On May 13, 9:44 am, wrote:
I live in a terrace house which directly fronts the pavement of the
street. Three years ago I put three stone window-boxes on the window
sill at the front of the house to brighten up the house and the
street. This year, for the first time, someone has stolen one.

What can I do to secure them? Are there any off-the-anti-theft shelf
systems I can buy from a gardening centre or DIY shop?

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I think if a thief sees something you have that he/she wants, then
they will take it. One Christmas day evening, we were sitting in the
drawing room with family and friends and I went to the door as the
knocker was rapped. Nobody was there but a wreath, a beautiful wreath
with live ivy, hellebore, holly and red satin ribbons was ripped off
the knocker, where it was tied on (we also had a doorbell). I was so
upset to think that somebody would do that and at a time when they too
should have been at home with family and friends, I have never put a
wreath on my front door in England since then.

In France, when we are there for Christmas, I put a similar wreath on
our gates, at the end of a drive, and nobody touches it except to
admire it.

Also in England when we lived in the City, we had a Victorian urn, by
the front door, absolutely full of flowers and trailing plants. I was
woken up one night by a loud "chink". The next morning I found out
why, somebody had tried to steal the urn but it was so heavy, they
only got about 2 paces before they dropped it.

We secured it after that by putting a steel rod through the middle and
knocking it about a foot into the ground. I suppose you could put a
rod through your window boxes through to the windowcill and then
secure it with a nut underneath the cill?