General Security

In order to ensure that your farm or rural business is secure, you need to adopt certain protocols. In crime prevention circles, it's known as the "onion theory"......and like an onion, security measures have multiple layers including the farmhouse. Sensible, cost-effective use of bolts and locks as part of an overall security protocol can only assist in the reduction of crime.

Start by looking at the very edge of your farm - at the perimeter

• are your fences in good repair or do you have gaps?
  
• are all your gates in good order?
  
• do you have closed shackle padlocks fitted to your gates?
  

If the answer is "yes" to the first two points, then you need to consider repair or replace.

If you have a gap in your hedge, it's worth placing a couple of bales of hay within the gap to create an "obstacle" to anyone wishing to gain access to the field; then nature takes its course and grows over the bales.

The use of a railway sleeper  is also effective as this will provide a good "obstacle" if a vehicle is trying to illegally access your  field.      It's also worth considering the placement of a less-used piece of farm machinery across a gap or broken gate also, especially something that is heavy that would be difficult to move.

So now that your property perimeter is secure, what next?