I’ve just been woken up by the police knocking on my door to inform me that somebody had been trying to break in to my shed.

A neighbour called them after he’d been woken up. Apparently he’d been back a second time managed to crow bar the locks off but then triggered the alarm. From initial inspection it would appear the alarm and the locks securing my bikes did the job. However I still haven’t had a good look around to take stock of things.

I don’t know what to do now. I have a heavily pregnant wife and a two year old so I just need to keep reminding myself that it’s just the shed and it’s just bikes but I have a whole range of emotions at the moment.

Any advice what to do next?

Move the bikes inside or to a mates. Leave the shed unlocked until the scrote has checked back a couple of times and realised there is nothing to steal.

Make sure the shed is covered by insurance it’s only bits of metal. I’ve not heard of people nicking pregnant ladies so she is probably safe to leave in the shed too.

Could they see the bikes when they got in? If so do what spooky says.

Although to be honest coppers told me that once my alarm went off they wont be back again as its not worth their hassle.

Whereabouts in Bristol?

They’ll be back, especially if they came ‘tooled’ up – say 4 weeks time?

Stake out and a baseball bat!

Wallop – Brislington/St Anne’s

I’ve had chance to give it all the once over now. They’ve smashed up the door locks and also tried to smash their way through the shed walls. Only thing they nicked was an old I pod. The profits of which are probably already in their arm.

Bikes and tools are all in the house now.

they’ll be back. There’s a lot of it going around. Can you keep the bikes inside longer term, say 3 months or so till it dies down and they move on to somebody else?

Well seeing as there’s another thread on the front page now:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bristol-bikes-stolen

I’d be taking it seriously. Can you move the bikes indoors or into storage somewhere (lock up at work?). In the meantime, beef up the shed. Those locking metal strips on the walls and roof, stronger bolts, security lights, alarms.

Shotgun trip wires work well:
http://www.airsoftworld.net/alarm-trip-mine-12g.html

A mate had a couple in his garage, they proved their worth. 🙂

Thanks for all the replies.

As I mentioned all the bikes are inside now and will remain so for a while yet.

The alarm must have gave him a shock because he left his crowbar behind.

Do you think a brick/block building will provide better security?

I imagine any building you can’t cut a chunk out of the wall with a junior hacksaw would be more secure 😉

They’ll be back, especially if they came ‘tooled’ up – say 4 weeks time?

This. The current classic seems to be to go in through the roof to bypass any door alarms.

The alarm must have gave him a shock because he left his crowbar behind.

Genuine question, did you not hear the alarm? Our alarm wakes up the whole neighborhood!

The trip mine looks a great idea, will be doing that!

Bikes inside for the time being.

“They” know you have bikes now. Whilst that scrote might not come back others could.
If the bikes have to live outside Can you afford one of those asguard sheds? If not what about screwing heavy metal mesh all round the inside of the shed so even if they break through roof/walls they still have to cut through metal…

I seriously considered getting a steel cage build inside the shed (including a door with big lock)

Thanks for the advice njee. It’s more of a log cabin than a shed. Would you recommend a junior hacksaw as it’s the lightest??

Danw – we didn’t hear the alarm but the neighbours did.

I’m not sure I’d go back if I were him. He knows you have an alarm, and he knows you’ll probably increase security. Thieves want the easiest hit with the least possibility of getting caught.

I’m not sure bikes inside is going to help, because all they have to do is smash a window.

Get yourself an almax chain – they can’t be jemmied or bolt croppered – you have to use an angle grinder, and if you have close neighbours this will wake the street. Especially if there is an alarm going off at the same time. I think they sell ground anchors too.

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/

That air soft trip wire does look good, follow the advice and place around head height to blow the little plebs ear drums!