Fish lovers beware! Your colourful aquatic vertebrates could be under threat from online mapping service Google Earth. Over the last three weeks, the city of Hull has experienced a spate of exotic koi carp thefts and Humberside Police says all the evidence points to thieves using the internet to pinpoint their marks.
Google Earth is packed with detailed satellite footage of almost everywhere, so fish thieves are scouting people’s back gardens from above to find exotic fish and pond equipment.
This is not the first time Google’s mapping services have been linked to crime – lead thieves have used it to find valuable lead roofs and some have suggested that criminals may use it find expensive cars to pinch.
Google’s defence lies in the fact it’s not the only one passing on satellite photography. “Google Earth is built from information that is available worldwide from a wide range of both commercial and public sources,” said one spokesperson. “Criminals could use maps, phones and getaway cars but no one would argue that these technologies are responsible for the crime itself, that responsibility lies with the perpetrator.”
We’re hoping that Humberisde Police will take the initiative and build a special koi carp sting operation, by disguising the back of the police station as an exotic fish pond.
(via The Telegraph)
