18
May
2015
By Calvin at 11:44 GMT, 10 years ago
That’s the headline of a press release recently issued by Ecclesiastical Insurance and brought to my attention by Hertfordshire Police.
The most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales tells us that there were 941,000 reported thefts and burglaries from outside dwellings or from buildings unconnected to the home, such as sheds, garages and outbuildings, affecting around 1-in-20 UK homes.
According to specialist heritage and high net worth insurer Ecclesiastical, Britain’s leafy gardens offer tempting targets for burglars. The low levels of security in many gardens can also make them highly attractive to opportunist thieves who spot the opportunity to grab a leaf blower or piece of desirable statuary and run.
Recent claims Ecclesiastical has dealt with include several heavy ride-on lawn mowers being lifted over walls, theft of chainsaws, even the removal of expensive and very weighty lead statues. Typical losses from larger properties can be in the range of £5,000–£30,000.
Ecclesiastical’s heritage claims director Andrew Brown said: “In light of gardeners’ investment in expensive equipment, it comes as a surprise to think that many of us still think that a simple latch is enough to keep our valuable gardening tools safe in the shed - often without any locks. The reality is that criminals are all too aware of the value of these items and there are plenty of ways of disposing of them such as boot sales or online marketplaces like eBay.
“More valuable statuary or plants can be sold via unscrupulous dealers and find a ready market.”
In order to help protect valuable garden furniture and equipment, Andrew and the team at Ecclesiastical recommend taking some or all of the following steps:
- Fit good quality locks to sheds and garages.
- Ensure any electrically-powered garage doors are set to ‘lock’.
- Make sure shed and garage windows are secure or are fitted with grilles.
- Check fencing to see if there’s any way in which an intruder can slip easily onto the property.
- Gravelled drives and pathways make it very difficult to approach the property without making a noise.
- Consider installing motion-activated lights.
- Consider whether you need to buy an alarm for your shed or garage.
- Hide or cover bulky items that cannot be locked away, such as large gas barbecues and picnic benches.
- Mark valuable items with your postcode and photograph them.
- Any pots containing high value plants can be cemented into place. Plants can also be secured in the ground by using a mesh of wires and pegs dug in around the root ball. Another useful tactic is to place heavy bricks and stones in the base of patio tubs to make them difficult to carry away
There’s a little more advice on Ecclesiastical Insurance’s website at this link: www.ecclesiastical.com/gardentheftadvice and a lot more on The Crime Prevention Website’s pages starting here: http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/home-security/486/gardens-lighting-access-and-alarms/
