Help and Advice

SECURING THE OUTBUILDINGS

Top Tips to secure your shed, garden and outbuildings

Securing the Garage
• If you are having a garage built or have ordered a sectional one, ask yourself, do I really need a window?
• When washing the car keep your garage door closed, don't advertise your goods to passers by. Out of sight, out of mind!
• Use permanent marking to postcode your valuables, you can engrave items or use one of the commercially available property marking kits.
• Prickly bushes such as pyracanthus, roses, berberis or hawthorn can be an effective and environmentally friendly deterrent if under a window or around your perimeter.
• Good lighting, low energy dusk to dawn lighting if you are overlooked and operated by a movement detector if you are not.
• Join or start a Neighbourhood Watch, and encourage your community to look out for each other. Use an additional good quality garage door lock.
• Fasten your valuable items together and secure to the fabric of the building or into the floor. Consider buying a stand alone shed or garage alarm for around £20.00.
• You can use a battery operated personal alarm as a shed alarm. Fit the main body of the alarm to the frame and fasten the pull cord to the door. When the door opens the cord is removed from the alarm.

Securing the Garden
• Secure the entry to the garden - use a gate and lock it
• Put a light trellis on the top of walls and fences to discourage climbing over put a strong padlock on the shed or garage
• Use plant anchors on valuable plants
• Use vibration sensors on statues or furniture, which can set off alarms or lights or phone the police.
• Install outside lights controlled by movement detectors, timers or electric cells
• Lock up ladders in the shed to prevent their use by burglars
• Maintain fences in good order and lock the gate to your back garden
• Keep your front garden shrubbery low to help neighbours keep an eye on your home

Get Sheducated.
• Check the latching device on your shed. Most sheds have ½" screws holding the latching device onto the shed frame. These ½" screws should be replaced with longer approx. 1" screws or bolts. Latches secured with ½" screws are easily broken off enabling burglars to defeat any type lock.
• Always lock the shed with a heavy-duty lock
• Run a heavy-duty chain through items in the shed, especially bikes, lawn equipment and other large tools. This allows you to lock the items together making it tougher for burglars to quickly remove items.
• Engrave all valuable property that is stored in your shed with your driver's license number.
• Record all model and serial numbers of property stored in the shed. This allows the property to be entered into the National Crime Information Centre Computer, in case of theft, allowing the property to be easily identified as stolen.
• Install a motion detector flood light on your house or shed that would illuminate any intruders.
• Help protect your neighbours by reporting suspicious persons or vehicles in or around your neighbourhood. Remember most shed burglaries and break-ins occur during daylight hours when most people are at work.