You may pride yourself on taking precautions within the home to make sure it’s secure, but experts have warned that you need to look beyond the back door to the garden to deter thieves.
And with the end of summer approaching, now is the time to be alert to the risks – with gardens tending to be more neglected in the autumn and winter months, which is peak time for burglaries.
Chris Hone, manager at Jacksons Fencing, suggested there are a variety of things that burglars would often look out for when scoping out a property.
He pointed out eight mistakes that people regularly make in their garden, including leaving bushes to grow wild, making it easier for burglars to hide from sight.
He also suggested that many people made the mistake of giving a burglar ‘climbing aids’, by placing children’s garden toys too close to the garden boundaries.
Chris Hone, Manager at Jacksons Fencing, told how homeowners often made mistakes in their garden that made their properties more attractive to burglars
Mistake: Offering the burglar ‘climbing aids’
One common garden design problem is having features such as trees or children’s climbing frames too close to your boundary.
Burglars can use these as climbing aids when attempting to scale your fence, making access easy.
Don’t just think about your garden. Be aware of what’s on the other side as well.
An unfortunately placed bin or bench can also help criminals climb over.
Solution: Keep children’s climbing frames or swing sets away from the boundaries, and consider cutting back trees.
If you can’t remove these, or features on the other side of your fence, a spiky bush on your side can help deter people from breaking in.
Mistake: Wild style of gardening
Gardens with a lot of large features such as bushes or sheds within the garden itself can also be a problem.
It’s important as a homeowner to have a clear line of sight across your entire garden. If the view is blocked, it’s easy for intruders to hide undetected.
An unkempt garden may also that the occupants are on holiday, a prime opportunity for crime.
Solution: Keep gardens tidy and well maintained, with a clear line of sight across the garden, so that there is ‘nowhere to hide’.
Trimmed plants and a neatly mowed lawn will also give the appearance of an occupied house, further deterring burglars.
Mistake: Leaving kit unattended
It’s important not to leave pricey gardening tools lying around, such as hedge trimmers, electric saws or leaf blowers.
These are easy to pick up and leave quickly with before anyone notices.
Not only this, but it will give the impression of carelessness making burglars consider stealing from the property again in the future.
After all, if you leave expensive kit lying around your garden, who knows what’s been left unattended in your house?
Solution: Lock these items securely away in a shed or garage, and be careful that these items are not on leave things on show.
Mistake: Ornate garden sculptures
Ornate garden sculptures are another giveaway.
If you’re lucky enough to afford a beautiful garden centrepiece, it could attract thieves who may think that you’ll have more precious valuables worth stealing.
Solution: While you shouldn’t have to hide these hard-earned luxuries away, make sure you invest time into making your garden secure, and have a proper security system in place.
Chris suggested clearing piles of leaves away from the base of fences to help prevent rot which weakens the timber, making it easier for burglars to break
Mistake: Dark, unlit garden
Gardens which are in a lot of shade or dark will also make it easier for burglars to hide away, particularly at night time.
Solution: Some simple modern technology can go a long way to stopping burglaries.
Garden lights with motion sensors will illuminate your property whenever someone walks through, which may scare away thieves and alert you to their presence.
Lights can also be set on timers, a great option for when you’re not in, as it will give the impression the home is occupied.
Remember, most burglaries occur when no one is home.
An added benefit is that timed lights aren’t an obvious security feature, so they won’t give the impression of protecting valuables.
Mistake: Forgoing CCTV
There may be a common myth that those who have CCTV outside their properties will attract those who think they therefore have ‘something to steal’.
Solution: Most burglaries are opportunistic, and not premeditated. Deterring criminals before they even attempt to rob you can be very effective, so the mere presence of CCTV can actually put off opportunist thieves.
While CCTV may highlight that you have precious possessions, for those with large properties it’s likely that this is already obvious to potential criminals, so home surveillance is worth investing in.
Mistake: Having a high fence in your front garden
While it’s best to have high solid fence panels in your back garden to make it harder for burglars to see into your garden and then climb over, the reverse is true for your front garden.
If your garden faces the street and you have a high fence, an intruder could easily hide from passers-by or neighbours, who can raise the alarm during a robbery.
Solution: If your garden faces the street, it’s a good idea to have a low fence or hedge making it easy for people to see into your garden.
Mistake: Not picking up leaves
The first thing burglars will notice is the condition a fence is in, rather than a particular style.
Old, broken or rotten fence panels are a green light for opportunistic thieves, as they can be easily broken or bypassed with little effort.
Panels that can be lifted from the posts are also an easy target.
Solution: When buying fences, look for products with a long guarantee or are maintenance free.
Make sure to check your fence’s condition regularly. Clearing piles of leaves away from the base of a fence helps prevent rot which weakens the timber.
Opt for fences with solid panels with no gaps in between, making it harder for potential burglars to climb over.
They also offer better privacy to conceal your garden from intruders and are much sturdier than other panels, making it harder to break them down.
Make sure fence panels are screwed into posts to stop them being easily lifted to gain access to the property.