allotment security

[bradlo]

What a sad state of affairs it all is... vandalism, petty theft etc. seems to be at epidemic level in this country.

[Andromeda]

What a sad state of affairs it all is... vandalism, petty theft etc. seems to be at epidemic level in this country.

Unfortunately it's what happens when the balance between rights and responsibilities is skewed, manners and respect are no longer taught properly (or enforced).

[Two_Sheds]

It's so sad that u cant even do a spot of gardening nowdays without the scum of the earth hampering your efforts.

I caught some young yobbos in the act last summer hols. I stayed cheerful & friendly and managed to get some info out of them (for ID purposes) but one of The Olde Boyes weighed in with the swears and got some back at him. It didn't help.

They were just bored, their mum's kicked them out of the house all day with no money and nowhere to go. They said they liked winding up The Olde Boyes (because they get a great reaction).

They'd also been jaywalking, trying to get cars to stop in the road: the police told me they could've done them for that, but not for trespassing on the allotments


btw, I don't lock my shed, and my tools are disguised under layers & layers of dirty old plastic sacks
Sometimes I also leave an open bucket of comfrey tea just inside the door, where an intruder might be likely to kick it over

[zazen999]

We left ours unlocked for the first 2 years then we all got targetted - anything resellable was taken [out of my shed, 2 rolls of cheap weed fabric were taken but the hand made tool that I'd inadvertently left there worth 5 times as much was ignored.]. So we have padlocked it ever since. Because I have paths on mine, I just make the paths and the plot inaccessable in the dark - so I put bags of compost in the way, bricks, canes vertically with horizontal ones woven between them - anything to make it look difficult to walk over. Haven't had anything taken since - except for the old bloke who lives nearby who used to have them all about 20 years ago, who seems to wander over and take harvested and pile them in his polytunnel. The poly has now been taken down [by his family, even though it wasn't his plot at the time] and so he has nowhere to stash them now so hopefully it will stop. I'll carry on with the inaccessibility though. Just makes it less likely to have things taken.

[greenishfing]

We've had our shed broken into several times over the years. We always report it to the police. One of the reasons these things happen is that the police don't bother patrolling any more, people don't bother reporting thefts and then the police really don't see the point in patrolling as there is no crime. We do lock our sheds and my husband has, at various times, had harebrained ideas of how to boobytrap them which would no doubt end in electrocution, decapitation or some equally deadly and gruesome death. I have, up to now, managed to restrain him by telling him that with his memory (forgetting he'd set the trap) he would likely be the victim. This is not to say that I don't agree with his ideas. If I could just think of something non lethal, legal but really really nasty.

[veggiechicken]

What about a bucket of comfrey tea above the door, so that when the door is opened the bucket empties over the thieves?

[greenishfing]

That sounds good but I just know it would end up over husbands head and I'd end up having to wash his clothes.

[Gazz666]

The problem nowdays is if u set a non lethal trap and the culprit gets slightly injured or not at all, he'll sue the ass of ya and win, dispite the fact that they where on your allotment and trying to knick your gear. It's a no win situation im afraid.

[greenishfing]

This is why husband wants lethal traps and then a big hole...........

[BarleySugar]

So far our site has been problem free. I do use a padlock on our shed, but if anyone looked through the window they could see there isn't much to nick. People wiithout sheds leave their stuff laying around, and no problems, but I would be a bit concerned myself if I had a petrol mower or rotivator on my plot.

[Pompeylottie]

we have had nearly every pane in our greenhouse smashed in one summer a few years ago, and a wheelbarrow thrown through the roof. The shed has been broken into several times but we dont keep any power tools in it, we dont lock it as, when we have, they have smashed the door open.

that particular gang of hooligans seem to have moved on but we still get odd spates of theft and vandalism. Our local police ask us to report every incident, even damage to pumpkins, as this builds up the full picture and they then have reason to increase patrols etc. Clearly some thefts are by other plot holders which is probably the most upsetting. \there's many pests on the plot, the most annoying are the two legged variety! At least you can spray the other pests.

[areia]

was chatting today and one bloke did booby trap his shed wire mesh on the insida all for them to use wire cutters to get in and steal ....wait for it a trowel and a left glove hahaha ( I know I shouldnt laugh ) but even so how determined do you have to be ,

The allotment assiociation are in the process of putting a steel shed on a plot for member only though to store their tools tiz a good idea but i can see the cons too, apart from the charge to be apart of association. There is a definate devide ive noticed between members and non members

whats been funny today is a few people i was chatting to are coming up with funny notices to stick on their doors

if you can break into the shed and find the wife you can have her, was one hehehe

[alldigging]

We've only had out site for a year but kids only came on after someone put a shed on the site.
Luckily neighbours to the site spotted kids going on and the bloke was on the scene very quick and followed by the police.
Sadly they didn't catch the kids.

Not so long back three kids started climbing over the fence only to discover that this bloke was in his shed and he came roaring out at them - again he didn't catch them but if they have any sense they won't be back.

We've got a CCTV camera right by the site entrance but it's a bit dark at night to see what's going on. Short of lighting it up like a Christmas tree there's not much we can do. I have suggested IR bulbs in those solar lights but haven't yet got someone to do this.

We're going to get some anti-climb paint but am waiting for feedback from the housing association who share a wall with us - about putting signs on their side of the wall warning about the paint.

[Gazz666]

It seems an ongoing problem throughout the UK, I must admit when I was a kid I did raid the odd turnip from someones garden at halloween but that was just to make a lantern, I would never dream of smashing up someones greenhouse though.

Instead of phoning the police when it happens has anyone popped into the local police station and spoke to the Neighbourhood/community officers for the area the allotment is in. Thats exactly what they are there for and there main role is dealing with anti social behaviour and I bet ur bottom dollar they'll know all the kids who are involved in that sort of behaviour personnally.

[hamamelis]

I have a dummy padlock on mine. It's a real padlock, I just don't lock it...
The site I'm on backs onto a large city park- and though there's a 7 foot fence with spikes on top, and anti-climb paint; it doesn't keep anyone out. Even my housemate (far from the most athletic person I know, and wearing an ankle length skirt at the time) managed to hop the fence once (getting out, after being locked in by accident). People appear to wander in and dump stuff (I'm sure no-one actually on site can have a different broken down TV to dump every other week), and break-ins are very common. The site was left unlocked for a month after the gate lock broke, and apparently a lot of people's keys don't work on the replacement lock, so even now there is a lock, it's regularly left open.

Most people don't bother with shed locks, and those that do have clearly had the shed smashed in at least once. Mine looks locked from the path, which should hopefully put ratbags off, and there's not much worth nicking in there. My good tools live in the house, or in the mobile shed (aka, the car).

I did see the police round there last week in there- they let me out the gate in fact- so I guess some stuff's wandered off again recently. At least they do follow it up.