I had a call this morning from one of our allotment neighbours to tell me that most of the sheds on our site had been broken into sometime overnight or this morning!
When we arrived we found that the main lock to our shed had been cut off.
Having destroyed the main lock the criminals found that the door still wouldn't open as the standard key lock was still operating and so they left without going any further. I suppose we should be grateful that the swines didn't jemmy the door and cause further damage. If they had just looked through our shed window they could have saved themselves the trouble of breaking the lock as it is obvious that there is nothing inside to steal!
Other plotters had the same problem locks broken but nothing missing. I suppose one answer is to leave sheds unlocked but in the past we have suspected that sheds on empty plots have had night visitors! Not sure what the night visitors were up to but whatever it was we don't fancy it happening in our shed!
No doubt whatever was stolen will end up at some car-boot sale. Must admit I wonder the ease of disposing of stolen goods encourages break-ins such as this.
Anyway the police have been informed and I have my crime number - surprisingly the person I spoke to wanted lots of detail which seemed to imply that they did care about this sort of thing.
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It is very disappointing when you realize that you need as good door on your shed as you have on your home. I am sorry this has happened to you, but at least nothing was stolen and there wasn't any further damage to the doors.
ReplyDeleteI guess we got away lightly Ana - unlike what happened to poor Tanya last year. We just know never to leave anything at the shed that someone would want
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that GL,
ReplyDeleteGet yourself one of these...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yale-Single-Room-Alarm-Remote-Control-LOUD-130dB-/120666795993?pt=UK_Burglar_Alarms&hash=item1c184d2fd9
Works by heat/motion, not door/contact movement which can be a problem in the wind.
It says something about it being for a room Craig - is it OK for outside?
ReplyDeleteOh no! I sympathise. We have had several break-ins at our shed. Last time they used metal cutters and just cut the hasp that the padlock went through. We had our strimmer stolen that time. The council allotment officer said 68 sheds were broken into that night.
ReplyDeleteI'm gald they did nothing more than break your lock. It is a catch 22 situation isn't it....to lock or not to lock....either way there are consequences...I'm just gald it wasn't too bad for you and hope that the rest of your lot neighbours faired as well as you did.
ReplyDeleteAs for the crime number...I wouldn't personally get much comfort from that...U was given one and then never heard from the police again...it was as if it didn't happen....although I did get a call from a grief councellor three weeks later.
Yes, ideal for a shed that. Moment they walk in 130decibels in there face. They'll soon run. ;)
ReplyDeleteAll battery operated, can get an additional unit to affix outside under cover in a box, if they cut the wire to disarm it, it'll still go off.
Much better than the magnetic ones which go off in wind all the time.
I sympathize...,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about this incident. This sort of thing is one of the reasons why I don't have an allotment. Gardening in my own back garden means I can keep an eye on things that much better - though of course it doesn't completely eliminate the problem. I have lost a few things from my shed in the past.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda - our council allotments officer won't even insist that people lock the site gates. It wouldn't have helped this time but in the past it would have.
ReplyDeleteI don't really expect to here anything Tanya but at least it will appear in crime numbers so they can't pretend there is no problem. Grief counsellor?
The trouble is Craig that we want to stop them causing damage to doors etc as there isn't anything really to steal once inside.
Thanks Bangchik
We used to grow vegetables in the garden too Mark but didn't have enough space. before getting the allotment we did consider moving but large gardens are not easy to find with the right house on them -not around where we are at least.
sorry to hear about the theif attempt.
ReplyDeleteAt least it was only an attempt Diana and only the lock was damaged and no further damage caused.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear this. I'm glad they didn't take anything but it's still inconvenient, not to mention expensive, to have to replace locks. Some people just want what others have without having to put the work in to get them, makes my blood boil.
ReplyDeleteSilly thing about it is if you call using a bolt cutter work then they put in a lot of 'work' for little reward as most seds had nothing stolen. Some people are just of a different breed to most decent people!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about this. We get gates kicked in from time to time, but I never leave anything in the shed that I'd be upset if I lost it.
ReplyDeleteCraig's alarm looks pretty neat; might get one of them as we had our shed at home broken into last year.
Sorry to hear about that, how disheartening. Glad they didn't get anything from you.
ReplyDeleteOh how awful GLA. I cant help but think we'll see more of this kind of thing in the current climate but its completely gutting and a bloomin nuisance that you're left with the mess to fix up. can you keep livestock on your allotment, a couple of geese should see 'em off!
ReplyDeleteHow horrid, sounds very petty as well. I met someone on our plot last week who had just discovered that all her shed windows had been smashed in, but no break in to shed itself, she put it down to bored kids. I find it depressing. Glad nothing was stolen.
ReplyDeleteWe're the same Woody so the problem with us is rather than see them off when they have smashed the door in we want to see them off before they do any damage. I don't think Craigs alarm will do that. Maybe as a second line of defence but how much is it worth spending?
ReplyDeleteThanks Damo - to be honest we knew it would be when rather than if!
We can keep livestock FRG but only chickens and rabbits. To be honest I'd worry about someone hurting any animals. Geese wouldn't be allowed!
Some plotters have had pumpkins and cabbages used as footballs by kids Janet but it tends to be during school holidays. AS you say they tend to go in for wanton damage rather than theft.
So sorry to read this, and if the g*ts who did this turned up with bolt cutters then they were certainly determined and would probably have cut into the site even if you had locked main gates.
ReplyDeleteI like Craig's idea but agree that it is only a deterent. I might well put one on the greenhouse door though ....
Like Mark, this is one reason I have never wanted an allotment (but I am fortunate always to have had growing space at home).
The site gate padlock was cut this time BW but the point really is that when left open during the day we have people driving round and sussing out the plot - looking in open sheds etc. Surprisingly I have had two call from the police but they can't progress anything as they have no information to follow up. They did say that the Neighbourhood Patrol would visit more.
ReplyDelete