With the good weather and the longer daylight hours. Now is a good time to assess your garden and shed for vulnerabilities and make improvements.
Analysis of ten years of claims data from Aviva, reveals that thefts from gardens and outbuildings shoot up by over a quarter when the clocks go forward. It is much easier when it is lighter to see through a window in your shed or after a day of gardening forget to put all your tools away.
Don’t make it easy for burglars to break in! Make sure your garden shed is fully secure.
An average garden shed contents are worth around £600 and 1 in every 10 people with garden sheds admit to leaving it unlocked! It is not only inviting burglars to take anything they want from your shed but also many garden tools are used to break into houses where the real treasures are.
It’s no good to think ‘it will never happen to me’, because crime stats show that 1 in 7 households experience a theft from the garden. So how do we protect ourselves? Taking just a few steps can make a huge difference in keeping your home safer.
Here are a few of Immobilise’s top tips;
1. Register your valuables on Immobilise
In a few easy steps you can register anything valuable on Immobilise. Our Free service is supported by the Police who use these records to identify owners of recovered property.
2. Marking your valuables
Almost anything can be, and is registered on Immobilise. Where possible an items unique serial number is recorded however these can often be easily tampered with and not all valuable possessions have one – where that is the case its simple to give an item a unique ID using some type of marking product or method such as etching or UV pen. Immobilise sells a range of marking products to help make it easier for Police to identify recovered property and return items to their rightful owners.
Two popular products for garden and shed equipment are:
ImmobiMark
This fully encompassing property marking kit is one of our most popular products and includes all the basics to get your property marked up, such as security tags, window stickers, UV marker pen and UV light and key fobs.
ImmobiMark product infoImmobiBike
Protect your bicycle with the ImmobiBike. Easily inserted into the seat post tube, providing your bike with its own unique tamper-proof ID. This patented RFID technology makes it possible to identify who owns a lost or stolen bike after police recovery.
ImmobiBike product info3. Secure your shed with a good lock
Lock up garden tools and equipment every evening. Anything that is not locked away is a target for thieves, or worse may be a tool they use to break into your home.
4. Give your shed an MOT
Sheds are exposed to the elements during harsh winter months and may need a bit of TLC to make sure your belongings stay secure. Check for structural weaknesses and replace any rotten/brittle boards. If your shed has windows check for loose hinges and consider adding bars or similar if you store a lot of valuable equipment in it.
5. Secure your garden
Keep your garden as secure as you can by locking gates, planting “defensive” shrubs such as pyracantha. You could install trellis on the top of your fence; it breaks and alerts you to an intruder. Along boundaries install motion triggered floodlights, an action that according to guidelines issued by the Police initiative Secured by Design, is the most effective form of security.
You might also consider alarming your shed and outbuildings – if you don’t have mains power to it there are plenty of cost effective battery operated options that may fit the bill!
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Security products
ImmobiMark Complete Property Marking Kit
Ideal for use with your Immobilise account. You will be able to mark, label and register all your possessions to deter thieves and help the authorities identify and return your property.
Barcoded Security Warning Labels
Label your assets and technology with barcoded security warning tags. These serial-numbered labels help in identifying property by registering the numbers on your account.
Labeling your valuables also acts as a deterrent to theft and property crime.