Allotment - the Where, When, Why and How - Dealing with vandalism and theft

Sadly, many allotment sites suffer from vandalism and theft ranging from the minor, such as scrumping type activity through to the major, which may involve smashing of glass in greenhouses, breaking into sheds and even burning them down.

Increased occupancy on a site will result in more people being around and this certainly deters random vandalism. However, as most problems happen at night, when plot-holders are unlikely to be around, you may want to institute a patrol for a few weeks to break the vandal's habits. Alternatively - if mains power is available - consider whether infra-red activated security lights will deter night raiders. You need to ensure that lights do not cause a nuisance - given that they are often activated by a passing cat or fox, bright lights that annoy the neighbouring householders could get you in even more trouble!. Security cameras can offer a solution and some local authorities are willing to install them - you need to insist on low-light models with radio links to a computer that only records if movement is detected. They do require somebody on the other end of that computer to call the police if necessary though.

A lower cost and ecologically sound deterrent is a good thorny hedge by the boundary. Plants such as Hawthorn, Holly, Sloe and Pyracantha have nasty thorns that will make getting in both painful and noisy. The downside is that they take up plot space, virtually all vegetables do badly under the rain shadow of a hedge and obviously a hedge takes a decade or so to reach effective size. Once grown somebody has to trim them to keep them in shape. On the plus side they increase biodiversity and provide food for birds, shelter for pest predators and so on.

Since most of the trouble is likely to come from local children, possibly the best solution is to give them the sense that allotments are fun and valuable places in which they have a stake. Get local schools to visit your plots or even better - if they actually have a plot themselves - they will discourage their companions from causing trouble.

Anti vandalism fence photograph author's own