Shed crime is on the decline

New research from Tiger Sheds about shed burglaries makes for heartening yet still unpleasant reading for shedworkers.

The company looked at data from police forces around England from 2014 to 2017 which shows that on average more than 22,500 cases of garden and shed burglary are reported every year with the highest figures as follows:

1. Lancashire Constabulary - 11,226
2. Greater Manchester Police - 10,408
3. Humberside Police - 9,022
4. West Yorkshire Police - 8,604
5. Cleveland Police - 6,827

Of the police forces that supplied data for 2018 too, Humberside had the most reports of theft (1,711), followed by Greater Manchester (1,538) and Essex (1,525).

Which doesn't sound great but the good news is that the volume of garden and shed theft being reported to police is decreasing. In 2018, there was a fall in the total number of burglaries in almost every location, especially Nottinghamshire, where instances of garden and shed burglary decreased by more than half (1,794 in reports in 2017 vs only 781 reports last year). As you might expect, the most common thefts were of bicycles and power tools/lawnmowers.

The report is a reminder that all garden offices and shedlike atmospheres need decent security. Doors and windows are a basic must, but shedworkers should also consider other options including outdoor sensory lighting and alarms.

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