SHED AND OUTBUILDING CRIME PREVENTION ADVICE Thefts from garden sheds and outbuildings are becoming increasingly common in the area lately Many people take a great deal of trouble in securing their home and property while at the same time leaving valuable gardening tools and cycles in a shed that is either unlocked or not maintained. Tools such as lawn mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters, power tools and the like are expensive items to replace and may incur in extra insurance premiums. This can also open invitation for thieves to use garden implements to break into you house or car. High burglary rates from sheds indicate that they are not only easy to break into but there is a large market for the stolen contents such as chain saws, leaf blowers, hedge cutters etc, whilst for farmers, quad bikes trailers and large tools feature regularly crime reports. With this in mind consider if the property left inside garden sheds and out buildings would be better stored elsewhere. Crime prevention advice Place all tools and gardening equipment in locked sheds and garages. Often an offender will use your tools to break into your property, or other outbuildings. Secure more expensive items, e.g. mowers, bikes and trailers etc. to an anchor point within the shed or garage. In all cases, try to keep the contents out of sight - cover windows and keep doors closed at all times to prevent awareness of shed and outbuilding contents. For farmers, if you have multiple sheds or outbuilding also consider changing locations of desirable items such quad bikes and trailers regularly to deter organised crime. Also consider external PIR lighting and alarming sheds - both battery and mains operated stand alone units are available relatively cheaply making theft that much more awkward to undertake. It is also highly recommended to mark all items with post code and record serial numbers. UV pens or forensic marking kits such as Smart water will also helps - especially if the building has advisory notice that contents are security tagged. Unusual but highly noticeable marking is also an idea (such as painting pink spots on equipment) as this will most likely deter a possible offender. Register the details for free on www.immobilise.com | 
