Beach Theft
Encyclopedia
A beach theft, in the sense of "theft
of beach
", is an unauthorized and illegal removal of huge quantities of sand
from a beach leading to the full or partial disappearance of the beach. This article does not deal with the related sense - "theft
in beach
", i.e. incidents of theft occurring in beaches, a more common petty theft.
is a worldwide phenomenon.
Beach theft, the large-scale removal of sand to the point that entire stretches of a beach disappear, is considerably less common.
Two instances of beach thefts have been widely reported in the media: one in Hungary
in 2007 and another in Jamaica
in 2008. The beach that was stolen in Hungary was an artificially created one on the banks of a river. The other one is a genuine example of a beach theft.
in July 2008.
The beach at Coral Springs, in Jamaica's northern parish of Trelawny
, was 400 metres of white sand. The bulk of the sand in the 0.5-hectare beach, of approximately 500 truckloads, was found missing in July 2008. The beach was to form part of a resort complex, but the theft of its most important feature has led to its developers putting their plans on hold.
Illegal sand mining is a problem in Jamaica; the local tradition of people building their own homes has caused a huge demand for construction material.
took a personal interest in the theft and ordered a report into how such a large quantity of sand could have been stolen, transported and presumably sold.
Police carried out forensic tests on beaches along the coast to see if any of it matched the stolen sand. A three-month police investigation failed to lead to anyone being charged. There were unconfirmed reports about collusion between the criminals and certain police officers, but Jamaican police denied any such collusion.
In this case, thieves stole hundreds of tonnes of sand from an artificial beach created by a resort alongside the banks of river Mindszentas.
Hungary
is a land-locked country. The river Mindszentas runs through Hungary
. Its banks are sunny and warm in the summer. Some enterprising Hungarians shipped in some 6,000 cubic meters of sand, added lounge chairs, playground rides, and beach huts, and made a perfect artificial beach.
In Hungary, the winters are frigid. To protect their sandy treasure, in September 2007, the owners covered the rides with tarpaulin and closed the place for the season. When one of the owners drove by, they noticed that the beach was gone. Only dreary muddy banks left behind.
Authorities blame the new Schengen Zone
which eliminated border controls between EU member state and Europe
. This allows people to move freely between countries without a passport
.
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
of beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
", is an unauthorized and illegal removal of huge quantities of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
from a beach leading to the full or partial disappearance of the beach. This article does not deal with the related sense - "theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
in beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
", i.e. incidents of theft occurring in beaches, a more common petty theft.
Sand theft and beach theft
Stealing of sandSand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
is a worldwide phenomenon.
Beach theft, the large-scale removal of sand to the point that entire stretches of a beach disappear, is considerably less common.
Two instances of beach thefts have been widely reported in the media: one in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 2007 and another in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 2008. The beach that was stolen in Hungary was an artificially created one on the banks of a river. The other one is a genuine example of a beach theft.
Beach theft in Jamaica
A beach theft was discovered in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in July 2008.
The beach at Coral Springs, in Jamaica's northern parish of Trelawny
Trelawny Parish, Jamaica
Trelawny is a parish in Cornwall County in northwest Jamaica. Its capital is Falmouth. It is bordered by the parishes of Saint Ann in the east, Saint James in the west, and Saint Elizabeth and Manchester in the south.-History:...
, was 400 metres of white sand. The bulk of the sand in the 0.5-hectare beach, of approximately 500 truckloads, was found missing in July 2008. The beach was to form part of a resort complex, but the theft of its most important feature has led to its developers putting their plans on hold.
Illegal sand mining is a problem in Jamaica; the local tradition of people building their own homes has caused a huge demand for construction material.
Investigation
The disappearance of the beach was considered so important that Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce GoldingBruce Golding
Orette Bruce Golding MP served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party.-Biography:...
took a personal interest in the theft and ordered a report into how such a large quantity of sand could have been stolen, transported and presumably sold.
Police carried out forensic tests on beaches along the coast to see if any of it matched the stolen sand. A three-month police investigation failed to lead to anyone being charged. There were unconfirmed reports about collusion between the criminals and certain police officers, but Jamaican police denied any such collusion.
Beach theft in Hungary
An incident of beach theft occurred in Hungary in 2007 .In this case, thieves stole hundreds of tonnes of sand from an artificial beach created by a resort alongside the banks of river Mindszentas.
Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
is a land-locked country. The river Mindszentas runs through Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Its banks are sunny and warm in the summer. Some enterprising Hungarians shipped in some 6,000 cubic meters of sand, added lounge chairs, playground rides, and beach huts, and made a perfect artificial beach.
In Hungary, the winters are frigid. To protect their sandy treasure, in September 2007, the owners covered the rides with tarpaulin and closed the place for the season. When one of the owners drove by, they noticed that the beach was gone. Only dreary muddy banks left behind.
Authorities blame the new Schengen Zone
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
which eliminated border controls between EU member state and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This allows people to move freely between countries without a passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
.