Don’t let your garden become a target for thieves - follow our guide to making it more secure.
By Andrea Dean
It’s all too easy to focus on keeping our homes secure while neglecting garden buildings and items which stay outdoors. While few of us would dream of leaving a laptop or radio outside and unattended, many leave valuable items such as bicycles and lawnmowers in the garden for long periods of time, with no thought as to how vulnerable they are to thieves.
Recent findings from comparison website Gocompare.com make worrying reading – almost a quarter of British people have been the victim of garden crime, with bicycles the most commonly stolen item. And with the average garden containing £1,040 worth of outdoor furniture, tools, barbecues and children’s play equipment, it’s vital to ensure that the contents are adequately insured as well as properly protected. Check that your home insurance policy protects against garden theft, though cover can be limited, so you may need to extend it or even consider a specialist garden policy if the contents are particularly valuable.
The most effective way of keeping thieves out of your garden is to make life as difficult as possible for them. Reduce the number of places they can hide by keeping hedges and shrubs low at the front of the house, and install security lighting in areas that are cast deep into shadow at night. Gravel is an excellent deterrent as it’s noisy when walked on, so will alert you to any intruders, and it goes without saying that ladders and tools should never be left lying around, as not only do they make rich pickings for opportunist thieves, but can be used to break into your home, garage or shed.
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As well as alerting you to the presence of unwelcome visitors, security lights and alarms are good deterrents, as thieves prefer to operate in darkness and silence. There are two types of outdoor security lights – those which come on automatically when it gets dark and stay on all night, and passive infra-red (PIR) or motion sensor lamps, which are activated by movement. The latter can be set off by an animal, passing car or gust of wind, which can be annoying - and expensive -if it happens a lot.
If your home already has a burglar alarm system, you may be able to extend this to your garage or shed, or it might be easier to install a stand-alone device, which can be mains or battery-operated, Choose between PIR detectors, activated by movement or body heat, and door contact systems, which sound when the door is opened unexpectedly. A closed circuit television camera overlooking the garden will provide additional security – domestic systems are quick to install and can be found at DIY stores for under £100.
It makes sense to visibly mark your property with your postcode as such items are harder for thieves to sell on, and easily identifiable as stolen. They can be etched or marked in ink, UV marker or with self-laminated stickers, which wrap around handles and bicycle frames. These are usually available from Crime Prevention officers, who should also be able to supply stickers advertising that property has been marked. Finally, write down any serial numbers, and take photos to aid with recovery and insurance claims if, despite your precautions, anything is stolen.
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