Brazen thieves in the village

Thieves for fun? Seven village signs are gone!

Several place name signs have already been stolen in the Wolfsberg area.

(Bild: Stadtgemeinde Wolfsberg)

It's obviously a brazen game: Several place name signs in the municipality of Wolfsberg have simply disappeared overnight. There are no longer any names in several areas. The police are investigating. The damage caused by the perpetrators now amounts to thousands of euros. 

It actually makes people smile. "But the fun has long since stopped, it really doesn't have to be. There are other ways to live out a passion for collecting things that don't harm society," says Wolfsberg's Deputy Mayor Alexander Radl, who has been standing in for Mayor Hannes Primus, who has been ill for a long time. For several months now, a brazen thief - or is it several? - have been up to mischief. Five place name signs have already been stolen this year.

"It's no longer funny, the damage to the municipality is already several thousand euros," says Radl. This year, the place name signs in St. Michael, Paildorf, Völking and twice at the entrance and exit to St. Margarethen have been stolen. In the last few days, the place name signs in Gräbern and Prebl have also been stolen overnight.

Signposts are part of the town's history
Radl: "We had to report this to the police again, we don't like doing it, but this is clearly theft of municipal property. Stop this." The boards have to be replaced every time. Valuable working time of the municipal employees is lost in the process.

The most important thing, however, is that the plaques are part of the town's history. They are also an important guide for visitors to the municipality. "Maybe it's a game for the thieves - but we don't find it funny anymore," says the deputy mayor angrily. 

The Wolfsberg police department is already investigating. "The investigation is ongoing, but unfortunately there are no concrete leads," says Hermann Sorger, deputy commander of Wolfsberg police station. It is also not clear to the investigating officers what the unknown perpetrator's motive is. The criminal investigation team at the police station is working at full speed.

Sorger: "The perpetrators are obviously not aware that this is theft." The question is also what the brazen thief, who apparently collects place name signs, intends to do with them. The Wolfsberg police are now even more present at night. This is a challenge for the police in view of the extensive area.