Container Robbed.

[Learner]

Unfortunately nowadays the club would probably be sued for hearing damage caused by alarms!

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

5 hours ago, payneib said:

They're loaded with a BLANK shotgun cartridge, and mounted to outbuildings, with a pull pin attached to doors, tripwires, moveable objects, however you wish. 

Tell my brother about them, over here for summing, and he forgot them, Bang that reminded him, but where did he put the damn things ?😆

[Cuban8]

On 11/09/2024 at 11:55, Engine Doctor said:

Your equipment is I believe  covered by the BMFA insurance as like for like if your club is affiliated . Hope it all gets sorted. 

Unfortunately low life abounds and police just aren't interested as they are cut to the bone  and directed to focus on wokery .

Suggest if you replace it then get some spray cans and make the replacement look like its not worth stealing  and engrave or drill every panel deeply with with your post code . It might just put them off as apart from the stealing they are generally lazy so and so's.

 

My own club suffered a loss of some equipment a few years back worth around a couple of grand or so.  Kept in as secure a place as possible but nothing able to resist battery powered angle grinders and a bit of determination.  The loss was covered by the BMFA affiliated club insurance so we were not out of pocket but obviously seriously inconvenienced. We had another attempt to steal equipment some while later but the thieves must have been disturbed or thought better of it for whatever reason and our kit wasn't taken.

We've increased our security again by investing in a number of measures and with help from a local farmer a few weak spots in the field perimeter have been tightened up to make vehicular access more difficult.

If the bad guys want your stuff they'll have it, but just make it as difficult as possible and keep a watchful eye out for people casing your field or flying site.

[Phil Green]

On 11/09/2024 at 11:03, Brian Cooper said:

No doubt other clubs have had their ground maintenance equipment stolen....

We have lost a brand new ride-on mower, plus a trailer and a wheelbarrow. 

 

PANDAS have had two really nice ride-on mowers nicked, our lock-up is like Fort Knox, huge 1/4 steel boxes around everything and an internal wall to divide the container.  The first time they cut the hinges off, second time went through the side & smashed the alarm. Both must have made an awful din but no-one noticed until the following morning.  Theres no defending against these targeted thefts, they come properly tooled up, they know exactly what to expect and are in and gone in minutes.  

[David Davis 2]

We've never had our motor mower stolen but our club house has been broken into several times and cookers and fridges have been stolen so we decided to install a camera in a tree to monitor movement around the clubhouse. We also have a three-sided shelter which houses our barbeque amongst other things. In 2013 we hosted a round of the French National Aerobatic Championship and hired a PA system for the occasion but we had to supply a long length of electrical cable. This cable was kept on a drum in the shelter.

 

One day the camera picked up the arrival of a young couple in a new white Toyota. They peered inside the club hut, walked over to the shelter, stole the cable drum, loaded it into their car and drove off. This was all captured on camera so we made a copy on a DVD and a delegation reported the matter to the gendarmes. We did not manage to film the registration number of the car but Toyotas are relatively rare in France; most people opt for French marques.

 

It seems that the gendarmes recognised the couple and confronted them with the evidence for a few days later the camera was stolen! Whether the couple was ever prosecuted we do not know but neither the cable nor the camera were ever returned to us!

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

1 hour ago, David Davis 2 said:

Whether the couple was ever prosecuted

No probably just got a telling off if that !.

[Cuban8]

On 11/09/2024 at 11:27, Ron Gray said:

Really sorry to hear about that Brian, it does make you wonder if there is any protection that can prevent these scumbags (obviously not harming them in the process!).

 

Did you have security cameras in place?

Seems to me that whether club gear is stolen or not  is really a matter or chance as much as anything. Bad luck to be targetted in the first place, whether thieves are disturbed during the theft, problems with removing the gear and removing it from the site - a number of issues really. 

Security cameras are fine and by all means fit them if you can, but they don't seem to be very effective as a deterrent. What happens if a security system warns of a break in? The chances of the police getting to a flying site and catching the thieves in the act is unlikely,  and dealing with the situation independently runs all sorts of risks.

I don't see any effective solution other than keeping nothing of value at your field, which would be very inconvenient and not practical for most clubs trying to maintain a high quality and regularly maintained patch.

Edited September 13 by Cuban8

[Ron Gray]

Certainly not practical at our field as you would need a low loader to move the cutting equipment!

[Cuban8]

3 minutes ago, Ron Gray said:

Certainly not practical at our field as you would need a low loader to move the cutting equipment!

Precisely the same problem we would have.

[Engine Doctor]

Lining the interior with rebar mesh welded on would make it more difficult get into . Yes it can be cut but is more difficult than the thin sheet metal currently used on containers and also will leave sharp spikes for the low life to negotiate.

Might be worth checking if BMFA insurance covers us incase the thieves hurt themselves and counter claim ! I say this with tonge in cheek but the world has gone mad.😶

 

Edited September 13 by Engine Doctor

[Andy Stephenson]

A wooden lining might be effective in jamming a metal cutting blade.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

What about a moat and drawbridge, it has kept a few French out. 😅

[Jake Bullit]

Might have been on here or possibly an archery site, but it was recommended to paint your mowers bright pink as a deterrent.

 

[Ron Gray]

Rebar is easily cut with a metal cutting disc, wood will slow it down but it will still cut through it. Thick fabric is quite good as is thick plastic (it melts and clogs the blade)

[stu knowles]

Better than cutting your own grass is to buy in a commercial grass cutting firm that cuts a local sports /  recreation / school field.  No more arguments in the club about grass cutting,

 

Their machinery is usually far more suitable for the acrerage of grass to be cut.  Our field costs £65 per cut and we budget for £20 cuts per year.    Club fees more than doubled as a result but it has secured the future of the club as we are no longer dependant on one or two people using ill suited domestic mowers

[john davidson 1]

6 hours ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

What about a moat and drawbridge, it has kept a few French out. 😅

Local caravan company got a few stolen so dug a deep moat  all round their premises. The neds simply built a bridge  and carried on.Also had  some exhausts cut  for the platinum

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Wishful thinking being done, probably only way to stop a cutter is jam it ala chainsaw clothing, belive it's kevlar strands, only works till blades cleared though.

[GrumpyGnome]

1 hour ago, stu knowles said:

Better than cutting your own grass is to buy in a commercial grass cutting firm that cuts a local sports /  recreation / school field.  No more arguments in the club about grass cutting,

 

Their machinery is usually far more suitable for the acrerage of grass to be cut.  Our field costs £65 per cut and we budget for £20 cuts per year.    Club fees more than doubled as a result but it has secured the future of the club as we are no longer dependant on one or two people using ill suited domestic mowers

Better for some, not for all... our ride on commercial mower is stored off-site and thanks to a grant, cost far less brand new than a years mowing by contractors. 

 

Before my time, the club did actually employ contract grass cutters but moved away from that.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Peace of mind, quality of cut, no member being put upon, get a professional in.

[Bruce Collinson]

I’m wondering if this is the time to re-visit remote camera/alarm systems.

 

My club has a large solar panel array, large leisure batteries and the capacity to charge lots of LiPos through the day.   It is a little remote, but there are relatively few ways out onto trunk roads.   As my club mate Nigel Sharp has noted (passim) we no longer cut our own grass (weekly in the prime growing season) at some cost in subscriptions, but membership is close to full largely because of car parking.

 

when we investigated a defibrillator a few years back, it was deemed too dear and incapable of being left in a Portakabin over winter.   Last year our retired GP suggested another look; the price had fallen, the LiOn batteries are said to be good for several years and do not need to be interfered with despite sub-zero temps.   So, we bought one (and trained members in its use).

 

When we last investigated remote alarms and cameras, the combined costs of the hardware and a sim card and contract were excessive.   I pay £6/month for my iThing line.   We have power.   We have trees in which we could hide a camera and a single gate where we could theoretically put an infra red beam or motion detector.   Apart from the minor issue of our camera view becoming available to our pals in China (my home system evidently is), I just wonder if the setup and running costs of such an installation are now achievable?
 

The irony is that we don’t leave much in t’hut but clearly many clubs have a mower.   Our solar array is fairly large but I bet it could be a lot smaller for just a camera and cellular line and with a discreet battery backup the alarm would presumably activate some time before the scallys could cut the power and the images would already be wherever they needed to be.   We use Signal for chatter and logging in and I bet it could be configured to tell all members if the alarm went off (what they would then do is another matter but at least the Plods could be given a heads-up in real time).

 

As will be self-evident, I lack the nerdiness fully to develop this concept but I know there are Forumites who could do.   If they did and shared the developed concept, and hardware was identified and maybe even sourced in bulk, then probably the BMFA insurance premium would benefit and so would everyone’s subscription.

 

Should any club mates read this (SD?) please note that this is not a first step to tabling it for the club to consider; there’s nothing much to nick , we need new deckchairs, and the array of spirit optics is higher on my radar.

 

For vulnerable clubs, food for thought?
 

BTC

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

We paid a local agriculturer to cut ours once, expensive at around 200€ and not always available at the blink of an eye.

 

"Maybe" if the policing and justice system worked better, there wouldn't be so many break ins, I won't name them but a lot over here

come from 'camps', where white vans being their daily drives.

[Ron Gray]

4G surveillance camera with solar panel under £100, data only sim £5/month. As long as you have a mobile signal at you field (we have and it’s in the middle of ‘nowhere’) then the camera is always live.

 

Taken just now

 

Edited September 14 by Ron Gray

[GrumpyGnome]

In some areas, the scallies would sneak up behind it, steal the camera and panels and flig for £20 in their local....

 

We keep nothing of value on  site, and tow our ride-on mower to site when we need it.

 

Doesn't need a professional to cut grass - it's not rocket science   🙂

 

Strimmer and emergench push along petrol mower fit in estate cars, with room for models.

[Cuban8]

15 hours ago, stu knowles said:

Better than cutting your own grass is to buy in a commercial grass cutting firm that cuts a local sports /  recreation / school field.  No more arguments in the club about grass cutting,

 

Their machinery is usually far more suitable for the acrerage of grass to be cut.  Our field costs £65 per cut and we budget for £20 cuts per year.    Club fees more than doubled as a result but it has secured the future of the club as we are no longer dependant on one or two people using ill suited domestic mowers

An interesting alternative and one that may well work for some.  However even 20 cuts per year would be nowhere near enough for my club's needs - our tame club groundsman keeps the field immaculately close cropped and maintained during its growing season, and given the milder winters we seem to be having he cuts now and again throughout the winter months. He loves his work for the club and takes pride in the results - as a small thank you of appreciation, we give him his club membership etc gratis.

BTW, our patch is larger than than most I suspect, and in an L configuration to cope with wind direction for larger and advanced models along with runway eating jets - turbines and heavy, large EDFs.

The ground is well drained so we  rarely have problems with waterlogging, unlike my second club which has awful issues with mud and worm casts covering the whole surface after winter wet weather - in a slight hollow as well which doesn't help.

[john davidson 1]

Previously one of our members , a professional gardener, cut the grass and transported his mower there and back with a car trailer so no security issue.

Our strip is somewhat remote but the gate to the field had the padlock chain cut a few months ago so we wondered  if an attack was being prepared, but things have been ok, bit unsettling though