Earning his Spurs - Pitchcare

“Even the toughest steel is no match
for an angle grinder - the tool of
choice for many criminals now - but,
what you can do is minimise the risk”
the aim is to delay the offender and
protect or, if possible, remove any
potential targets, make it more difficult
for the potential offender to attack the
property and give the maximum
amount of surveillance.
“Your local crime prevention design
advisor (CPDA) or crime reduction
officer (CRO) can give advice on CCTV
and alarm systems, but most crimes can
be prevented by some simple
housekeeping procedures,” adds
Gregory.
“Many police areas run
Neighbourhood Watch, Business Watch
or Community Watch schemes that I
would encourage clubs of any size to
engage with. This could provide clubs
with regular information and advice via
a written bulletin, telephone ringaround
or text/SMS facility.”
They are excellent ways to share
information quickly with other
concerned members within the
community, he believes. “We often
receive valuable intelligence about
people acting in a suspicious manner,
loitering around sports areas with the
intention to commit crime.
His final words of advice: “Contact
your CPDA or local police
Neighbourhood Team to enquire about
the schemes running in your area. In
any case, if you have any intelligence
that may assist in preventing, reducing
or detecting crime, call Crimestoppers
anonymously on 0800 555 111 -
www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”
But, how secure is ‘secure’? Newport
Fugitives Athletics Club in South Wales
thought they’d taken the appropriate
measures to ensure the safety of their
grass care machinery, until, when
arriving one morning, voluntary
groundsman Robert
Franklin realised
they’d
fallen prey to thieves, who had broken
in to their steel padlocked container,
taking with them several hand tools.
Franklin is also managing director of
West Country Steel Buildings,
specialists in the supply and
installation of horticultural buildings
for the last twenty years.
“We’re relatively new to the sports
sector, but we’ve definitely seen a
growing demand for more secure
units,” says Franklin. “It is nigh on
impossible to completely prevent theft.
If thieves are determined then they will
break into anything,” he adds. “Even
the toughest steel is no match for an
angle grinder - the tool of choice for
many criminals now. What we can do
though is minimise the risk by
reducing potential access points, with
front opening doors and padlocks being
some of the easiest routes in for
criminals. We only supply a 14-part
locking system, which has no padlocks
so, short of using an industrial tool, it’s
difficult to access our units.”
The padlock proved to be the weak
point for Newport Fugitives, with
thieves able to access their shed with
relative ease using a battery powered
angle grinder. Since the theft, Franklin
has installed a modest steel building
and all the large machines are now
tagged, he adds.
The club is not alone in its desire to
boost security. He reports a growing
number of golf clubs wanting to secure
machinery by installing steel buildings.
“The issue of saving money comes
into play much more now,” Franklin
argues. “Many clubs simply cannot
afford to risk machinery thefts.”
The company also advises sites on
the level of insurance they need to
allow for any claims they might make -
with many insurers insisting security
measures are in place for policies to be
valid.
Clubs should strive to be “as
secure as it is practicable to
be”, according to
John
Hodgson, general manager of
Cleveland Sitesafe Ltd, which
manufactures and installs bespoke or
‘off the shelf ’ all-steel security and
vandal resistant products, spanning
from small steel transit boxes to large
modular steel buildings used for
garaging compact tractors and mowers.
Made primarily in 3mm steel plate,
buildings can be clad to suit in brick,
stone or timber to create a ‘softer’
attractive exterior that disguises the
inner strength of the structure.
“We manufacture to a higher level
than insurers require,” says Hodgson,
who adds that a spate of crime often
leads clubs into a false sense of
security. “It only affects a limited
number of sites and is noticeable for a
while. Then there may be no cases for
years.”
“Simply replacing stolen tools or
machinery after a theft is not enough.
Thieves may come back to find that
security has not been addressed.”
The tools and machinery under lock
and key may not always belong to the
club.
Sports contractors may store their
equipment and vehicles on site if it’s
more convenient to do so.
Tending a number of cricket clubs
and local schools in Surrey, Roger
Ward, who runs Southern
Sportsground Services, frequently has
to transport his vehicles and
machinery from site to site in the
playing season, and finds that storing
some of them on site makes good
sense. But, he has been the victim of
theft more than once.
“I insure my own equipment and
apply appropriate security measures,”
he says. “Insurance companies are
becoming tougher, although, when I
had a tractor stolen, the company
settled without too much fuss.”
The science behind theft baffles him
though. “At Old Whitgiftians in South
Croydon, thieves made off with a
trailer and a rotary mower, leaving a
brand new Toro in the shed. I’d wheelclamped
the trailer but they dragged
it around the ground until it came
off. Now, I’ve added more
clamps and locks to
my kit to