” It’s not the first time green-thumbed Broome residents have become sticky-fingered, with a West Australian Article from January 1989 detailing similar crimes — golden canes stolen from the Japanese Cemetery car-park and palms from the airport perimeter drain on Frederick Street and Shire offices.