Shed Security - Protecting Your Tools

Sheds are not usually strongly built rooms and the hinges on the doors along with the lock can be easily removed with a simple screwdriver. It is quick and easy to do and need not make much noise, so a thief can make away with valuable tools while no one suspects.

Sheds are also often decayed from years of withstanding the weather and screws can be easily removed without tools, and boards or whole walls will come down. Expensive lawnmowers, power tools, trimmers, golf clubs and mountain bikes or even motorbikes can be taken.

Tips from the police for securing a shed are:

Install an alarmAlways put tools and equipment inside the shed at nightChain large tools together to make them heavier to carryAlways lock the shed

A hasp should have covered screws which cannot be accessed by a screw driver. Coach bolts or non-returnable security screws can also be used. It is not easy to use bolt cutters on a closed shackle padlock. A mortise lock should only be used on a very strong door and door frame.

The hinges also need to be strong and fixed with coach bolts or non-returnable security screws. With strong locks and hinges, the door should be also strong and not easily kicked in or pushed in with bodily pressure.

There are several other ways in which a garden shed can be made more secure. The first way is to make it difficult to reach. A high wall or hedge two metres tall around the backyard, gravel wherever possible and a high locked gate will not only make the shed more difficult to reach, but they will make anything stolen more difficult to get out.

A garden shed should be placed in the backyard in a spot where it can be seen from inside the house or by neighbours. A shed that is hidden by trees and bushes is an easier target for thieves.

If the shed has windows, a screen, net, or plastic sheet can be placed over the inside of the window. This way no one will be able to see what is inside.

A PIR security light is also a good deterrent for thieves. If a light comes on when they approach the shed, they will stay away.

There are single stand alone burglar alarms designed for garden sheds that use a battery, but a shed could also be added to a general house alarm.

Ladders left in the garden give thieves a good tool to reach upstairs windows. They should be locked inside sheds or changed to a down pipe or fence.

It is also a good deterrent for thieves to mark or paint tools with a bright colour or easy to see initial that identifies the tool.

Sheds are not usually very sturdy buildings and can easily be broken into, but with a few precautions, a shed can be made much more secure and present too much difficulty for a thief.