Getting Started

Start by looking at your property from the front. Avoid hidden areas where intruders can lurk unseen by making it as clear and open as possible with view lines into the garden. At least have a clear area above waist level so any intruders will be clearly visible. Consider security lighting for any areas that are in deep shadow at night and gravel paths to prevent a silent approach. Make the back garden a difficult area to access with prickly hedging or fencing around the perimeter. You may need planning permission for fencing over 2m (6ft 6ins) high at the back and 1m (3ft) high to the front of your property. Check with your local planning office. If you live in a conservation area, then check whether there are any other restrictions which apply.

Secure Fences

A high fence of at least 1.8 metre is required to the back of the property. If it borders a rear path or railway line or any other land to which the public have access the height should be increased to 2 metres and the fence topped with trellis to the height of 300mm. It is worth noting that a fence of 2 metres will provide 6 metres of shelter from the wind. There is no doubt that a criminal makes the most of easy access, particularly if a few short steps places him out of public view. Many of us live in detached or semi-detached homes with an open side access to the rear garden. A majority of those drives or paths will have the gate towards the back of the house which allows the criminal to get out of sight before climbing over into the back garden. More vulnerable still are the many properties that back onto open land, railway lines and communal alleyways. It is not surprising that well over half of all burglaries will involve the use of these access opportunities.

Trellising

The choice of trellis material and its fixing is important. It should not be so strong that it will carry the weight of a climber and not so weak that a moderate wind will blow it down. If you intend to grow a prickly shrub through it then the trellis will have to be strong, the climbing plant may otherwise break it. Trellis deters intruders, because of the difficulty of climbing such a structure. The climber also risks detection if it collapses. Even the most determined thief will be delayed whilst taking it down, increasing the likelihood of his detection.

Fence Toppings

As an alternative to trellis a plant can be grown along a series of wires stretched between post extensions. All types of perimeter fencing can be softened with the right species of plants thereby reducing what can often be seen as an overly aggressive method to reduce criminal opportunity. Fence toppings can also be given the green finger treatment. For example, barbed wire can be replaced with a climbing rose so long as sufficient supports have been stretched along the top of the fence. If the barbed wire is firmly fixed and not easily removed, you could use this as the support for the plant. Single strands of barbed wire along the top of a fence are fairly easy to overcome requiring a couple of cuts with some wire cutters. A mature rose climbing along and over the top of the wall or fence will offer a far more substantial barrier.

Fence Hopping

For some of you it may be inappropriate to use high fencing between gardens. This is particularly the case if your garden is narrow as a high fence can create an unsightly tunnel effect. There may be other practical reasons. You may, for instance, want to grow shrubs which require a good light or you may simply want to chat to your neighbours over the fence. The important security issue to consider here is the problem of "fence hopping". This describes the method by which some thieves will climb into a garden from a road or rear alleyway (over which you have no control) and then climb over subsequent internal fences until they reach their desired target. The way to overcome this is to construct a lower fence of around 1.2m (other referred to as a "Gossip fence") and top it with a trellis section of around 600mm or more. It will be necessary to use posts of sufficient height to take both the fence and the trellis, but you will be left with a fence which will provide both good vision and a reasonable level of security. Planting the right type of defensive shrubs up against this type of fencing, particularly against the fence on the side where access is likely to be gained will improve the security still further. Brick walls to the back garden can also be topped using trellis panels fixed to vertical battens.

Gates

Solid wooden gates offer easy entry for thieves because they are sturdy to climb and tend to be tucked away at the sides of houses. Make these harder to climb by covering the cross members with a panel so there isn't't an obvious foothold. Unlikely though it may sound, wrought iron gates may be a far more effective deterrent. Their ornamental ironwork makes climbing difficult and any intruders can be seen through them. It's always wise to use at least two locks on a gate if possible. For example, on a wooden gate you could use a padlock and hasp at the top plus a barrel bolt near the bottom and in the case of a wrought iron gate, a thick heavy chain with a padlock. If the burglar can't go over or through the gate, he may decide to try to take it off completely, so it's important to try to prevent this. This can be done by either welding the hinges shut, or positioning the metal pins in each hinge so that they slide in place at different angles to each other.

Defensive Planting

Nature has provided us with an amazing array of plants which, by their prickly nature or habit of growth, can be used to prevent crime. You can use the plant's own defence strategy to improve yours. At the same time you will be creating a habitat for wildlife and a feature to be enjoyed for many years. It is important to realise that not all "defensive" plants are prickly. For example, to protect a wall from graffiti you can grow any number of climbing plants such as ivy. The right choice of trees will enable you to plant up the front garden and still ensure a good view of the front of your house from the street. Pyracantha and Berberis are popular, easy to grow, thorny shrubs. Gravel paths and drives are an ideal way of cheaply and unobtrusively discouraging thieves from your garden. The gravel makes a loud noise underfoot which carries well at night, when any thief relies on moving around silently. For this reason, it is also worthwhile putting gravel near house windows or doors, as the noise of any movement on it may wake the owners or any dog.

Theft From Gardens

The ever increasing popularity in gardening has inevitably created a market for stolen plants and today it comes as no surprise to hear of trees and shrubs being dug up from the garden in the middle of the night. A move to entertaining in the garden has created a demand for purpose built and very often expensive outdoor furniture. Much of it is designed to remain outdoors during the summer and so adds to the list of property to be plundered. It could also be argued that as people have become more aware of home security and have fitted locks and installed alarms, the thief has been forced to take from less secure gardens. Whatever the reason, reports to the police of garden thefts have doubled since 1990 and look to carry on rising.

Security Lighting

Perhaps the most useful item to help you rest easy at night is outdoor security lighting. There are many different versions on the market but two types are especially good: passive infrared (PIR) operated halogen lights and high-pressure sodium. PIRs have a main light with an infra-red detector which senses any heat and movement within its range of its beams and switches the light on automatically, warding off intruders. High-pressure sodium security lights will emit a warm, decorative light on the garden from dusk until dawn, preventing criminals from lurking unseen. These cannot be used with PIRs but are cheap to run. Position both types high enough off the ground to stop them being tampered with and so that they don't shine straight into neighbours' bedroom windows. The angle of PIRs should be adjusted so that passing cars or a heat source don't set them off accidentally. It's useful to remember that PIR security lights are triggered by movement across the infrared beams rather than directly into them, so make sure they are angled across a door or windows. The height and angle of PIR lights will also alter the detection range. Most cover up to 10m (30ft) in distance and an angle of 70-180 degrees but this varies with each model. Do remember that animals can trigger a PIR light and send hearts racing if they walk under the beams at midnight

Up and Over Garage Doors

In addition to the lock supplied with the door and where there are no other secondary exit doors from the garage, the up and over door can be secured by a robust steel, vertical padbar, welded or bolted onto the centre bottom of the external face of the door. The padbar should be secured by a good quality, close shackle padlock inserted into a hardened steel staple set into the ground. Alternatively, a pair of mortice deadlocks complying with the requirements of British Standard can be morticed into the door frame, with bolts extending into the edge of the door. The pair of deadlocks can be located either near the top or bottom of the frame. Where there is a secondary exit door, up and over doors may be secured by fitting key operated, surface mounted locking bolts, to the inside face of the door. Many such doors employ a channel and wheel mechanism to open and close. With the door in the closed position, a hole can be drilled in each channel, immediately above the runner wheel. Inserting a padlock through each hole will obstruct the free movement of the wheels and thus prevent the door from being opened.

Sheds

Sheds are frequently left unlocked and are often full of expensive tools ideal for breaking into the rest of the house. Never leave a garden shed unlocked, especially if it has a connecting door to the house - a thief could get in and work on the inner door in privacy. Fit shed doors with a strong padlock and make sure that they are solid enough not to be kicked in. Lock ladders inside the garage or shed to stop a thief using them to reach inaccessible windows. If there is no room inside, chain or padlock them horizontally to a sturdy bracket on an outside wall. N.B. Valuable property should not be stored in sheds of flimsy construction.