The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Baggins11 on August 09, 2020, 08:28:39 am
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I am looking for tips on upping our security. There have been a few times recently where our village has been targeted. It's usually builders tools that get taken but it's only a matter of time.
Non of our buildings are particularly secure and it would be expensive to make them more secure so I am looking at ideas to prevent theives from getting onto our land all together.
We have 2 access points and the one near our house doesn't even have a gate. It would be difficult to put a gate in here. Our other access point has a metal gate that isn't bolted currently.
So what's the best strategy? Dummy cctv, real cctv, signs such as 'beware of the dog' or '24hr cctv recording'?
If I bolt the second access point does that make us more of a target as people might think we have something valuable? It is on a through route that gets a fair bit of traffic past the gate.
Any advice welcome
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Whilst it might be expensive to make your building secure a break in is expensive and your insurers will expect you to protect your property.
It is impossible to stop thieves coming onto your land. They don't always use the gates. You can though make it harder by locking gates.
Real cameras are obviously better than dummy ones. They don't like dogs. Sensor lighting is good. Permanently mark your property.
If they are determined they are hard to stop but the more difficult you make it the chances are they will try their hand elsewhere.
If someone comes onto your property looking for directions, buying scrap, in vans etc take their number plate and if possible let them see you do it. Have a neighbourhood watch system to look out for each other.
Where I live they have been thieving in broad daylight.
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I always say you won't stop a determined "professional" thief - but you can deter an opportunist. ;)
And yes, check your small print. Insurers may refuse to pay up if you haven't taken all reasonable precautions. (Most insurers won't pay for a stolen quad bike unless it was behind bolts and padlocks, for instance.)
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Thanks for those ideas. I have started marking our property and will look at better sensor lights and improving our building security.
I think at the moment our best deterrent is our dog. She is a very good guard dog. She is a big beast and looks the part. She is not friendly with strangers so I do make a point of having her on show when anyone is around that I don't know.
I am more concerned about break ins at night though as that's when the recent ones in the area have been.
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I always say you won't stop a determined "professional" thief - but you can deter an opportunist. ;)
The opportunist is the one who calls in the daytime sees no-one is in, dog is in the kennel and finds an unlocked trailer, unlocked shed, chainsaw on the wood pile while you nipped for a can of petrol. The professional reckies an area and sees how many hits they can do in one run and probably has a shopping list.
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I got a couple of PIR sensors which are wireless and give a doorbell ring when anyone crosses the beam. I’ve seen the look on people’s faces when they come towards the door and the doors bell’ rings for them. It puts them on the back foot. Same with PIR lights.
These people know the difference between real and dummy cctv. Although I’d hope either might again make them feel less easy.
Actual Cctv doesn’t seem to help very much with rural crimes: sorry but the classic ‘a white van and two guys wearing jeans and dark hoodies’ seems to leave the police pretty stuck with where to start. Same as number plates. The ones used for crime are registered to empty addresses.
Gravel, locks, dog, lights might help. Gates that are shut have been shown to reduce casual footfall of chancers in suburban households compared to households with opened gates.
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By marking your property I suppose you mean UV pen markers? I've just bought a couple of those and I'll put my house number and post code on them - but even then any stolen goods rarely turn up if they are of any value, do they?
I have always had PIRs - have tried to tell my friend that dawn to dusk lights are much less effective as burglars can find a way round them, whereas PIRs go on and off and attract attention. I had to move one of mine as it kept waking me when th rabbits ran past
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I got a couple of PIR sensors which are wireless and give a doorbell ring when anyone crosses the beam. I’ve seen the look on people’s faces when they come towards the door and the doors bell’ rings for them. It puts them on the back foot. Same with PIR lights.
These people know the difference between real and dummy cctv. Although I’d hope either might again make them feel less easy.
Actual Cctv doesn’t seem to help very much with rural crimes: sorry but the classic ‘a white van and two guys wearing jeans and dark hoodies’ seems to leave the police pretty stuck with where to start. Same as number plates. The ones used for crime are registered to empty addresses.
Gravel, locks, dog, lights might help. Gates that are shut have been shown to reduce casual footfall of chancers in suburban households compared to households with opened gates.
I get your point with your classic quote but sometimes criminals aren't the brightest and do leave plates visible.
We used to have a light in the tack room which came on when the door opened and an alarm went off in the house. Was really useful.
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By marking your property I suppose you mean UV pen markers? I've just bought a couple of those and I'll put my house number and post code on them - but even then any stolen goods rarely turn up if they are of any value, do they?
I have always had PIRs - have tried to tell my friend that dawn to dusk lights are much less effective as burglars can find a way round them, whereas PIRs go on and off and attract attention. I had to move one of mine as it kept waking me when th rabbits ran past
They do turn up sometimes and if they do you stand more chance of getting them back.
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Steph i love the sound of the bell with the PIR. Does the door bell sound go off outside or is it meant for inside to alert you.
It sounds a great idea and I am tempted to get one but I can imagine the novelty would wear off if animals are setting it off in the night.
Is there a brand you would recommend and do you get any problems with wind or animals setting it off?
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A local farm has a siren at the end of the track up to it. There is no missing that someone is coming to visit.
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A local farm has a siren at the end of the track up to it. There is no missing that someone is coming to visit.
Love it.
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I met a chap walking up my drive with two mates. He asked if I had a broody hen. He had one but it was two heavy for the eggs so he wanted a lighter broody hen to borrow. I took his inquiry at face value and informed him that I had no broody hens of any weight. I could not help noticing that his two mates standing a bit behind both seemed to be suffering from severe nystagmus which is really unusual unless perhaps they were brothers.
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ht. I could not help noticing that his two mates standing a bit behind both seemed to be suffering from severe nystagmus which is really unusual unless perhaps they were brothers.
I had to google that onet! :roflanim: :roflanim:
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We have CCTV and 3 dogs.
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I don’t know the brand, just eBay. The pir sensor goes outside and the bell bit inside. But is loud enough to be heard from outside so ‘they’ know you know. Cost about £10 plus batteries. Takes a bit of faff as goes off if pir lights shine on it so need to get it positioned carefully.
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If you haven't already got one a large dog, that barks. We have CCTV, we also a have a camera doorbell, that rings when you walk past. We have a sensor at the back of the sheds, that also rings a bell. All the gates have padlocks. I live in organized clutter, so its difficult for someone to find things quickly. I tend to park cars to block the drive, and used to keep an old one with no MOT just for that when I had a trailer.
My neighbour has CCTV, but still had something taken, they were in the garden, but didn't know they were there. I think something that alerts you to anyone coming on your property is more important than the cameras.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/600m-Wireless-Driveway-Alarm-System-with-2-PIRs-Solar-Powered-No-need-to-re/254615864390?hash=item3b4849c446:g:GwEAAOSwZbJe13Cn (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/600m-Wireless-Driveway-Alarm-System-with-2-PIRs-Solar-Powered-No-need-to-re/254615864390?hash=item3b4849c446:g:GwEAAOSwZbJe13Cn)
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I agree about alerting beforehand rather than advising afterwards. However, both have their uses
My 6 year old Brittany girl was always keen of hearing but since my old cat, her pal, and her mum, Belle, died in the last few months she has become much more sensitive.
She often comes and looks at me when I can't hear or see anything and I have to go and check. Many times it's a false alarm but on the majority of occasions she has heard vehicles coming down our road and slowing before they even turn in here. So it's very useful in that I can be ready for visitors of any kind.
I also believe in sudden light. I have LED PIRs all around the house. So anyone intruding won't be able to determine when or where they will light up. A friend of mine put in an expensive set of 'dusk to dawn' lights only to be told by our community bobby that they were more likely to be helpful to a burglar than a hindrance - and in addition her neighbours complained about always being bathed in light when they were trying to sleep.