Persimmon growers in Taichung's Fengyuan district are losing fruit to passing hikers, and police are stepping in on the farmers' side.

• Persimmon season has arrived in the Gonglaoping area, and farmers say hikers and early-morning walkers are picking fruit off their trees.
• Most of the stolen fruit comes from trees along the edge of hiking trails, not from inside the orchards.
• Police are adding patrol checkpoints and extra officers on popular walking routes during peak theft hours.
• Warning signs will go up telling people that picking fruit without permission is theft and can leave them with a criminal record.
• Signs will also warn that the fruit may still be coated in pesticide and unsafe to eat straight off the tree.

Outlook: Farmers are being urged to install their own cameras while police weigh adding surveillance at key junctions, so expect tighter watch through the rest of the harvest.