The local Policing teams are encouraging all residents to think carefully about ways they can protect and secure their property against theft. There have been a number of shed burglaries recently, so now’s the time to think about protecting your own.
Humberside Police are conducting more regular patrols, but encourage everyone to do their best to prevent themselves becoming victims of crime.
Here’s some top tips from Humberside Police about how to protect yourself in general against burglary:
- Make sure your doors and windows are closed and locked when you’re not in the room. Nearly half of all burglaries are down to a door or window being open.
- Make sure nothing of value (including your car key) is left on show to tempt thieves into your property.
- Think about fitting a burglar alarm and security lighting – both to your home and outbuildings. It may be expensive, but they are very effective deterrents and can bring down your insurance costs.
- Sheds, garages and gardens Security of gardens and outbuilding buildings is often not your first thought. However, by making a few modifications sheds and garages, along with the equipment stored in them can be made more secure.
- Make sure sheds and garages have good quality lock and hinges. Consider fitting deterrents in the garden like movement sensitive floodlights as these will leave thieves feeling exposed.
- Likewise alarms on sheds and garages will deter thieves as they would not want to be spotted in out buildings taking property.
- Garden tools, DIY equipment and leisure items such as fishing and golf equipment should be locked away in storage cupboards within outbuildings to form a second line of defence to thieves.
- Motorbike and pedal cycles should also be locked even when they are in a shed or garage.
- To assist the police in recovering and returning stolen property, people should register valuables onto www.immobilise.com. Cycles, golf and fishing equipment and tools can be easily added onto the property register and then this assists the force in identifying property as stolen/lost, bring offenders to justice and stop the items being sold via second hand stores. The system can also allow owners to upload pictures of unique items.
- As well as protecting property in sheds and garages people can also stop thieves stealing plants by using heavy plant pots which will be less desirable to walk off with and ensure that unused garden furniture and tools are stored securely out of sight.
The Police urge you to continue to report your concerns to your local team, through the 101 number, or online or alternatively, by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers (0800 555 111).
A while back VANEL and local partners produced this video in conjunction with local Police. Advice on protecting your sheds and bikes:
More advice on protecting your Garages and sheds
Advice taken from OurWatch website.
One of the first places that some burglars may look is in sheds, garages or outbuildings. Usually they are not as securely built as the home and are often located where visibility is poor which can make them an easier target. They often contain a ready source of tools for breaking into the main section of the house. Make them just as secure as the house, so that any burglar is forced to take more time and make more noise.
If you are unable to adequately secure your outbuildings with mortice locks, use closed shackle padlocks on a good-quality hasp and staple or lockable bolts. Windows should be secured by window locks. Windows can be covered with heavy wire mesh or even external ply boards – though you should always think about how you would get out in an emergency. At the very least, hang net curtains to prevent casual viewing of the contents.
Where integral doors are used for entry from the garage into the house, a simple method of security for up-and-over garage doors from inside the garage is to drill a hole in the top channel above the wheels and insert a padlock into the hole. This prevents the wheel moving above the padlock, so the garage door can’t open. Even better, drill a hole in each channel and use two padlocks.
If there is no internal door from the garage to the house then the up-and-over doors can be secured from the outside of the garage by an outer bracket and floor eyelet welded or bolted to the bottom of the door and secured by a padlock inserted into the floor eyelet.
In order to prevent thieves from simply unscrewing the hinges on garage or shed doors and removing the whole door, you can smear glue over the heads of the screws, or replace some of them with a special type that can’t be unscrewed – sometimes called clutch-head, anti-tamper, one-way or coffin screws.
Lock away tools and garden implements and ask your neighbours to do the same. Mark expensive tools and implements with your postcode, using a security pen or scribe.
Lock your ladders away inside your garage or shed to prevent thieves using them to access upstairs windows. If you can’t, padlock them securely – and horizontally – to a sturdy bracket on an outside wall. Do the same thing with your wheelie bins, as these can be used as a climbing aid or for transporting stolen goods.
Battery or mains-powered shed alarms are commonly available in DIY stores – or extend your main burglar alarm to include your outbuildings.
Don’t leave packaging from expensive new items such as laptops or games consoles outside beside the bins, or poking out the top – this is a clear signal to a burglar that there is something worth stealing inside the house.
Finally
Here’s a simple guide to securing your shed from Secured by Design.
Download the .pdf here or read a version online here.
