From early next year, Johannesburg City Parks will allow the installation of microchips in gravestones to prevent their theft and desecration.
Alan Buff, City Parks and Zoo acting GM, says there are between 15 and 20 tombstone thefts from Johannesburg cemeteries every month, with Avalon, in Chiawelo, Soweto, and West Park, in Montgomery Park, Randburg, being two of the worst hit.
"Recently, City Parks has taken steps, with the help of security guards, park rangers, SAPS and JMPD, to contain the problem by increasing the number of foot patrols; this has resulted in us identifying several stonemasons who were stealing tombstones and recycling them for reselling," says Buff.
To further alleviate the problem, the city has entered into a service level agreement with security asset management company Chaldean Trading to install its Memorial Alert technology on tombstones.
Chaldean Trading's CEO, Mark Pringle, states that Memorial Alert, patented in SA and the UK, is, in essence, a security technology designed to protect tombstones. It is a form of insurance and, as such, families are required to register with the company before the devices are installed.
"Working together with stonemasons, we create a little hole in the tombstone where a small transmitter is placed so that it's not visible to the naked eye," he says. "The transmitter, which is linked to our software, will then trigger the 'silent alarm' upon detecting any movement on the tombstone, headstone, statue, or even bump on the vase."
If tampering is suspected, an SMS alert is sent to City Parks security as well as to the family of the deceased.
"We are in talks with other municipalities and are hoping to start implementing the technology in Durban next year," he says.
Cemetery theft and vandalism is not an isolated issue, according to Pringle, but is a problem common to cemeteries throughout the world. "Incidents of theft and vandalism may occur either as an act of criminal intent, or with political or racial connotation, or simply as mischievous activity. It is true that memorialisation is also affected by natural environmental processes and cemetery maintenance practices, and these may also be responsible for damage to memorials," says Pringle.
This technology, he states, is a credible answer to the ongoing incidences of cemetery theft and vandalism.
"There's obviously a lot of emotional connotation that goes with it, and we also realise that the dearly departed command dignity and respect. Cemeteries should be sacred places," concludes Pringle.
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