Nip Garden Crime In The Bud - And Don't Forget Sheds and Allotments!

Spring is on the way with Easter weekend around the corner and many people will be taking the opportunity to get to work in their gardens.
West Mercia Police is urging green-fingered residents to help it ‘weed out’ garden crime by reviewing and improving their garden and shed security.
Although Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Telford & Wrekin are low-crime areas, around 1,500 shed burglaries take place every year across the West Mercia region and spring often sees an increase in these thefts.
Many people leave valuable equipment in gardens and unsecured sheds, providing easy pickings for opportunist thieves. So, it is important that people take the time to ensure their valuables are stored securely.
Later this month thousands of packets of seeds will be distributed to the public across the force. They come packed with handy tips on how people can make their gardens and sheds more secure and prevent burglars from breaking in.
West Mercia Police has also produced Shed Cards with the message ‘STOP all valuables have been removed’, which local residents can display on their sheds (in gardens and allotments). The cards act as a handy reminder that valuable items should not be stored in sheds, as well as deterring thieves from breaking in.
PC Ian White, the force’s Crime Risk Manager, said: “While many people take steps to protect their homes and the property inside them, they often leave valuable equipment such as power tools, mowers, garden tools and bikes in sheds in their gardens or allotments. Often they are unsecured or not strong or secure enough to defend against thieves.
“We are advising people to look at how to secure their gardens and allotments and if necessary make some adjustments.”

(Reproduced from westmercia.police.uk 30th March)

Gardien Tip: The garden shed is the number one target - see how to protect it at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/shed-security-print.htm