house cash, equipment and any machinery. And he urges communication with the crime prevention officer to initiate and maintain a dialogue. Security does not have to be intrusive though, Taylor stresses. The entrance to Salisbury’s clubhouse has no entrance code to allow access, he reveals. Visitors simply open the door and walk in. “But, everything changes from then on and security measures come into play,” he explains.
The equipment compound near the machinery shed (which is of solid steel construction) is due to be covered soon, says Taylor. “At the moment, the grounds team store various pieces of older equipment there. It has a low metal perimeter fence and lockable gate, but they’ll soon be able to store these inside the new shed to give greater security as well as protection from the weather.” Taylor admits that the club has
suffered “occasional” incidences of theft. “They may or may not be connected with the semi-permanent site for travellers nearby,” he says guardedly, but it’s hard to prove anything. In any case, CCTV cameras positioned around the clubhouse have deterred thieves pretty well.”
When questioned recently, machinery and equipment manufacturers said they usually do not fit anti-theft devices as standard, although these can be retro-fitted, and they suggest that buyers speak to their local dealer for help on this. Some brands carry two
registration numbers, one visible, the other concealed, to aid identification but, by and large, the purchaser carries the onus of responsibility to protect what is theirs.
A battery isolation unit fitted in certain New Holland
tractors, allowing it to be disconnected from the ignition, although “a basic system” is “at least a start”, says product specialist Alan Hawes, who reports that he has been phoned occasionally by police identifying stolen items from their serial numbers, so that kind of security measure can sometimes bear fruit. “A consignment of machinery stolen last year from a club was found by police in Dover, waiting to board a Channel ferry,” he reports.
Some leading manufacturers are coming to the aid of the army of anxious grounds professionals and sports club managers however, by offering deterrents to fit to equipment, vehicles and machinery. We feature some examples here, although more may surface by part two of this focus on security and theft, and we will hope to feature them then. Some clubs are more vulnerable and
prone to attack than others, whether by organised crime or opportunists. Thieves may not relish the prospects of breaching the ramparts of such bastions as Stamford Bridge, the Emirates Stadium or Old Trafford, but presented with an open ground and a solitary shed standing forlornly in a corner, they probably fancy their chances a little more.
Even when you have taken all
reasonable measures to secure machinery such as mowers, determined thieves know otherwise. Grass cutting machinery is arguably the one ‘can’t do without item’ for any local club, so it’s wise to guard the ‘Crown Jewels’ securely. A west Derby bowls club thought it had done just that, until thieves struck. The club, which does not wish to be identified, kept their prized Dennis FT510 and suite of cassettes in a strong steel
container fitted with a security padlock and shields to protect it, as you would
expect most clubs to do. But,
criminals cut though the ½” thick metal either side of the lock and stole both the machine and the cassettes.
And it didn’t end there. The club’s insurance company then tried to replace the mower with a lower standard machine. Fortunately, the thieves left a couple of cassettes behind and the club argued the case for a like-for-like replacement.
The committee decided enough was enough and, apart from changing the security arrangements of the container, looked into other measures, deciding to buy a Mowersafe from Dennis’s sister company Howardson Engineering Ltd. Club vice president Dave Pollard explained: “Purchasing the deterrent has given serious peace of mind to club members and has demonstrated to
the insurance company that we are taking a pro-active responsibility in protecting our insured assets.” “Furthermore, it has replaced the need for an alarm system, and the associated ongoing costs. We didn’t want members being called out at night and being confronted by criminals”. The rise in theft is not hard to explain, says Dennis Mowers’ Robert Jack. “When scrap went down, mower crime went up. Many are stolen to order, ending up in containers bound for overseas countries.” “We tend to offer the Mowersafe when we sell machines. It will certainly slow down thieves and make them think twice. You’d need the likes of an angle grinder to have a chance of stealing a machine protected in this way,” he adds. Aside from the rise in organised crime, the opportunists are trying their luck. In East London, a shed full of equipment such as brush-cutters, chainsaws and hand mowers was stolen from a public facility over a weekend recently. Insurance surely covers such crime but
a source told Pitchcare that many local authorities were not covered because this kind of theft was deemed uninsurable. “A shed sited on the edge of a sportsground is seen as an easy target for thieves and insurers are not keen to cover that kind of risk,” he said. The turfcare sector has its own version of ‘the Denver boot’ to deter thieves. The E-Z-GO Wheel Lock seeks to protect everything from trailers, ATVs and golf buggies to cars and motorcycles. A ratchet allows the device to fit many sorts and sizes of wheel and the hardened steel construction resists cutting, says turfcare equipment manufacturer Ransomes Jacobsen, which supplies it via its dealer network. With anti-pick lock and rubber-coated arms to protect wheel finishes, the device comes with three keys, one with an LED light. Ransomes Jacobsen items are also fitted with a unique ignition key, which heightens security, in contrast to some makes where “one key fits all”. Whilst groundsmen may not be taken with the notion of joyriding turf machinery, security on golf buggies is stepping up to combat the growing practice by juveniles gaining access to them for a spin round the course before ditching them in the nearest lake. A new golf car fleet management system, from Club Car, is now available in the UK and is already aiding sites in the US, where it first appeared. The ability to track equipment and machinery via GPS is set to become the next big advance in securing clubs’ valuable assets and soon insurers may insist on such levels of monitoring to provide cover. This year, for example, will see a GPS fitted as standard to one of Husqvarna’s Automower range of robotic mowers. “The 260 ACX can be programmed to be stored or work within a predetermined area,” says Gary Philpott, Husqvarna UK’s aftersales manager. ”If it is taken out of that area, the unit sends a text message alerting the club. If it is lifted up, it emits an audible warning.” “The fear of theft is greater than the incidence of it,” he believes but peace of
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