Had a similar experience some years ago, although the shed was padlocked, we were away for the weekend, took an expensive mountain bike plus most of my power tools. Our friendly copper used a pair of handcuffs to secure the shed, and lifted the culprits the next night after overhearing a conversation in the local hostelry that they were planning to do the house the next night, apparently they saw the handcuffs on the shed (and a second pair on the patio doors, scarpered but police were sitting outside in an unmarked car

Got the bike back in quite a state, never saw the tools again but recovered everything on insurance

Makes you feel sick at the time, we moved out of the area shortly after that.

Hi Paul

Sorry to read your tale of woe.

Dont know what you have got for security but you now need to go OTT with locks/alarm(s). Just do enough to give them a hard time when not if they come back. Do it quickly dont put it off – you just dont know if they will be back next week next month or say end of January!

Good luck, hope it never happens.

John

What you need is a tray of "Mouse Glue" . Its sold over here in France to catch mice, rats etc. Its a very thick sticky substance. Once a mouse puts his foot in it, he then puts the other foot in to try to get the first foot out. They normally end up with all four feet and their nose stuck in the glue. I reccon 20 tubes of this stuff would catch a thief and make interesting reading in the local rag. Make sure you move the tray before you enter the workshop !!!

There's the rub for almost any trap that you dream up. Not to mention that laws in this respect seem more intent on protecting the transgressors than the transgressed-against.

Kevin I really am not trying to piss on your parade BUT………………..I could open your shed door in less than 30 seconds., and I am an honest guy. Sorry.

12 bore with a tripwire. Seriously, if they are determined enough, they will stop at nothing, because in our sad society, criminals dont get punished, only the victims. The police are really only bothered about motoring offences—the other day , local radio announced, that after a major police operation, 11 people were caught not wearing seatbelts !!!!. Oh, and in the last picture, I would need about 10 seconds to get in, sorry.

Noisy electronic squawk boxes on the wall are all fine and well but if they aren't monitored they are nothing but a noise nuisance to your neighbours. I agree that security cameras can be used to identify the rubbish that breaks in, but be careful , i have heard some types of footage isn't legally allowed in court, it must have a date stamp or something to be admissable.

If you are going to get serious about security, thick steel doors, steel safes (the job box type, bolted to a concrete floor with rawl bolts) and substantial lockable gates are they only way to defeat this malady of modern life, namely the scumbag out on the rob.

Below is a picture of a strongroom door bolt i made for a gunshop, believe it or not its not as heavy as i'd liked to have made it, a little drug addicted scroat turning up with a screwdriver and a junior hacksaw isn't going to try to get past security like that.

Hello Ronan,

Seems a whole of work when the staple is the component at risk, that is unless you had made it from a single billet of heat treatable steel and then the staple becomes the item at risk. I'm of the opinion, leave it to the experts for both locks and security, that together with a monitored alarm system may help in detering the bandits.

Nowhere is safe; the new entrance carpet complete with force coat of arms went missing from a Police Station front counter area only to be discovered several weeks later in a local public house!

Regards,

Bob Youldon

you need one of these but you need to set the trip wire 351039647351 from ebay

Kevin, angel grinding was made illegal some time ago, I would take care about saying you are still doing it.

Doug

When I was away last year some lowlife nicked a couple of 47kg propane cylinders from our house. It had a security wire but they just bolt cropped that and the connection hoses. The first thing plod asked was did we have a cctv system fitted. So we bought a 4 camera system and eventually installed it just before we went away again, good system, can be viewed remotely on-line, playback recordings on-line, it emails activation alarms, but, always a but, I did not spend long enough fine tuning the sensitivity and activation areas before I went away again. So I get about 100 or more emails a day, wind blowing the flowers, rain, passing car headlights all set it off, not to mention the helpful spider who has repeatedly built a web over one camera everytime the wind or rain wipes the old web out! But rather that way than maybe miss something. It maybe just psychological but we do feel we have sometime that will maybe make the scumbags think of trying elsewhere, if they are not too thick.

My shed has 500-600mm thick walls, the roof is fully boarded and the door has 2 off 5 lever locks, but I still feel I could do more to the door. It also has a window, double glazed and I must fit steel bars inside to protect that.

It is a very sad reflection of present day life in the UK when we have to go to all these measures to protect our properties.

Chris

Locks & security systems are to keep honest people out… not scumbags. my garage was tuned over in march this year, compressor, plus airline &, my oscillating engine were the first to go, fortunately we mange to disturb the T**t .. scumbag but he had laid out a lot of other stuff on the drive ready to go in an accomplices transport. Mr plod was quick on the scene, 10-15 min, SOCO came the day after but prints were too smudged to be of use (gloves).. have additional security fitted on Crime prevention officers recommendations, not giving any details as these scroats do look on these forums (according to crime prev' officer) to see who's saying what they've got in their workshop/sheds, suffice to say one aspect is that if they try it again they WILL have burst eardrums. I was not the only one that night either, it seems that our area was targeted as another dozen or so houses/garages were turfed over ( Police feedback ) I have now also set up a neighbourhood watch system.

It's a pity that we aren't allowed to defend our homes & families ( thanks to the EUHRC ) whereas in the states, & elsewhere more than reasonable force is quite permissible for home defence.. no doubt some pc person will have something to say on that comment…!

George.