Just a day after a 205-year-old Crimean War cannon was stolen from Auckland’s waterfront on the again of a truck, Auckland Council have been calling metallic recyclers to see if anybody was attempting to soften the relic down.
While the thief might have thought they have been in for a giant pay day – the scrap worth of the metallic is barely price NZ $200 ($185), in line with an professional.
When their truck driver confirmed up within the afternoon to choose it up, the cannon was lacking.
Images given to Stuff present the cannon sitting on the again of a flatbed truck, having been lifted onto it by a small crane, earlier than being pushed off in the direction of the motorway.
The cannon remains to be lacking, with no arrests or costs laid, police instructed Stuff.
Documents obtained below the Local Government Official Information and Management Act present council Area Operations Manager Martin Wong referred to as the NZ Association for Metal Recyclers only a day after the cannon was stolen, to see if anybody had reported somebody attempting to soften the weapon down.
The council have been supplied with a type the place they might listing stolen metallic objects, in order that the affiliation might preserve an eye fixed out for anybody attempting to soften them.
“Lets hope the cannon turns up and has not already been melted down”, Orākei Local Board Deputy Chair Sarah Powrie wrote in an e-mail to Wong a number of days after the theft.
NZAMR President Joe Gibson mentioned the cannon forged iron metallic, weighing roughly 500kg.
The worth of the weapon as scrap could be round $200, so not definitely worth the effort of stealing it, Gibson mentioned.
Another problem for the thief could be that no recycler would see the cannon come into their store and never ask questions, he mentioned.
It’s doable somebody might attempt to break up the cannon to disguise what it’s, he mentioned, however it might be arduous to try this with a fuel torch – so it might require one thing heavy dropped on it.
The council had been searching for new a brand new dwelling for the cannon, with the Auckland War Memorial Museum being one of many candidates.
A museum spokesperson confirmed they’d been assessing the cannon for acquisition, however had not decided earlier than it was stolen.
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No price analysis had been made, they mentioned.
Stuff beforehand revealed that the cannon was left unsecured within the open, subsequent to a public automotive park, earlier than it was stolen.
The cannon arrived in Auckland in 1859, having been captured by the British Government at Sevastopol in 1857.
Source: www.9news.com.au
