Police, council investigating after 100 memorial plaques stolen from Tweed Heads General Cemetery

More than 100 memorial plaques pillaged from a Tweed cemetery this week have been located after a groundsman found them hidden under debris near where they were stolen.

Tweed Heads cemetery. Photo: John Gass / Daily News

More than 100 memorial plaques pillaged from a Tweed cemetery this week have been located after a groundsman found them hidden under debris near where they were stolen.

The groundsman at the Tweed Heads Lawn and General Cemetery located the 102 copper plaques piled up and hidden behind barriers on the outer perimeter of the grounds late on Wednesday.

Council and police believe opportunistic thieves were intending to sell the plaques to scrap metal recyclers for a measly profit.

More than 100 memorial plaques have been stolen from gravestones at a cemetery on the Qld-NSW border, with police and council issuing an appeal to catch the thieves. Picture: Tweed Shire Council.

A check has revealed all plaques are accounted for, however, many of them have been damaged, a Tweed Shire Council spokesperson said.

Police are continuing their investigations into the matter.

The plaques were first discovered missing from the lawn cemetery by staff early Tuesday morning.

Council have since publicly condemned what they say is an “appalling” theft.

Shannon Carruth, council’s manager of inclusive and creative communities said staff were working hard to ease the concerns of affected families.

“Our first priority is to identify the names associated with the stolen plaques so that impacted families can be notified,” she said.

“Police have taken the plaques into evidence. Once returned, cemetery staff will assess the condition of the plaques and work with impacted families on next steps.”

Names of affected persons will be published on council’s website as soon as possible.

Grave offending: Cemetery pillaged in ‘appalling’ move

August 21: More than 100 memorial plaques have been stolen from gravestones at a cemetery on the Qld-NSW border, with police and council issuing an appeal to catch the thieves.

A groundskeeper at the Tweed Heads Memorial Gardens and General Cemetery on Kirkwood St discovered the missing copper plaques when he arrived for his shift early Tuesday morning.

The plaques have an estimated replacement value of between $30,000 to $40,000, a Tweed Shire Council spokesperson said.

Tweed Heads Lawn and General Cemetery operator Kelvin Jordan shows where the memorial plaques were stolen. Picture: Tweed Shire Council.

“Council is working with police who will review nearby CCTV footage in their investigations,” the spokesperson said.

“It is believed the plaques may have been stolen to resell as scrap metal, with all local metal recyclers notified of the incident and placed on alert.

More than 100 memorial plaques have been robbed from gravestones at Tweed Cemetery. Picture: NSW Police.

“At a weight of approximately 1.5kg each, the combined plaques are estimated to be worth a maximum of $1500 on the scrap metal market.”

Naomi Searle, the council’s director of sustainable communities and environment, said staff were devastated by the discovery and working to identify which plaques had been stolen.

“We are appalled at the theft of these plaques and will be working closely with police on the matter,” she said.

A groundskeeper made the discovery on early Tuesday morning. Picture: Tweed Daily News.

“My heart goes out to the families of those whose resting places have been affected. Every effort is being made to identify which plaques have been stolen.”

Shannon Carruth, council’s manager for inclusive & creative communities, said she was “at a loss” as to why someone would commit such a “heartless” crime.

“Council has received calls from family members and obviously they are very concerned and upset over this,” she said.

“The thief or thieves will get $1500 max on the scrap metal market yet it will cost council upwards of $30,000 in ratepayer money to make the repairs. For someone to do this for their own personal gain is disgraceful.”

Ms Carruth said police had obtained CCTV footage from the nearby crematorium in the hopes those responsible will be caught.

A list of missing burial plaques will be available on council’s website as soon as possible.

The theft follows a similar incident in July 2021, when 48 plaques were stolen from headstones at Murwillumbah Lawn Cemetery on Tree St. A further nine were discovered missing from Tweed Valley Cemetery at Eviron Rd.

A NSW Police spokesperson urged anyone with information to phone Kingscliff Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Originally published as Police, council investigating after 100 memorial plaques stolen from Tweed Heads General Cemetery