Preventing shed break-ins

Green-fingered residents are being encouraged to follow police advice to prevent shed burglaries.

With the arrival of spring, nights have become lighter and police have seen an increase in shed burglaries.

People with sheds and allotments are subsequently being asked to help make life more difficult for thieves.

Most garden sheds are not designed for safe storage. Ideally, expensive items such as power tools, lawn mowers, garden tools, bicycles and golf clubs should not be stored in them.

Those who have no alternative are asked to follow some simple tips to prevent thieves from stealing their valuable tools and equipment.

These include:

• Keep your shed in good condition so it’s not easy to break into.

• Consider investing in an alarm.

• Mark and photograph valuable tools and equipment and register it at www.immobilise.com so it can be traced back to you if it is stolen and later recovered.

• Fit a padlock to your shed and consider putting wire mesh across its windows.

• Fit a motion-activated outside light to deter burglars who rely on the cover of darkness.

• Plant prickly shrubs and plants near windows, drainpipes and fences.

• Use gravel on driveways and paths to help alert you to anyone outside.

• Lock any gates to your drive or back garden.

Large items such as bicycles should be chained together and ladders locked to a secure fixture to ensure they cannot be used to reach top floor windows of houses.

Bingham Inspector Phil Hallam said that just by taking a few precautions, residents can safeguard against becoming a victim.

Inspector Hallam said: “While we are keeping a close eye on known offenders, it is important that people who might be at risk of shed burglary help us to minimise that risk.

“They can do this by following our simple advice, being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity in their area.

“This is about making sure people with sheds are aware that the valuable property they keep inside them is desirable to thieves.

“Power tools, lawnmowers and gardening equipment can be easily sold on by unscrupulous individuals.

“By working together, we can ensure fewer people suffer the distress and inconvenience of becoming a victim of burglary.”

Anyone with information about shed burglaries should contact Nottinghamshire Police on 0300 300 99 99 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.