“Even the toughest steel is no match for an angle grinder - the tool of choice for many criminals now - but, what you can do is minimise the risk”
the aim is to delay the offender and protect or, if possible, remove any potential targets, make it more difficult for the potential offender to attack the property and give the maximum amount of surveillance. “Your local crime prevention design advisor (CPDA) or crime reduction officer (CRO) can give advice on CCTV and alarm systems, but most crimes can be prevented by some simple housekeeping procedures,” adds Gregory.
“Many police areas run Neighbourhood Watch, Business Watch or Community Watch schemes that I would encourage clubs of any size to engage with. This could provide clubs with regular information and advice via a written bulletin, telephone ring- around or text/SMS facility.” They are excellent ways to share information quickly with other concerned members within the community, he believes. “We often receive valuable intelligence about people acting in a suspicious manner, loitering around sports areas with the intention to commit crime. His final words of advice: “Contact your CPDA or local police Neighbourhood Team to enquire about the schemes running in your area. In any case, if you have any intelligence that may assist in preventing, reducing or detecting crime, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 -
www.crimestoppers-uk.org.” But, how secure is ‘secure’? Newport
Fugitives Athletics Club in South Wales thought they’d taken the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of their grass care machinery, until, when arriving one morning, voluntary groundsman Robert Franklin realised they’d
fallen prey to thieves, who had broken in to their steel padlocked container, taking with them several hand tools. Franklin is also managing director of
West Country Steel Buildings, specialists in the supply and installation of horticultural buildings for the last twenty years. “We’re relatively new to the sports
sector, but we’ve definitely seen a growing demand for more secure units,” says Franklin. “It is nigh on impossible to completely prevent theft. If thieves are determined then they will break into anything,” he adds. “Even the toughest steel is no match for an angle grinder - the tool of choice for many criminals now. What we can do though is minimise the risk by reducing potential access points, with front opening doors and padlocks being some of the easiest routes in for criminals. We only supply a 14-part locking system, which has no padlocks so, short of using an industrial tool, it’s difficult to access our units.” The padlock proved to be the weak point for Newport Fugitives, with thieves able to access their shed with relative ease using a battery powered angle grinder. Since the theft, Franklin has installed a modest steel building and all the large machines are now tagged, he adds.
The club is not alone in its desire to boost security. He reports a growing number of golf clubs wanting to secure machinery by installing steel buildings. “The issue of saving money comes into play much more now,” Franklin argues. “Many clubs simply cannot afford to risk machinery thefts.” The company also advises sites on the level of insurance they need to allow for any claims they might make - with many insurers insisting security measures are in place for policies to be valid.
Clubs should strive to be “as secure as it is practicable to be”, according to John
Hodgson, general manager of Cleveland Sitesafe Ltd, which manufactures and installs bespoke or ‘off the shelf’ all-steel security and vandal resistant products, spanning from small steel transit boxes to large modular steel buildings used for garaging compact tractors and mowers. Made primarily in 3mm steel plate, buildings can be clad to suit in brick, stone or timber to create a ‘softer’ attractive exterior that disguises the inner strength of the structure. “We manufacture to a higher level than insurers require,” says Hodgson, who adds that a spate of crime often leads clubs into a false sense of security. “It only affects a limited number of sites and is noticeable for a while. Then there may be no cases for years.”
“Simply replacing stolen tools or machinery after a theft is not enough. Thieves may come back to find that security has not been addressed.” The tools and machinery under lock
and key may not always belong to the club.
Sports contractors may store their equipment and vehicles on site if it’s more convenient to do so. Tending a number of cricket clubs and local schools in Surrey, Roger Ward, who runs Southern Sportsground Services, frequently has to transport his vehicles and machinery from site to site in the playing season, and finds that storing some of them on site makes good sense. But, he has been the victim of theft more than once. “I insure my own equipment and apply appropriate security measures,” he says. “Insurance companies are becoming tougher, although, when I had a tractor stolen, the company settled without too much fuss.” The science behind theft baffles him though. “At Old Whitgiftians in South Croydon, thieves made off with a trailer and a rotary mower, leaving a brand new Toro in the shed. I’d wheel- clamped the trailer but they dragged it around the ground until it came off. Now, I’ve added more clamps and locks to my kit to
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132