Safety advice for green fingered residents
Warwickshire County Council’s Community Safety Team have put a spotlight on allotments in Nuneaton and Bedworth and come up with a scheme to help residents protect their property in the current economic climate.
To try and reduce the risk of theft and criminal damage at allotment sites in the area, the team are rolling out a scheme whereby allotment holders will receive tamper proof property marking labels, permanent marker pens, and a safety checklist to help them protect their property.
Kits have already been made available to allotment associations which have been asked to pass them on to their allotment holders. This first wave of the scheme will provide the property marking equipment for free, although future costs may be incurred once the original allocation of 1000 kits have been distributed.
The team have also put together a checklist to offer security advice to local allotment holders. The tips include; making it hard for thieves to sell on equipment by keeping records of security numbers and not storing items in their original packaging; property marking equipment and letting others know this has been done; keeping valuable tools out of sight and locked up securely or chained to heavier items.
Further suggestions encourage the installation of battery operated alarms, advise boarding shed windows or securing them with screws and locks, reporting of suspicious visitors to the allotment site as well as asking them to undertake regular site security checks.
Richard Hobbs, the county council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Protection said: “Overall levels of crime in Warwickshire are low and the county remains one of the safest places to live, however residents still need to be vigilant and take care to protect their property.
“The tamper proof property marking scheme delivered alongside some sound advice from the Community Safety Team should help safeguard individual allotments holders against theft from their sites. If the scheme proves to be successful the team will look to extending the project to other areas of the county.”
To find out more about the scheme or to request a pack please contact Nadine Dransfield or Helen Earp on 02476 483163. For general information about safety in your community please visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/communitysafety