Thieves

[Dynamo]

Our allotments have had quite a few incidents recently where thieves have broken into sheds and stolen gear so I was wondering what other allotments associations have similar problems and what has been done to combat them.

I've only ever had one item stolen and that was a garden fork, but strangely enough, the missing fork suddenly reappeared about six months after it went missing. I guess someone just borrowed it and forgot to return it. I never bother locking my shed so anything is easy to take anyway, and in fact until this winter I didn't even have a shed to keep stuff in and I just left the tools outside.

The fact is, the thieves aren't interested in general garden tools. They want stuff like hammers and screwdrivers and generators and rotorvators. Its ironic that at our annual meeting last Saturday, the secretary said thieves had been about and he suggested that good tools shouldn't be kept on the lotties, then he brought some stuff to his allotment for just the one night and it was gone in the morning. He should have heeded his own warning.

I doubt that the associations coffers can afford to erect a CCTV camera or two, but I was wondering if anyone had had any success by just advertising the fact that CCTV cams are in the area to call the thieves bluff. I could suggest that a dummy camera is fitted somewhere just to make the thieves think twice.

For my money though, people have got to stop keeping valuable items on the allotments. If the thieves keep finding that there's nothing there to pinch, they won't go to the bother of breaking into sheds etc anymore. Thats my theory anyway.

[Olorin2001]

We have a trail camera like the one's used in wildlife programmes, so you get a photo of the culprits, and also get to see what wildlife is about. The police aren't interested, and the photo can't be used in court on account of using the camera without having signs up is not lawful. But with the thief identified, you show the picture around and someone will know who they are, then you get a few allotment holders together and go knock on their door. But as you say, if there is nothing to steal they don't come back so often.

[alldigging]

If it was there only one night and got nicked then either
- you've got someone who saw it go on
- or they're on every night
- or it was coincidence. Yeah right.

CCTV and catch the buggers.

But in the mean time get an engraver tool and postcode mark all the tools (postcode and house number).
Concrete loops in and chain big stuff down.
Ask the local police crime prevention team for advice. They may have some smart water.

And report every theft! Get log numbers. Keep a list of allotment crime so you can take it to local councillors to ask for a bit of funding to help with additional security.

[jonohanson]

We had issues with scrappies and thieves, the only answer was to leave no metal on the site and remove all tools.

The main issue was the damage caused to crops, since removing all tools and metal from site the break-ins have stopped.

[Nicos]

There always seem to be a spate of pinching garden tools when the car boot season starts

For those of us with cars it's not difficult to move stuff home-allotment-home- but for those on bikes/bus rides or on foot, it must be very difficult.


On our first site , our neighbour dug a large hole and left his hosepipe in it. Covered it over with black plastic, a pallet and some bits of wood so it looked like a mini wood store.
You'd have never known it was there unless you saw him pack it all away.

[salome2001]

Our site has had the odd break in/ veg nicked but it has no fences as it is surrounded by houses and they use the lane as a rear access. One bloke lost a mower and rotavator. I've left forks etc out by accident and no one has nicked them though. There are a few sheds on the plots but nothing much in them, just pots and canes and such now, or chicken feed.
We have the "due to recent thefts CCTV has been installed" signs, but as the signs are mostly falling over and there isn't a pole to put a camera on in sight, I think they are disregarded. I've thought about installing solar powered motion sensor lights when I get chooks and an eglu.
Our "neighbourhood watch" comes from the fact that its a small site and nearly everyone with a plot overlooks it, anyone unknown where they shouldn't be has a good chance of being interrupted.

[salome2001]

Oh, I actually meant to say that along Nicos' line of reasoning: I've seen tool chests hidden under woodpiles/ in pallet compost bins before too

[veggiechicken]

I used to keep my tools in a dalek

[WillyNelson]

We've had some periodic thefts on our plot but nothing for a while. After the last one the police came & marked all our tools for free as well as giving us a dedicated PCSO and "increasing patrols". We also got all the fences repaired and the gates redone to block all the holes & gaps.

[kathycam]

My allotment has asked me to research security cameras. Has anyone any suggestions for a camera suitable to have near the gate and maybe some other more discreet ones- which may even pick up internal thefts. We've had at least 3 break ins in the last 2 months! The posters saying cameras in use have been covered in grafiti. Maybe some posters with eyes on?

[polc1410]

Have you got power? Have you got access to internet? (i.e. any plot holder nearby who has WiFi you can tap into?)

[kathycam]

Hi we have power- but no wifi as far as I know. I may search for wifi connections nearby. I did suggest a trail camera to them, but they're not sure about that.

[snohare]

You can get battery-operated trail cameras that use Infrared light to take photos of wildlife: they are triggered by movement, and relatively unobtrusive, about the size of a transistor radio. It might be worth talking to the bobbies about what the law is regarding these - they are not CCTV, but with appropriate warning signs up, any evidence arising from their use might be usable.
The problem with showing these photos around informally and then going knocking on a door is that the wrong person might be identified - I speak as one who has been mistakenly identified in the past as a criminally minded doppelganger, and it's not a good situation !
You might as well do something about security now, start trying to find funding for fencing. There's already plenty of foodbanks around with no shortage of hungry customers - someday some of the overspill is likely to come visiting your crops. At which point, will you want to keep working your plot in order to feed thieves ?

[bubblewrap]

That for me would be difficult as I have a full range of tools(including a lawn mower) in my shed.
As I don't own a car taking spade,fork,hoe etc. each day would not be possible.
Our site is council owned on has six foot security fencing at the entrance & chain link fencing round the rest.
The site is in the middle of a council housing estate & as some allotment owners live there(Keep a look out) we have had little stolen in recent years( a few veg maybe)
We try to keep the gate to the site locked at all times even when someone is working on the site.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Our allotments have had quite a few incidents recently where thieves have broken into sheds and stolen gear so I was wondering what other allotments associations have similar problems and what has been done to combat them.

.

Well here is the situation on our Council owned site. There is no perimeter fencing. We live in an area where there have been several instances of fire rasing in the very recent past. 4 sheds torched on our site. A local school recently closed when a new building was commissioned was torched. A recently closed social club building broken in to and torched.

We have asked for perimeter fencing and it has not been provided. My immediate plot neighbour's shed almost went secondary to oneof the sheds that was burned. The plastic guttering on his shed melted and the roof felt had been bubbling.

His plot was brokeninto in the winter months. His shed was forced open and he had some property stolen. The plot is fenced with barbed wire on top. The barbed wire has been there for 15 years without any complaint.

Yesterday he received a letter from the Council telling him he must take down the barbed wire :eek. I kid you not.

Perhaps no surprise. He is 62. Women over 60 get a 50% discount and he has asked for the same privilege and pointed out the gender discrimination laws.