Top tips to prevent burglaries
February’s here and whilst waiting for all those Valentine cards to come pouring in, one’s thoughts naturally turn to the coming of Spring. And we know what appears in Spring – new-born lambs, blooming flowers, and hopefully a new series or two to watch on Netflix.
Being neither a famer, nor a TV reviewer, I’m just going to concentrate on the middle of that triumvirate. Well, vaguely about blooming flowers anyway – it’s more about gardens, plants, and how they can help assist with the prevention of burglaries.
People can erroneously assume that the bigger their hedges and shrubs, the more protection they provide against intruders. However, perhaps counterintuitively, the reverse can be true. Hedges are all well and good, but if you have them at the front of the property and they grow beyond the height of the average human, they can instead provide cover for any burglars attempting to break in to your property. I’d advise keeping any hedges no more than 1.5 metre high, so if yours is above this height and looking a bit unkempt it might be time to get that strimmer out.
Don’t remove hedges & plants altogether
Don’t get rid of those hedges and plants altogether though. By utilising defensive planting, you can greatly enhance the security of your home. Planting hardy shrubs alongside garden walls and fences can make it tough for burglars to access your property. Prickly plants are especially effective in deterring some burglars, forming a natural spiked boundary
Whilst we’re looking at the garden, it’s an appropriate time to reiterate that any garden tools, portable furniture or ladders should be locked away when not being used. Not only can these be attractive in themselves as targets for burglars but they can also be used by burglars to facilitate a break-in, reaching up to first storey windows or accessible garage roofs.
Secure your sheds & garage
Any sheds or garages need to be kept as secure as you would keep your house and yet are often neglected or treated as an afterthought. There are a variety of ways of improving security – the use of coach bolts, padlocks, hasps and shed bars can all assist. Think carefully about what you are storing in sheds or garages too, and check carefully to see if your home insurance will cover the loss should a break-in occur… unfortunately people often don’t read that small print until it’s too late.
Check the illumination around your garden too. Darkness can give burglars just as much cover as an overgrown hedge. A judiciously placed light can take this advantage away from any prospective house-breaker, as well as making the garden an attractive place to sit out in the evening when the weather gets a bit warmer.
Whilst we may wish to do anything we can to protect our houses, there are legal guidelines to be followed so apparently shark-filled moats, machine gun turrets and land mines are all pretty much frowned upon by the powers-to-be. However, when it comes to plants and hedges we’re on much safer ground, and whilst a prickly metre-high hedge might not put off an intruder quite as much as a Kalashnikov-toting security guard, it still might well be enough of a deterrent for them to move on to an easier target. A little bit of thought and planning, and your garden can play its very own part in helping to protect your house.