[BrianK]

Oh well

Congrats to the well thought out legal system again.

[richyrich7]

I'm not certain about the legality but you may find that non- dry paint in not legal.

I know someone who used it on top of a wall and the police cautioned him not to use it as anyone getting it on their clothing could sue him and they meant  "anyone " !

Barbed wire can get you into trouble too 

Ridic isn't it?  That's why I suggested spikes of the natural kind....."But officer, it was just a pile of weeds waiting to be shifted..."

Blow barbwire and weeds if you want to grow something harsh it's firethorn and a nice rose called "kiftsgate" it's a real beastie and a massive rambler/climber.  Nice simple pretty white flowers

[siandc]

Truly gutted for you!

[2peasinapod]

you have been the victin of sustained and and repeated acts of crimminal damage.
the local police should take a very keen interest in this as todays plot trashers are tomorrows house trashers.

try involving the local police community suport oficer, ours are very good, direct line to their desk and they around at the times when needed.

we have a FP running right across the plot so cannot make totally sercure,
but trouble has gone down alot since the PCSO's got involved.

hope this helps and best of luck m8.

[A. Fallowfield]

After a long wait I've now got a plot, this sort of thing sickens me! We have a very secure site, but determined rotavator thieves turn up with wire cutters!
We have barbed wire courtesy of the local council as they pinched some land, and industrial at the other side.
I have been advised to site a greenhouse as far away from the fence as possible to prevent stone throwing contests by ferals!
Best security in town.

[bonfire]

2peasinapod is right this is a sustained campaign - and it will probably be the same few people so the police "Nothing we can do" is not good enough.

I deal with the police and the community in my work and I don't think I would hear this from Sussex Police. Someone knows who they are. PCSOs can put the site on their patrol, neighbours, people who live near will have a good idea who are the likely culprits and word gets out of any sort of inquiries.

At the same time your landlord also needs to take responsibility for their site and tighten up. If the vandals come back after this they are taking a bigger risk. Catching them stops it for good but making it harder discourages the empty headed idiots and gives them a bit of time to grow up - move on to something useful - or to bigger crime! If you keep on you will win - but that is easy to say and much harder to do.

[bailey]

unfortunately due to the goodie brigade you cannot protect your own anymore,, correct about the paint, you can be sued and the same for barbed/razor, though I think in places you now need permission to use wire,, even the burglar ect can sue you now, and the so called justice system will use this as a drop the charge thingy,,

as for plants there was a case a few years ago whilst I was living in the midlands where I was painting the outside of a house for an elderly couple,, the backgarden backed onto a large carpark, one night a couple of yobs climbed over and attempted to force back door and window though they were disturbed and ran towards back wall to get away, don,t know the name of the plant, decent bush with spines about 1-2 inches long, well one of the lads ran into this and got caught up was quite badly scratched ect,, the lad was later arrested by the police, the couple were warned about the bush and were told they could face counter charge??  i think nothing did happen but as said this was a few years back.

personally I think you should be able to use witihn reason whatever you can to protect your own property..

is there a way your commitee or council will supply some of the metal containers, shipping type,, these are readily available and very secure,, maybe one centrally based or smaller ones around the site with the holders having keys to secure tools ect? some i have seen on building sites have had the internals made into individual areas so maybe a small space for each holder?

[Dominic]

"Catching them stops it for good"
LMAO
Nothing but a noose will do that.

A deterant is going to leave you legaly at risk

All I can think of is camoflaging your stuff
http://www.taylorsgardenbuildings.co.uk/store/customer/product.php?productid=21865

Buy or build something like that, then bury it.
Although even then, its probably your fault if some scum jumps on the roof till it breaks then impales himself on a fork.

[mark.carline]

Its not fair but my approach is to ensure that "nothing of any value is stored in this shed".

I keep all my tools locked up with a hefty chain outside my shed and the other end is chained to a large concrete block.

If theifs know they are going to get a large reward they are going to put a large amount of effort in.

I would also try and grow brambles as much as possible - you'll be able to make jam then also

[NigelB]

There must be something that can now be done, this is sustained vandalism,running into thousands of pounds.  You cant be fobbed off by this anymore.  I know the police are run off their feet, but this is now a large crime spree.  Go to the papers and to anyone wlse who will listen.  Someone should at least put some money towards CCTV/vandalism detterents.

Sorry to say Peapod, but cctv is not a solution to these kinds of problems.
I have been researching the uses and effects of cctv for several years now and the verdict is out on them. They don't reduce crime.
The latest meta-analysis, financed in part by the Home Office is here, if anyone is interested. It contains conclusions like.... Exactly what the optimal circumstances are for effective use of CCTV schemes is not entirely clear at present, and this needs to be established by future evaluation research
(see below). But it is important to note that the success of the CCTV schemes in car
parks was mostly limited to a reduction in vehicle crimes (the only crime type measured
in 5 of the 6 schemes) and camera coverage was high for those evaluations that reported on it. In the national British evaluation of the effectiveness of CCTV, Farrington (2007b) found that effectiveness was significantly correlated with the degree of coverage of the CCTV cameras, which was greatest in car parks. Furthermore, all 6 car park schemes included other interventions, such as improved lighting and security guards.
 It is plausible to suggest that CCTV schemes with high coverage and other interventions and targeted on vehicle crimes are effective.

Conversely, the evaluations of CCTV schemes in city and town centres and public
housing measured a much larger range of crime types and only a small number of studies
involved other interventions. These CCTV schemes, as well as those focused on public
transport, did not have a significant effect on crime......

................................................


CCTV is snake-oil, no less. And it is being paid for by your tax-monies.

The onus should be on the police to prevent crime, and the public should be telling them that what they do now simply isn't good enough. 'Not enough manpower' is a poor excuse when the Home Office spends a full three-quarters of it's annual crime-prevention budget on useless technology that fools the public into thinking they are somehow safer from crime and it's effects, when in  actual fact, they are not.

[BrianK]

No disrespect but that's just your opinion. I am sure if we tried hard enough there are just as many reports and validations for CCTV.

I think we are about to go off topic on rants about personal freedoms and such like.

I do agree on one aspect though. All the best security is based on a variety of aspects and not just one hope.

Better lighting.. You can get solar powered lights that are infra red operated. Security fencing,  maybe those battery operated remote noisy alarms . (I got one that cost less than a tenner for my shed), and a great police awareness presence. Plus the old detectives might offer a reward. Snitch your gang leader for a daytrip to Alton towers, sort of thing. A mixing pot of remedies would probabl;y the best way forward.

[bailey]

having worked in security management for a number of years there is no deterent!!

CCTV many times I have reviewed footage that clearly shows the crime being commited the person involved ect, only to be dropped by the police,cps for some silly reason,, there are now set things in place which when a crime is being commited and a cctv operator is watching that they have to do,, does,nt sound difficult but in practise its very hard, and this is just to comply with data protection of all things.

majority of cases the scum will just hide their faces anyway,,  I,ve also seen how manned security become a challenge for the scrotes,, its just a game!

the answer i believe lies in the parents, and a complete change of the laws ect of this country.  the kids know the law more then the police nowadays,, alot of the younger officers I come across havent got the street wise skills ect.  although PCSO,s do a job the full time officers don,t like them so they are stuck in the middle as it were..

bring back the good old beat boobies or would give you a clip round the ear, the type you were scared of as a kid!

[peapod]

CCTV was an idea, I did say other deterents also.  We have part of our site overlooked by a business CCTV system, and have caught and prosecuted vandals (last year) due to the recording from the CCTV set-up. However, these criminals were known to the police.  I dont know the ins and outs of CCTV, but as part of a system in place, then surely its better than doing nothing?

I know if I was a criminal Id rather 'hit' a site that didnt have it than did

the answer i believe lies in the parents,
bring back the good old beat boobies or would give you a clip round the ear, the type you were scared of as a kid!

Youve got it spot on in my eyes with those two sentences Bailey

[bailey]

ta peapod,,

CCTV can be a brilliant thing,, but the law system has found ways around this and is now disvalued, you will prob find the vandals in your case chose to admit the crime as it were, you know 15 crimes taken into consideration but they don,t actually get punished, it just means thay get a clean slate as it were after the courts have dealt with them.

because the scrotes today know they will prob get away with it the will challenge sites with better security as they know that a) better security normally means something better to nick damage ect  b) its a challenge and something to brag about,,

Company i worked for in the midlands covered the NHS we took over a hospital that was being closed down and all the equipment ect was to be moved to a new site,, simple job you would have thought,, started with 3 officers, in the end there were approx 40 plus dogs and a direct link to the police! as it became a complete challenge to the locals to get in and nick stuff.

one of the best security deterrent I have come across though sadly would not work on allotments were a gaggle of geese!

[Noah'strolly]

See, now I am worried about getting a shed.

I do not have a car, nor do I know anyone on the Allotment, or even anyone else where I live to ask if I can get lifts, so I have to carry my spade, fork or rake, plus the pram when I walk to the allotment.

I am so angry for you right now... I would definitely go to the local paper, even the local radio.

If you don't want to risk a shed, could you camoflage a small tool store? I saw a guy on a tv allotment show who had a hole in the ground lined with planks (like a burried crate) which he put his tools in then covered with junk or weeds. There was another bloke who had a fake compost heap which was actually a tool store with a lid with weeds stuck on it.