In two weeks, €10,000 worth of musical instruments and associated equipment were stolen from the music venue Paviljoen Ongehoorde Muziek (pavillion unheard music, POM) on Vestdijk, without any traces of a break-in.
Two special synthesisers, effect pedals, a high-quality sound monitor, but also all kinds of cables, a projector and camera lenses were removed from the space of Paviljoen Ongehoorde Muziek on three different occasions in two weeks.
Bart van Dongen, the founder of the venue, was puzzled. “There were no signs of a break-in and the keys that are in circulation are in the possession of people I know and trust one hundred per cent. It was maddening to notice that things were disappearing”.
Replacing the locks did not help, Bart says. “The first time things disappeared, we immediately had new locks put on the doors, but a few days later it happened again”.
Bike cellar
Eventually, the founder of the music venue discovered that the space where POM is located could be entered via the adjacent student flat. “Via the bike cellar of that flat, there is a small, red door that leads to a space with a hatch, which led to our space. Moreover, once you are inside, you can open the doors from the inside, which makes it easy to steal things”.
The hatch has now been welded shut and boarded up. “I am glad that we finally figured out how someone got in here. But the damage had already been done: around €10,000 worth of stuff has disappeared”, Bart says.
Crowdfunding
Musician Rianne Wilbert decided to help POM by starting a crowdfunding campaign so that new equipment can be purchased for all the stolen stuff. And that campaign is going very well, Van Dongen says. “I put the campaign online at 08:00 on Friday morning and by 16:00 the majority of the target amount had already been raised”, Bart says.
Moving forward
On Saturday, the counter is at almost €12,000. “The more we raise the better, then we can even make progress”, the POM founder says. “It is great to see how much support we are getting. I am stunned that POM is so popular, apparently. It means a lot to me”, Bart concludes.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
