CCTV

[AMc]

"Beware of the dog" signs are not as good as an actual dog but should have some effect.

If power is a problem you can get solar powered motion activated lights
e.g. http://www.maplin.co.uk/15-led-solar-pir-light-509258?c=froogle&u=509258&t=module
If you subscribe to their newsletter and then spend over £35 they'll send you a free one.
I've not used them but it doesn't sound like a bad idea.
If you can set them up so they're not easy to get at it would help.

You can also get CCTV recording equipment pretty cheaply these days - technically you need to put up signs & not cover public highways and you need reasonable quality if you want it to actually get a conviction.

I really feel for you, this kind of thing really tempts you to see the worst in people - try not to let it get you down.

 

[Moo]

Way down on the Richter Scale of nuisances, but our last house backed on to a public open space where hordes of boys used to play football and trot in to collect the balls that had landed in our garden.
Until, that is, that we got the perimeter secured and were able to unlock the dog-flap.

The gate was never locked, but the boys' ball skills improved almost overnight...

 

[robgil]

I wonder if any of these really sound realistic.

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&xhr=t&q=electronic+barking+dog+alarm&cp=21&pf=p&sclient=psy&safe=off&aq=0&aqi=&aql=&oq=electronic+barking+do&pbx=1&fp=1d3db6eacb0cad36


edit - this guys dog seems to think so, but he does wear sun glasses when its not sunny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Dyb3FJhks

 

[Penners]

If power is a problem you can get solar powered motion activated lights

I'm quite prepared to be proved wrong, but my experience of solar-powered lights is that they're very puny, in terms of light output. If you're going to have an effective security light, I reckon it has to really light up the intruder, so that they feel vulnerable.

 

[Moo]

You really need something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUbmt-ze_os&feature=related

 

[Feltwell]

If power is a problem you can get solar powered motion activated lights

I'm quite prepared to be proved wrong, but my experience of solar-powered lights is that they're very puny, in terms of light output. If you're going to have an effective security light, I reckon it has to really light up the intruder, so that they feel vulnerable.

I agree. The garden here was full of "solar-powered" lights when we moved in, they gave out about as much light as an anorexic glow-worm.

 

[AMc]

I agree that the ones stuck on spikes with a couple of AA nicads inside are pretty wet and pointless. The one I linked to had a more substantial looking panel & costs about 10 times more . IIRC Maplin have a reasonable refund policy.

You can also get shed lights that are designed to connect to a car battery and offer substantial power output and longer run times - it should be trivial to wire to a PIR assuming a 12V PIR can be obtained.

If the alternative is a very long run of armoured cable that would be very expensive and if they're proper little scrotes would be worth tying to the back of a corsa and pulling out of the ground for scrap :evil:

Don't know if there are any boat owners who might be able to recommend offgrid security?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks for all the new suggestions. AMc, interesting to consider solar powered lighting - I've had the common experience of binning the little cheap solar powered lights but something more substantial is a possibility that needs looking into. The lights will be positioned within the hedgerow through, in the deep shade of the branches - so I'm not sure how much sun they'd get.

Apart from the issue of security I really, really want the garden illuminated, but it's now a 4 acre site so it's deciding what and where. It would also be useful to have electricity taken to the two points where livestock will live. It's going to involve major work, major expense, and I don't think it's viable for this year's jobs, so yes, some kind of car battery stop gap solution is a good one.

Just an update on the car/ cemetery vandals - the police made 4 arrests and those suspects have now been released on bail. Their ages ranged from 15 to 21. I hope those people will be behaving themselves for a bit. Apart from that, the town has reacted violently to this story, with many threats of beatings for the culprits etc. Facebook is hissing with hate campaigns (I'm innocent!!!) and another teenager has been arrested for chucking a brick through the window of a suspect. The crime isn't being taken lightly at all.

 

[starworld]

I think you can also opt for CCTV nearby parking or garage too if you are starting to garage it. It might help you in recording the activities.

 

[Feltwell]

A spammer who comes back to read & reply to old threads, how novel......