The following crime prevention is being circulated following recent suspicious activity and outbuilding building type crime being reported.

Many people take steps to secure their homes, but what about the outside? It could be costly to replace the items you store in your garden, shed and garage.

Garden
• Keep your gates, fences and walls well maintained. Ideally these should be at least 2m high.
• Keep gates locked and position them close to the front of your house.
• Consider growing prickly plants such as Pyracantha, Sea Buckthorn and Berberis around vulnerable areas such as windows, fences, walls and drainpipes.
• Use gravel for footpaths and driveways as it is noisy to walk on.
• Fit motion-sensor security lighting if possible.
• Use ties to secure hanging baskets to brackets.
• Fill the bottom of pots and planters with heavy stones. ❙ Join or set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

Garage and shed
• If you do leave items of high value in your garage and shed, engrave or mark these items with your house number and postcode. Secure the items to the floor or leave in secured storage.
• Fit a good quality, substantial lock to the door for advice on these items visit  https://www.soldsecure.com/ 
• Secure hinges with coach bolts and security screws.
• Invest in a shed alarm if possible.
• Screw windows shut, fit window locks and protective grills. Use curtains or netting to hide anything on view.
• Install low energy security lighting with motion sensors.

Valuables
• Put tools and equipment away after use.
• Chain large items, such as bikes, together.
• Lock ladders to a secure fixture to stop them being used for access.
• Photograph your valuable items to help recover them if they are stolen.
• Keep photographs of unusual or sentimental items. They can be used by police to find and trace stolen items

Please report Suspicious activity to police by the following contact methods:

• Website – We have crime reporting tools on our website: use our online contact form
• Facebook – send us private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
• Twitter – direct message our contact centre via @DerPolContact
• Phone – call us on 101