stealing and vandalism on site

[minxie]

Hi,

I had imagined, my shed being a little haven with kettle, tea chairs etc, but the allotment officer told me today as I signed the papers, that stealing is on the up, with the credit crunch. She said don't lock sheds as they may just look in and not break the door, dont leave expensive tools there etc.I had no intentionof using anythng expensive there.

I was hoping just to be able to leave it all there, does anyone else have these types of problem or are they random and not often. there was some vandalism about 5 months ago, where one shed was burnt down. there are now new houses rather than fields opposite the only entrance so that may put people of trying it on

they have big steel gates and a huge lock on the gate and we have to lock ourselves in and out, it's not being attacked at every quarter, but it puts a bit of a dampner on it, or was she just letting me know the possibility,

any thoughts!!!

[Peter]

Best advice?

Talk to your fellow plotholders on site as this activity varies by site and from year to year.

[SarzWix]

I've had a stove & kettle in my shed for nearly 2 years, and had no problem at all. A bit further down the site 2 plots have been vandalised recently, with crops pulled up & polytunnels torn etc. These plots both had locked gates, tunnels, sheds, mine only has a small feeble lock on the shed & none at all on the gate or greenhouse!
I agree with Peter, ask around your neighbours, it may be that any problems are concentrated around one part of the site, or haven't happened at all for a while. If it turns out that there is a risk, make sure you buy the cheapest camping stove, pan/kettle etc so you won't be too distraught if they are lost, & keep them out of sight from the shed window. Your tools can all be kept in a fake compost bin to keep them out of harms way.
Also, you can join NSALG and get insurance for your plot (if your Association are members already, you won't need to join)

[di]

Hi Minxie,We keep only cheapy tools at the lottie....just in case!!We had a few bits go missing when we 1st started,but nothing worth over a tenna.It does P you off a bit,but don't let it spoil your anticipations of how wonderful having your lottie is going to be!The pro's far outweigh the cons,& although thefts & vandalism are a possibility,the way I see it is the enjoyment & satisfaction you get from tending your plot & harvesting are a definite!
Enjoy your new plot,& any expensive/valuable tools you may have...keep at home.

[jackie j]

I have a small lock on my shed and nothing of value in the shed we have had a few problems but with glass in greenhouses being broken than sheds being broken into.

[lottie dolly]

hi minxie,we had the same things on our site,like the others say,be carefull what you leave there,we no longer lock the shed,only a bit of wire so as the wind cannot blow it open,ours to has a big metal fence and gates that are kept locked,but do not let the scumbags win,what we do is,when anything happens,you have to report it to the police,this seems to be working for us,as it seems to be a lot better,there is a thread on this subject already with more to be said on the subject from peeps ,try the search engine,i would do it,but do not know how to post links and the like,just type in key words and see what comes up

[Matt.]

Leave only what you are prepared to lose... sad fact of life but thieves are everywhere. You probably wouldn't leave the tools in your front garden so I guess its no different.

[minxie]

thanks for that advice, i plan to buy stuff i need from car boots etc, so don't plan to spend loads, a cheap shed may be more difficult to find.

I guess your right, don't let it put me off, it just seems that certain people, just can't bear to leave people alone to get on with it.
For the last three years in Nov, our site has been broken into and loads of stuff stolen, it was always on a stormy rainy night, I suppose to dull the noise. of them breaking in.
This year so far it hasn't happened, that may be due to houses being built right opposite the entrance, and a huge new padlock with a little roof on it, to make it more difficulat to smash.
So I shall enjoy my lottie and be very positive, thanks all.

[yorkshire sam]

We have regular thieving from our allotments as they are on the edge of fields with a path that is used regularly by kids - have a shed which I keep bits in but most of my tools are hidden around the allotment - in chicken huts, under compost bins, etc these items never get stolen as no one ever looks in these places for them. Shed is regularly vandalised but as there is nothing of value (or of use to anyone but me ... He he) and is used as a 'trojen horse' and it works!

[bluemoon]

We don't leave any expensive items in the shed. There's a fork, spade, hoe and rake, but they are either old or cheap and are left there in case we haven't taken the appropriate tool, but suddenly discover the need/time to do something we hadn't planned. We have a cheap gas stove for brewing a cuppa (£10 Argos) and a battered old camping kettle. Our elderly patio furniture is there for seating. Ours is a relatively secure site, but if someone is determined to get on they will. We had a series of vandalism in the summer and a shed (not ours) was burned down a couple of weeks ago, but by and large it isn't too bad. When we first started allotmenteering many years ago it was much worse with thefts and vandalism almost every weekend, though I have heard of an increase in thefts on nearby sites recently and there seems to be a new tendency for crops to be stolen, which was almost unheard of before.

[Helen Johnson]

I dont lock my shed.just wedge a stick in to keep the door shut,on the thinking that the shed wont get smashed. Theres just some black plastic,old pots and few tools in there.
I think it was used as a smoking den, which I didnt mind,until the deckchairs,canes and pots were strewn all about my plot. So I still dont lock it, but wedge all the sheets of black plastic in the doorway so no-one can get in. It doesnt make a very tidy shed though!
A shed on another plot got burned down at the start of november, around bonfire night.
Is there a november shed burning theme here. Perhaps we should be more vigilant at this time. Our allotment used to be in the corner of a field,but is now the only green bit in a housing estate. Also used as a short cut from one estate to the next!

[Jedi Gardener]

Was told a similar sad tale when taking on my allotment. The guy showing me round showed me some damaged sheds all with the something in common...... they used to have a big shiny lock! Thieving scum must think there is something expensive inside and want a look! I am thinking about setting bear traps and holes with punjee spikes around mine but suspect it may clash with the rules

[snohare]

No no - don't turn to the dark side Jedi !
Of course you could always bake some tasty looking biscuits with laxatives in though - runs them off the property !
Seriously though - humans are pretty much hard-wired to avoid things they associate with being ill... very basic survival skill.

[rogesse]

Yup, don't lock the shed, we have recently had a spate of stealing mostly from plots but the only shed broken into was the one with the nice new shiney lock!

[crichmond]

I have locks on my shed and greenhouses, the shed got broke into during the summer along with a few other sheds on the allotments the difference being that my shed has an alarm so while stuff went from the other sheds mine gear was left alone. I was complimented by the police for having the alarm and was told that as they didnt take anything from mine the alarm undoubtedly scared them off.