So the workshop got broken into last night (sigh)

[13eightyfour]

Got the dreaded call this morning that the workhop had been broken into last night. Theiving ***** made of with my cheaper power tools ( i keep all the good ones in my car) and my Dewalt 733. Nothing ultra expensive as its all cast and would have been far too heavy to carry across muddy fields. Surprisingly they left my 2 mountain bikes (1 an orange msilse and a nicolai lambda) probably worth more than everything else in the workshop!

Im guessing amateurs, saw black&decker, and dewalt and grabbed them. Now aside from locking the workshop up which i do, is there anything else that i can do to keep them out, Ive already ordered an alarm to "scare" them off and a cctv camera which will be hooked up to a small silent pc so it cant be seen, even so would cctv video actually do any good?

I was even thinking of getting a dog, i want 1 anyway but arent allowed 1 where we live, and seeing as im at the shop everyday it wouldnt be just a guard dog. However if i do this am i asking for trouble if it was to bite an intruder in my shop?

The workshop is inside an existing farm building of which i rent a smallish corner, which has stud walls to create the space, and a set of double doors.

 

[Geno]

Sorry to hear about the break in!
They do say about making your place less appealing to break in to whether thats cameras alarms dogs ..... at the end of the day if they want in they'll get in.

At home I have sensor lights all over the place - u can't get near the house or sheds without them lighting up like a christmas tree. Add to that there are four dogs to deal with too.

All u can do is make it less appealing for them, it sounds like they have some great cover anyway since your workshop is tucked away in the corner of the shed so they can lurk about in the darkness til all are gone.

All I can say is lights, camera, alarms!! Grills on windows etc, some members chain their tools inside their workshop too. Whatever steps are needed for peace of mind. As for getting a dog, well I'm abit biased there!!! Fours a lot even with plenty of space. Its not so nice leaving them there when u go home tho, altho ur house might come round to the idea after you get one!!

Good luck!!!


BTW I can second that about the geese! WE have those as well and they can cause a right fuss!!

 

[MikeG.]

What a nightmare!! Hard luck........

How did they get in? I guess studying the ways into the workshop is the answer to the question of making it safer.

Incidentally, a friend of mine who is a Crime Prevention Officer reckons that dogs are just about useless as a deterrent to thieves. Geese, on the other hand, can be excellent.

Mike

 

[frugal]

CCTV - The ability to watch an unrecognisable figure nicking your stuff.

As a couple of people in security commented to me a while ago.

 

[Waka]

Bad luck, unfortunately its a sign of the times, even if they get caught there's no real punishment.

 

[kevinr]

...is there anything else that i can do to keep them out, Ive already ordered an alarm to "scare" them off and a cctv camera which will be hooked up to a small silent pc so it cant be seen, even so would cctv video actually do any good?

If you have a phone line and broadband or a pc that could use a mobile broadband connection then you could add something like:

Edimax IC-3010 (or 3010Wg)
Edimax IC-7000PT or (7000PTn)
Ycam White, Black or Knight

They are all webcams - some with infrared. Correctly setup they will even email you - maybe on a phone? - so you know something is up earlier in the event. Some like the 3010 let you talk back from your PC if you add small speakers at the camera end - "Oih, You!". Most of these are available in wireless versions but in the workshop with a silent PC you could probably opt for something cheaper/simpler & usb or ethernet wired with the right software - which is often included.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Rotten luck Hope you get it sorted.

I wouldn't bother with a dog. There was a very good series on BBC TV some time ago called "Beat the Burglar" where an ex-burglar used to break into houses (with the owner's agreement) to show how easy it was. In all the cases where they had a dog (some of them very big :shock: ), he would take the dog as well........

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[13eightyfour]

Thanks for the replies, Its a difficult one really with it essentially being a shed within a shed, the main shed roof is significantly higher than "my" roof, i could mount some lights with pir detectors up way out of the way to light the whole shed. I cant see them comming back to take the cast machines, but the chances of them comming back at some point to see whats been replaced is quite high i think.

I think im going to plump for the AW106PT2 as a replacement for the dewalt and either sell the multico planer i have or keep it as a back up.

Another thing thats been suggested to me is an alarm in conjunction with a blue flashing light, with the light beeing placed away from the actual shed and to be activated 10-15mins after the alarm goes off. Sounds a bit drastic to me but would it work?

On the bright side ive just got my new mobile phone so all isnt as bad as it was this morning.

 

[John. B]

That's really bad luck,
have a word with blister, he's just setting up a system after a visitation.

John. B

 

[bluezephyr]

Sorry to hear the bad news.

A mate of mine was a security phobe, He had an expensive car with a sterio system worth about 5k, He knew a bit about electronics and made a system with a beam break sensor, Loud alarms and all powered by 12v solar and turned on by remote, It worked spot on when someone tried to get to his car and broke the sensor beam, Unlucky he didnt get there quick enough with his baseball bat, they were long gone.

Maplins have some nice electronics, Home made systems hidden away are quite effective.

 

[catface]

sorry to hear about the break in .
regarding the CCTV whilst its true that (depending on the kit used) the images may be poor quality (ie. not good enough to Id the offender without expensive digital enhancement which Plod wont pay for for "less serious offences"), nevertheless CCTV has a value. First as a deterrent if the cameras are made deliberately visible (but if real and working then you need to secure the record they make or they'll nick that too) . Second, and perhaps more use in your own case, where access to your property is limited, CCTV is used to good effect to record which vehicles come & go. A CCTV for this use can be hidden or disguised so most individuals wont become aware of it. This will not prevent your premises being broken into, but may give Plod an immediate lead to follow after the event (just be sure you put the cameras where you can get the car number plates on the photo). CAmeras for this use can even be put "up the road a bit" if there's but one way in and out for vehicles.
hope this helps, regards, Catface

 

[SemiSkilled]

I've installed a few alarms in houses, garages, an workshops large and small,

A few of these have been "tested" by the people they are designed to keep out, thankfully they didn't even get inside before the alarm went off.

Unless you want to spring for really good cameras, digital recorder and decent lighting to get colour images then CCTV is a bit of dead loss.

An alarm system basically is a noise maker so I make them as loud as the customer can afford, cheap sound bombs inside and a master blaster outside ( one inside won't hurt )

Detection before entry is a good thing, by this I mean you want the alarm going off before they get in saves repairs to doors etc.
Vibration detectors are the thing to use here, Vipers are one name that springs to mind.

All the above is good advice, its just a pity I didn't take it when my garage got done, cobblers shoes and all that.
Done now though!.

Lee.

 

[joiner_sim]

Where I work our workshop is protection by BT red care. If the place gets broken into, which sets off a silent alarm..... the police are instantly called and so are you. http://www.redcare.bt.com/

 

[13eightyfour]

I like the idea of an alarm that is horrendously loud tbh, Whilst the workshop is in a small village its not really surrounded by houses so i cant see this being a problem. Im guessing a loud siren/alarm would be as good a solution as any, Im aware that if people want to break in somewhere they will. Short of building the shop from steel panels welded together theres not alot that can be done, but if i can provide some sort of detterent its a start,

Im thinking a combination of a seriously loud alarm or 2, with the possibility of a text system to alert me (i can be at the yard in 5mins at the sort of time it happened.)

 

[joesoap]

Hi 13
No it had nowt to do with your user name number . You have my sympathy though as not only will it not be investigated in any way by the constabulary it's not even logged except on time sheets , reoprts.

A mate of mine in Aberdeen had his shed badly damaged but nowt taken worth of mention . His insurance compelled him to report it in order to get a ''incident number'' to receive his claim which he got . Shed was almost new 10' x 8' w/b cost him £850 . Claim paid out £320 so mate scored and so did the supplier/ repairer . Not all bad news eh ! Well for some , hope some good comes from your visitation. Cheers !
Incidentally ,
If you enjoy a pint the local lowlife haunts often have good deals going for the price of a ''hit'' for let's say in exchange for a de walt 625 which you just might happen to recognise as your own . long shot shot but it does happen .

 

[pren]

Short of building the shop from steel panels welded together theres not alot that can be done,

How about constructing some sort of locker/safe within your shed that's bolted to the floor to house your knickables? Make it from solid sheet metal so prying eyes can't see if it's worth taking the time to try and hack into it.

It could even form the base of a bench?

I guess shed security is the sort of thing you only take seriously AFTER the worst has happened . I've been meaning to do something with my shed in the way of security for the last couple of years. Think I might get off my buttocks and sort it out.

Hope every thing sorts itself out.

Cheers.
Bryn

 

[SemiSkilled]

One thing I notice while installing these alarms is if they are really loud inside you can use a standard bell box/strobe outside, 3 sound bombs make a right din you can feel the pressure waves on your ears.

My thinking on this is alarms are too quiet! with double glazing you can hardly hear a normal bell box in the house, some thieves have got used to alarms going off and no one coming to have a look.

The best thing is to frighten the life out of him with 120Db right in his ear,
then CCTV would be great as you could have a laugh at the look on his face!

If your out in the country you can leave it going as long as its not creating a nuisance.

One component supplier has a "wall of sound" virtually impossible to walk past.

Heard on the radio that ships are using similar sound cannons to ward off pirates!

 

[mickthetree]

Sorry to hear about your losses.

Whilst helping my nan out the other day, I opened her front door and didnt notice this thing going across the lock. Its a tiny black box with cord going over the frame. As I opened the door the cord pulled a pin out of the box and all hell broke loose. This this is the size of a match box and must have some sonic power or something. Felt like my brain was on fire!! I couldnt hear out of that ear all day.

So I say stick a load of them round the door (if that is where they got in) and deafen them.

Actually you'll probably end up being prosecuted as you've caused them lack of earnings or something equally as stupid.

My tuppence worth.

 

[big soft moose]

if you've got a lot of expensive kit "smoke cloak" is worth considering - this is a device linked to the alarm that as soon as its triggered puts out a load of glycol smoke - this is completely harmless ( ive walked about inside a cloaked building many times as keyholder) but totally obscures the shop to the point where you cant see your hand in front of your face and torches dont help .

this makes it extremly difficult to steal anything or even to find the door to get out again - coupled with a deafening soundblaster you can totally disorientate the intruder to the point that on one occasion we found an intruder still inside the building so disorientated that he couldnt get out again.

 

[neilyweely]

13 -
I have two yale alarms rigged up to the shop, which is a single garage down the bottom of the garden. One is an all in one pir/siren thing - remote activated, and the other is a wireless pir gadget which triggers an alarm high up on the house wall. This one also telephones 3 numbers of my choice,1 - my mobile, 2 - mum and 3 - polis. The neighbours would hear the siren. There are 2 sirens on the wireless system, front and back of the house, plus a dummy box on the workshop wall.

There are 2 metal cabinets in the 'shop, both bolted to both wall and floor. These have all the power tools and most of the hand tools in them at close of business each night.

The windows have chicken wire outside and metal grilles inside. Both easily visible and well secured to the wall, not the wooden frame. The doors are all bolted, not screwed. The garage door is bolted and has a large bolt screwed into the concrete in front of it to stop it opening, and has a large timber reinforcement behind it to stop it being pushed in, then a lining. All the walls are insulated, so are backed up with chipboard too. Finally the door that does open has hinges bolted through the frame and door so it cannot simply be unscrewed. And it has a metal 'kick plate'.

This did take a little work, but the total cost of it all was under a hundred pounds, as I bought the alarms off e-bay and the cabinets from auction. The 4 padlocks on the door were a gift.

In spite of all this (mum says I am paranoid!!) I know if I was away on holiday and the local scum got wind I would be lucky to return to a screwdriver. You just cannot cover all points. I did consider sleeping in there a few times!!!

What I hope is that there is some other poor sod down the road who is an easier prospect, in which case the alarms etc.. have done their job.

Sorry 'bout your loss, hope this helps. Yale are not bad, IMO. They do what they are supposed to, anyway.

Neil