Lighter nights often means criminals are on the prowl for easy pickings from gardens, sheds and garages.
As the weather warms up, we all spend more time outside, but we all also get a bit lax about leaving our property around and locking our sheds and garages when we use them.
Opportunist criminals are always on the lookout for bikes, tools, sports equipment and fishing tackle in sheds and garages, as well as in gardens.
So if you haven’t assessed your security for some time then we would urge you to look at your sheds, garages and outbuildings and see how secure they really are.
Below are some areas to consider:
l Make sure your shed or garage is secured with a good quality lock.
l Do you have security/motion sensor lights? They can be a great deterrent if your home or garden is secluded from street lighting.
l Keep back gates locked when not used.
l Loop a strong chain through the handles of your garden tools and connect the ends with a strong padlock. If possible, fix a large metal eyelet to part of the shed frame and loop the chain through it.
l As well as protecting property in sheds and garages, you can also stop thieves stealing plants by using heavy plant pots which will be less desirable to walk off with.
l Many shed windows are never used, if this is the case – why not screw them shut. Fitting mesh or steel bars across the window from the inside allows light to enter but means the thief has to go to a lot of trouble to remove them.
l If you have a household alarm consider extending it to cover your outbuildings or fit a bespoke shed/garage alarm.
l If you have an expensive bicycle or motorbike, make sure you have a good quality lock securing it when it is not being used.
l For reference record a description and add photographs of your cycles, golf clubs, fishing equipment, tools and any other valuable property on www.immobilise.com