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Defensive planting to ward off burglars
As we get closer to spring time, your thoughts may turn to the garden and spring planting. You will no doubt have certain criteria for choosing your plants including how pretty they are, their environmental properties and their hardiness but have you considered how they might reinforce your home security?
Defensive planting could be another weapon in your home security arsenal, along with anti-snap locks, intruder alarm etc. The idea is that you place prickly, impenetrable plants in strategic positions in your garden to thwart burglars’ attempts to gain entry. This includes plants grown to sill height under vulnerable windows and around boundaries.
These plants that are very spiny and/or tightly packed make it very difficult for intruders to get over them or through them without injuring themselves and do not allow people to hide in them. Plus of course, many of them also add colour and look nice so there’s no need to sacrifice your garden aesthetic.
Implementing defensive planting adds another layer to your garden security. Use in conjunction with security lighting, locking sheds and outbuildings, moving garden furniture away from the house (where they can be climbed on) and keeping tools and ladders locked away. See more advice about garden security.
West Yorkshire Police has produced an information sheet on defensive planting including recommendations for plant varieties and where they’re suitable for. You can see this here.