Earning his Spurs - Pitchcare

FIVE YEARS
The views of
our readers
I find the Pitchcare
magazine an
excellent read. The
articles from real life
situations I find most
interesting. The
people’s mag written
by real people.
George Alexander, Director of
Grounds, Tonbridge School
Congratulations
Pitchcare on five
fantastic years. I
remember first
picking up an early
edition of Pitchcare
and thinking how
well laid out it was
and also how the
magazine delivered all its features
in a new ‘relaxed’ way. It was
bright, clear and was one of those
magazines where you actually read
every article.
This has continued successfully
over five years and, today, the
magazine is perfectly in tune with
the needs of today's groundsmen.
I believe the Pitchcare website is
probably the best in the industry
and I use it every day in my work.
I regularly travel the world with
my job and have recently seen
copies of Pitchcare on the desks of
turf professionals in places as far
reaching as Nigeria, Sudan and
China. No-one would have believed
that five years ago!
I only have one worry when it
comes to the future of Pitchcare
magazine and that is, if it
continues to grow at the rate it has
in the last five years, it will be like
having the phone book pushed
through my letter box every other
month! The postman will not be
happy!!
Well done Dave, Loz and the
team at Pitchcare and keep up the
outstanding work!
Ben Taylor, Bernhard & Company
Wow! Is it five years
already? Five years
of fun in my view!
Fun to look at and
fun to read. Pitchcare
is a magazine that is
also fun to write for.
I am grateful to
Dave, John, Peter,
Loz and all at the magazine for
their kind help and
encouragement.
I am particularly grateful to Ellie
for inviting me to write my first
article, and for the exposure that
the magazine gives to me and my
humble offerings.
Here’s to many more years of
great trade journalism!
Frank Newberry, Performance
Consultant and Conference
Speaker
30
“Once a club has fallen victim
to crime, a natural ‘knee-jerk’
reaction is to overcompensate
by investing in all manner of
elaborate, often unnecessary,
security measures”
make it harder for them.”
The choice of security products available
continues to grow, so it’s difficult to know
what’s right for your club. With so many
options and many suppliers insisting their
products are “ideal” for preventing breakins,
clubs that arm themselves with
the right information may well
avoid unnecessary outlay on
inappropriate solutions.
“Clubs first need to work
out what the most valuable
equipment they own is,
then look to installing a
secure building, ideally a
brick or steel
construction,” argues Clive
Baker, chairman of the
physical security section of the
British Security Industry
Association (BSIA) - the trade body
covering the UK’s professional security
industry.
As managing director of Swedish lock
manufacturer, KABA, Baker has a firm
handle on locking and key control. “No
matter how good a padlock might be,
there’s nothing that can stop determined
thieves,” he insists. “If the padlock
method is chosen though, it’s essential to
have one that is shielded or shrouded.”
“A gate shield steel clamp or lock shield
will make it extremely difficult for thieves
to break in as the tools often used, like
power grinders, cannot physically get to
the lock to cut it.”
Securing all access routes is one simple
but often overlooked facet of security, with
traditional entry, such as outward opening
doors and windows being some of the
most vulnerable aspects of a building.
“It’s always best to go for inwardopening
doors if the size of the unit
allows it,” advises Baker.
“They’re good because they
hide the hinges, which are
often the weakest part of
any door. We would
recommend using hinge
pins or hinge bolts as well
to avoid risk of tampering.”
Securing buildings does
not have to be expensive, he
stresses. One of the easiest
ways to guard against window
break-ins, or through glazed doors,
is by using a simple grill, Baker adds.
These can be easily and cheaply bolted on
to the front of the window to deliver an
effective deterrent. Crucially though, all
bolt ends should be cut off so they cannot
be unscrewed with professional tools.
Access through roofs is another route
worth protecting against, especially if it’s a
pitched or felt lined one, which can often
be cut through easily. A tiled or timber
roof would be preferable but, on the
whole, the roof is perhaps the least
successful route for criminals, Baker
believes, especially if they’re targeting
larger machinery - “after all, it’s hard to
get a mower through a roof”.
Cleveland are able to
add ‘softer’ exteriors
to their buildings
“It’s nigh on impossible to
completely prevent theft. If
thieves are determined then
they will break into anything”