Google Earth used to find and steal Koi

Satellite imagery used by thieves to locate fish ponds

Image credit, Nick Chill, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nchill4x4/3132236450/

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29 June 2009 11:07 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

First it was pools to party in, now it's ponds with fish to steal, as another aquatically-themed nefarious use of Google Earth has been revealed.

It appears that fish thieves are using Google Earth's satellite imagery to find fish ponds that look as if they will contain Koi carp, a particularly valuable kind of goldfish, to steal.

The Telegraph reports that 12 thefts of the exotic fish and pond equipment, worth hundreds of pounds, have been reported over in Hull over a 3-week period.

Humberside Police Community Support Officer Sam Gregory says "Google shows what is in your garden and you can see people's ponds. One of the properties targeted has an eight foot fence and is set back from the road. The pond is in the corner and can't be seen".

A spokesperson for Google "Google Earth creates no appreciable increase in security risks, given the wide commercial availability of high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery of every country in the world".

"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".