Now the government has cracked down on metal recycling centres to tackle metal theft, thieves seem to have turned to the country's stone heritage. Heritage Watch schemes, based on Neighbourhood Watch, have already been set up in Cheshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. Mike Penning, the Policing Minister, has told Parliament that the full force of the law should be used against stone thieves. "As Policing Minister, I say to the 43 authorities under my control that they need to take this matter enormously seriously. I expect it to be brought up and addressed at the next chiefs' meeting." He called for more legislation, although he did not clarify how it might expand on the already illegal act of theft.
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