Food For Thought ~ Back Yard Security

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

I have Yahoo as my day to day Mailer. I forces me to be faced with one of a range of 'headlines' each day. So, not wishing to be confronted with 'World News' or 'Celebrety' shit each day, I set it to 'Business'. What's happening to The NAZDAC or what ever is an alien language to me. Even my subconscious mind can ignore That talk. But This caught my eye. If ye wish to take a look at this spot of 'cleverly' disguised sales pitch, then I'll offer some thoughts of my own afterwards:

 

 

Is Your Garden A Goldmine For Thieves?

 

By Laura Starkey.

 

This article was first sent to Fools as part of our 'Summer Lolly' email series.

 

 

 

Now that the sun has begun to shine, you might be thinking about spending some time in your backyard. After all, if an Englishman's (or woman's)

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home is their castle, then the garden is their own personal paradise.

 

According to research by Lloyds TSB, half of us spend around £200 per year on getting our gardens gorgeous. The same survey found that the contents of the average garden are worth a whopping £1237!

 

However, more than half of green-fingered adults have never checked to see if their home insurance covers the contents of their garden.

 

And worryingly, Halifax Home Insurance recently revealed that garden theft increases by around 52% during the summer months.

 

While you're planning barbeques and outdoor dinner parties, thieves are looking for the opportunity to steal your stuff.

 

So, what can you do to help keep the contents of your garden safe?

 

Fight Back Against The Burglars

 

1. Think Like A Thief

 

Firstly, it's interesting to consider things from the other side of the (garden) fence.

 

Look around your yard as though you're the person wanting to steal things. Do you have a sturdy lock on the shed? Are valuable items adequately secured?

 

If you can spot security risks in your garden, you can bet that thieves will, too. It's a good idea to make addressing these a top priority.

 

2. Fix Your Fencing

 

If your fence has seen better days, it makes sense to fix it as soon as you can.

 

However, fight the temptation to make your garden too secluded. While you're bound to want some privacy, try to avoid giving unscrupulous individuals the 'cover' they need to get into your garden unnoticed.

 

Another good tip is to put trellises on top of garden fencing. It won't take the weight of a burglar trying to climb over, and opportunists won't fancy the fall (or their chances of getting caught) if they're heard crashing into your carnations.

 

3. Go For Gravel

 

Laying gravel in your garden is a simple and effective way to deter thieves.

 

Anyone looking to steal your valuables will rely on silence to do so -- and having to walk on a noisy surface to approach things makes thieving them difficult.

 

4. Pick The Right Plants

 

Choosing plants that are defensive, as well as nice to look at, is another way to outwit opportunists.

 

Put spiky, prickly plants in places where you think thieves may try to get into your garden, and around your shed and valuables.

 

I can vouch that this technique works... On the night a thief tried to steal my mum's yucca plant, all they got away with was very sore hands!

 

5. Get Super Secure

 

In addition, you might want to consider some of these extra security measures.

 

Fitting security lights to your shed is another effective way to deter thieves. Consider using high pressure sodium lights, which are cheap to run and widely available.

 

If you have valuable plants, try putting bricks in the bottom of their pots to make moving them difficult. And if you're worried about expensive furniture going missing, you could even cement it into the ground.

 

Using a UV pen to mark all of your property with your post-code, then putting a sticker in your shed window to say you've done so, is another good idea.

 

Finally, take photographs of your garden valuables and keep them in a safe place. If the worst were to happen, this could help the police to catch the thieves and recover your lost items.

 

It's also useful to have these for your records, should you need to make an insurance claim.

 

Ensure It's All Insured!

 

While all these tips should help to keep your garden secure this summer, it's worth remembering they can't protect you 100%.

 

Go through your garden and add up how much it would cost to replace your valuables if they were stolen. The results might shock you!

 

It's a great idea to check your home insurance policy, and ensure that all your garden valuables are covered up to this amount.

 

If they aren't, and you suffer a burglary, it could put a serious dampener on your summer.

 

I'm sure that facing the sunny season with no patio furniture or barbeque is few people's idea of fun -- and neither is forking out hundreds of pounds to replace stolen items.

 

So, why not find out if you can cut the cost of your home insurance at the same time as protecting your garden by comparing quotes through The Motley Fool?

 

Finally, once you've sorted security and insurance for your garden... Make sure you get back to relaxing in it!

 

The Motley Fool Insurance Service could get you a great home insurance deal.

 

 

Ok. See? It's an advert for a named insurance company, seems to me? And it's all about f*cking sun loungers, state of the art bar - b - q's and ride on motor mowers, surely? I'd imagine such shit has little to do with the worlds most of us inhabit?

 

But; How about we consider those traps, purse nets, knocker boxes, even quad's, anything else ye may unquestioningly keep in ye shed?

 

Just think of this for a minute: Ye read this far. Ye roll ye eyes and think, " Aah, Ditch ....! " and walk away. Open ye back door and see the shed door's already open. Throat tightening, fast walk to the shed. Look in. It's been emptied. Now what do ye do?

 

Happened to a mate of mine. Guy's a high ranking Trap Collector. Lives in the middle of some place, nowhere. Very much kept himself to himself. " Fingers " found him. Fingers is a guy from Southampton. Not a 'Traveller' ~ as hard as some of ye may find that to comprehend. Actually a guy in a damn well paid job. Name's Andrew. Game's thieving what he can't get by any other means. He's like the top level Egg Thieves. Stops at Nothing and puts a Lot of work into finding his targets. He took his time and cherry picked this guy, Steve's, Collection. Many counties from home. Right there in his sheds.

 

So there's a real life example of a specialist hitting a specialist. Damn hard b*satard to stop, is our 'Drew. How about yeself? Nothing to do with being an open secret on the Bay. Those who want to will know ye. But what if they want to come and clear ye out? Just made me wonder;

 

I haven't even Bothered to mention all those thousands of top class Dogs out there, in peoples back yards. Distanced by the drone of tv sets. Brick walls. A pint or two. The wife. Sleep. Or just plain distance from home when They make their move. 'They' not being some " Pikeys " passing through with x ray vision. More like the local scum bags who've grown up knowing ye and seeing where ye live. What ye have.

 

That article made me wonder: What will ye do the morning / evening ye find the local Chavs have hit You? Post on here? Swear it was " Pikeys " ? Swear they're 'walking dead men' ? Re Register within a month, to bury the shame of ye own impotence?

 

Or are ye quietly nurturing the Pyrocantha that can't be allowed to grow over the Pressure Mat inside ye gate. As ye stroke the Truly evil Dog that sleeps beside ye, waiting for that alarm to sound, even as you sleep?

 

And, by way of a nod to the thrust of that 'article'; How about Insurance for the more 'replacable by purchase' shit? Does Your " Household & Contents " small print cover ye shed and kennels?

 

All the above is a QUESTION. Don't look to me for answers or examples of what I personally do. I'm just out to provoke some Questioning in ye Own heads. Discussion's fine. Personal Security's best kept a Private matter. No?

[speedlamper 0]

the robbing fecks would take one look at my garden, think there's nothing here worth having and probably leave me the mower they nicked the night before from some old guys shed cos they felt sorry for me

 

if they can get past the nosey fat neighbour, over the fence and past the dog they can have my tv

[Guest rexdigger]

only security i have is a 22 career thats all whats needed lol

[twins 0]

planted hawthorn around me garden with rambeling rose intertwined you got to be mad to clinb over that most stuff in the shed is bolted to the floor or chained down makes life a shit when you want to get some think out, but stop any other /ucker getting it, big items like me mower has the post code drilled into the boby so if you want to sell it you would have to cut the body or throw it away, drilled with 12mm drill bit looks dreadfull and makes it worth less to any one but me, shame you have to ruin a new object just to stop scum theiving it, pir operated lights, last of all is the dogs they have free run of their garden, notice the THEIR it's not my garden it's the dogs.

[COMPO 54]

thought provoking and good suggestions DS!

 

I have paid particular attention to my garden and am confident that it is pretty secure.....nothing is impenetrable but you can make it very hard....in which case they go do someone else's shed/garden

 

 

and your right its not always p***y's......sometimes its people you think you know..............other times it is p***y's (my brother caught two once in the act so to say!) regardless of who the thief is.....make it as hard as you possibly can and a lot of it is common sense and locking up tools etc...a bit of strategic plant placement and a few locks

 

dont go into detail on here......you never know who's reading it

[Coney 3]

They'll do we to get in mine if they can scale over a 8ft wall with metal spikes on top along with sercurity lighting and a fecking noisy little Boarder terrier yapping at the slightest thing!!

[Tiff 36]

good post Ditch, it should make us all think about what to do NOW to protect our hearths and homes

 

 

come sneaking around? say hi to Frank. He's kinda cranky.

 

 

 

or Remington.

 

 

 

or me before I've put my face on

 

[Simoman 110]

Doing anything later hotstuff?

[ghostlyease 17]

Only thing I have that cant be easily replaced is my dogs, everything else I make a point of getting cheap and cheerful as the dogs or kids norm wreck it, esp if its in the garden.

 

I defo think simple is a great way yo go, more trouble you go to the more they think ya got to nick.

[hedge hunter 107]

Good post ditch, however if they can get past my fully protection trained and security traint malinois bicth then they can take what ever the f**k they like the theithing twats lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers all hedge hunter