Keep on top of your garden security

From garden tools, plants, pots and barbeque equipment to outdoor furniture and bicycles, our gardens can often be home to expensive pieces of equipment. However, many homeowners don’t often have enough security measures in place to protect their garden.

To help guide you through how to keep your garden secure, our team of security experts here at Yale have provided some top tips to keep in mind when looking at the security measures in your garden.

Secure your sheds

During the summer months it’s tempting to leave items out in the garden, which you wouldn’t normally, such as gardening tools. However, this can leave you open to opportunistic burglars, and so it’s essential to put these expensive items away and store them in a locked shed or garage.

If using a shed to store your equipment, then it’s important to keep it secure throughout the year. Using a heavy-duty padlock and hasp, which is difficult to break, to lock up your shed, it can be used as a place to keep your garden equipment secure.

If you shed has windows, you could consider using frosted stickers to obscure the view into your shed, so the contents can’t be seen from the outside. For added protection, additional padlocks and chains attached to an anchor can be used inside your shed, helping to keep your valuables safe and secure. A standalone alarm can also be used - a cost effective and simple way of protecting the contents of your shed. And, when activated, the loud siren of the standalone alarm would be sure to alert you, and any nearby neighbours, if you have any unwanted visitors.

Protect your personal space

Since working from home and hybrid working have become so popular, there has been an increase in people converting their sheds, outhouses, and garden rooms to offices or workshops. With some housing thousands of pounds worth of equipment, the security of these spaces is of utmost importance.

Make sure all expensive equipment is locked away in a maximum security safe or a locked cupboard when not in use. A security camera or CCTV system can be put inside or outside the space to monitor any unusual activity or unwanted guests.

And ensuring a secure lock, which provides anti-snap, anti-bump, anti-pick functionalities, is fitted will help to prevent any trespassers gaining access.

Check your perimeters

If your garden has been left throughout the winter months, it could be in need of some extra care, which could help to make it more secure. Check your fencing for broken panels or other damages, and make sure these are fixed and secure.

And if your fence panels are looking tired and damaged, now is the perfect time to replace them. When fitting new fencing, make sure they’re high enough to provide privacy and act as a barrier from burglars. A recommended 6ft fencing will offer sufficient cover, and if you choose to get higher fence panels, it’s important to check your local regulations.

As well as maintaining your fences, it’s also good to have on your list the need to assess any garden or side gates which lead to your outside space. Using a deadbolt, nightlatch or even a smart lock, you can have peace of mind that your gates and garden is secure.

The design of your garden can also influence how secure it can be. Lots of tall shrubs and bushes can provide ideal places for potential intruders to move around unseen, even during the brighter spring and summer months.

Having smaller shrubs in the garden and bright, colourful flowers and bedding plants ensure there’s less opportunity for intruders to go unseen and can also act as a deterrent if there are fewer hiding places available.

Keep an eye on it

Security cameras can not only act as a deterrent to potential burglars but can provide footage of any unusual activity surrounding your property.

By setting up a smart security camera over-looking your garden or outside space, it’s possible to view the live stream footage on your smartphone, from anywhere at any time. Having a camera with smart functionalities lets you be in control of your garden security, but it can also provide you with peace of mind that your home is protected.

As opportunists operate under the cover of darkness, having a smart camera which has night mode, a bright security light siren alarm and is IP65 rated, to withstand the rain, will provide you with added protection of your property and garden throughout the day and darkness of night.

For more advice and information about the range of garden and home security products available from Yale, explore our website.