Author Topic: Over 60 sheds broken into. (Read 8059 times)

Squash63 · « **on:** January 02, 2009, 15:30:38 »

During the night of 30/31 December, in freezing cold weather, some deranged person broke into our site and cut the locks off at least 60 sheds. Nothing seems to have been stolen, so we are left wondering why someone would do such a thing. Has anyone else had something like this on their site?
Betty
Walsall Road Allotments
Birmingham
www.growit.ik.com

pntalbot · « **Reply #1 on:** January 02, 2009, 16:03:35 »

Happened to me 3 months ago , nothing taken,but had to buy new lock.I can only think the Burglars are looking for more expensive items such as Rotivators, petrol Strimmers etc

shirlton · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2009, 16:09:28 »

Well Betty we have a plot at Court Lane Erdington. None of us lock our sheds. We are told when we take the plots on not to bother putting a lock on because it will be broken off and probably cause more damage to the shed. A while back we had our portacabin broken into. They managed to cut off a really heavy lock. They caused a lot of damage. Since then it hasn't been locked at all and nothing has happened.Seems to me that the locks present a challenge to kids.

Trevor_D · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2009, 16:23:23 »

We had a spate of it 2 or 3 years back. Again - nothing stolen!

The lock from my locker was vandalised. Just inside the door was a petrol strimmer and a gallon of fuel. And a selection of DIY tools, including a 4-foot long spirit metal level. Plus the usual selection of garden tools. I don't think they even opened the door - just think what fun kids could have had with a gallon of unleaded....!!

Report it to the police. They won't be able to do anything, but at least it will be logged, with an incident number. We now work on the basis that if we don't report any crimes, someone sitting in an office will think we don't have any and will move manpower to another area!

Squash63 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2009, 16:30:13 »

Quote from: pntalbot on January 02, 2009, 16:03:35

Happened to me 3 months ago , nothing taken,but had to buy new lock.I can only think the Burglars are looking for more expensive items such as Rotivators, petrol Strimmers etc

The strange thing is that some people did have rotovators in their sheds but they weren't taken.

Squash63 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 02, 2009, 16:33:16 »

Quote from: shirlton on January 02, 2009, 16:09:28

Well Betty we have a plot at Court Lane Erdington. None of us lock our sheds. We are told when we take the plots on not to bother putting a lock on because it will be broken off and probably cause more damage to the shed. A while back we had our portacabin broken into. They managed to cut off a really heavy lock. They caused a lot of damage. Since then it hasn't been locked at all and nothing has happened.Seems to me that the locks present a challenge to kids.

I'm not going to replace the lock on my shed. They caused a lot of damaged to the doorframe so it isn't worth it. Our pavilion was broken into last year but we had a re-inforced door put back on. If we left it unlocked squatters would probably move in!

Squash63 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 02, 2009, 16:38:41 »

Quote from: Trevor_D on January 02, 2009, 16:23:23

We had a spate of it 2 or 3 years back. Again - nothing stolen!

The lock from my locker was vandalised. Just inside the door was a petrol strimmer and a gallon of fuel. And a selection of DIY tools, including a 4-foot long spirit metal level. Plus the usual selection of garden tools. I don't think they even opened the door - just think what fun kids could have had with a gallon of unleaded....!!

Report it to the police. They won't be able to do anything, but at least it will be logged, with an incident number. We now work on the basis that if we don't report any crimes, someone sitting in an office will think we don't have any and will move manpower to another area!

The police came out straight away (4 of them!) and gave me a log number. They have been excellent, phoning me to see if there is any more news and visiting the site again today. It's puzzling to them why someone would go to all the trouble of opening so many sheds for nothing.
I am the secretary and I have about 40 of our plot holders on an email list so it was easy to let them know. I phoned round the rest and have encouraged everyone to report the break in to the police. I have tried to get your point about manpower being moved to other areas across to everyone I speak to. I asked a man today if he had reported it but he said "it's only a lock". The police were still on site so I persuaded him to go and give them the details. So far, only 7 people have reported it.

Trevor_D · « **Reply #7 on:** January 02, 2009, 16:51:25 »

Well done the police!

One problem is that all crimes have to be reported by the victim - this means each individual plot-holder, not the Secretary of the site.

We had a brand-new strimmer stolen a year or so ago - it had been purched for the Society, but locked in a member's shed overnight, as he couldn't get into our secure machinery store. He reported it and within 48 hours had a phone call to say it had been found and the thief arrested! How about that for service?!

shirlton · « **Reply #8 on:** January 02, 2009, 18:37:51 »

Well Betty if some of them can't be bothered to pick up a phone and report it then be it on their own heads if they get all their stuff nicked. Trouble is the police can only record the individual break ins.

Hyacinth · « **Reply #9 on:** January 02, 2009, 19:47:44 »

Quote from: shirlton on January 02, 2009, 18:37:51

Well Betty if some of them can't be bothered to pick up a phone and report it then be it on their own heads if they get all their stuff nicked. Trouble is the police can only record the individual break ins.

But Shirl, it's on everyone's head if all the total lock smashing isn't reported :o - an allotment complex is (or should be) a community pulling together, but what have the plice got on record? That..over the hols 7-8 sheds were broken into out of a total of 60+...grrrrrrr... so... minor incident with no priority to patrol the area more thoroughly....more grrrrs >:(

Squash63 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 02, 2009, 19:54:18 »

But Shirl, it's on everyone's head if all the total lock smashing isn't reported :o - an allotment complex is (or should be) a community pulling together, but what have the plice got on record? That..over the hols 7-8 sheds were broken into out of a total of 60+...grrrrrrr... so... minor incident with no priority to patrol the area more thoroughly....more grrrrs >:(
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Yes, this is exactly the problem we face every time there is crime, not only at the allotments but in the neighbourhood too. I am doing my utmost to get people to report their sheds, even printed out little leaflets with the phone number and details of the log number. I might see more people there on Sunday morning and I'll ask the ones who haven't already reported it if they want to use my mobile to do it.

Hyacinth · « **Reply #11 on:** January 02, 2009, 20:38:03 »

It's all uphill gardening, isn't it? Vandals on one hand & apathy to do anything on the other :-\

btw Betty, I'm in S. Birmingham & a couple of years ago I invited some scrap metal merchants round to collect some old radiators from my back garden - good turn for them, good turn for me? It was my good luck that I happened to see, from a window, one of these men take a hammer out of his pocket & smash through my yale padlock on my potting shed en route-not looking into the shed, just to make it available?....it happened so quickly & was so skilled I really wouldn't have noticed if I'd not seen it done. Apparently 'they' would have been back to have done the place over before I would have noticed/got the lock fixed? Same scenario I wonder?

But, of course, thankfully, I did... 8)

powerspade · « **Reply #12 on:** January 02, 2009, 20:41:05 »

WE had a similar problem three years ago. It was reported to our local police officier said would call as soon as he finished his breakfast- we are still waiting

shirlton · « **Reply #13 on:** January 03, 2009, 14:45:10 »

We are fortunate to have the 2 neighbourhood police visit our site quite regularly. We have all made friends with them. They have a key to get in at any time they want. I do understand the fact that what every plot holder does will affect the others, but some folks will just accept what happens and have given up even expecting justice to be done.

Squash63 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 03, 2009, 14:52:26 »

Quote from: Hyacinth on January 02, 2009, 20:38:03

It's all uphill gardening, isn't it? Vandals on one hand & apathy to do anything on the other :-\

btw Betty, I'm in S. Birmingham & a couple of years ago I invited some scrap metal merchants round to collect some old radiators from my back garden - good turn for them, good turn for me? It was my good luck that I happened to see, from a window, one of these men take a hammer out of his pocket & smash through my yale padlock on my potting shed en route-not looking into the shed, just to make it available?....it happened so quickly & was so skilled I really wouldn't have noticed if I'd not seen it done. Apparently 'they' would have been back to have done the place over before I would have noticed/got the lock fixed? Same scenario I wonder?

But, of course, thankfully, I did... 8)

It was lucky for you that you were there at the time. We had all our taps and standpipes stolen last year, but apparently metal isn't worth so much these days.
We think our 'visitors' came back again last night as the garage door where we store compost and other bulky stuff was wide open this morning. Nothing taken though. Obviously they are not gardeners because there were tubs of chicken manure just near the door which they could easily have nicked.

Squash63 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 03, 2009, 14:56:47 »

Our allotments are just over the road from the police station, but not visible from it as we are in a park. The police have been excellent, as they always are. The came again yesterday to look around and see if there was anything they'd missed the first time. They phoned me today and said that the sergeant would come over in the morning to speak us. We belong to an Allotment Watch which was set up by the police. They have keys to our gate and call in when they have time. I really can't fault them at all, apart from the fact that they all look so young, but that's just me getting old!

shirlton · « **Reply #16 on:** January 03, 2009, 15:10:50 »

I really can't fault them at all, apart from the fact that they all look so young, but that's just me getting old!

I had to laugh at that. I said that to one of the policemen that came to see our damage. I have to agree with you Betty they do seem to be getting younger
I'm glad that the police are being helpful. We are also in the allotment watch. When we went to the meeting with the police and the liason woman we were promised stickers and stuff to put around the site, haven't had them to date as far as I know

Trevor_D · « **Reply #17 on:** January 03, 2009, 15:23:37 »

Allotment watch? What's that?

OK - I can guess, but I've never heard of it. Is it just local to you, or nationwide? If so, I'll get on to our local police pronto.

saddad · « **Reply #18 on:** January 03, 2009, 15:24:24 »

Fairly certain it is National, we are in the Derby one... ???

lavenderlux · « **Reply #19 on:** January 03, 2009, 15:24:42 »

Hello Betty:
We had a similar poblem on our site a few weeks ago when overnight we had 35 sheds broken into and nothing taken but damage done to the locks and in some cases the wood near the shed doors. The most damaged shed was our field machinery store where we have a bar securing it, so they tried to smash their way in by breaking the wood at the side but didn't get in - extremely annoying and costly and time consuming to repair the damage. The vandals got into our site by cutting through the chain link on the locked gates. Two weeks later they were back - and they got in by bolt cropping the main padlock on the gate and then this time half a dozen sheds had their bolts cropped but again nothing taken. And then a few days later, they tried to get in by cutting through the chain link on the fence next to the gate but without success, we've since put on a second layer of very heavy duty chain link.

The police attended very quickly on the first two occasions (we said we didn't need them to attend when the chain link on the fence was cut but they did log it and gave us an incident number) and since then we've had a very helpful meeting with them and they have provided us with some shed alarms. They also told us that everyone needs to make an individual report of damage and everyone on our site did so.

News:

Author Topic: Over 60 sheds broken into. (Read 8059 times)