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Crime prevention garden to display at prestigious Royal Horticultural Society show

A crime prevention garden incorporating elements to deter opportunistic burglars will be one of the show gardens on display at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hyde Hall Summer Flower Show in August.

Aiming to raise awareness of how garden security can make the home safer, ‘The Secured Garden’ is a collaboration between Essex Police, Secured by Design (SBD), RHS Hyde Hall and the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, with support from a number of SBD member companies and local companies.

The show garden will practically demonstrate how the garden environment can be the first line of defence and innovatively demonstrate the application of defensive layered planting, secure boundaries and physical security measures.

The garden has many aspects incorporated into it to deter opportunistic burglars – simple and affordable crime prevention measures which can be used in any front or rear garden that will add an extra layer of security and will help protect a home. These key security features which make the garden safe, secure and sustainable include both physical security products and aspects of defensive planting.

Visitors to the garden will not only get to enjoy the garden itself but will also have the opportunity to discuss the security features contained within it with specialist Designing Out Crime Officers from Essex Police. This includes plants that can help protect a home; a shed fitted with a window grill, padlocks, securing points, solar lighting, and alarm/camera; a lockable cycle store; secure boundaries & fence toppers; gravel pathways; lockable garden gate; pot/container & plant ‘anchors’; security for hanging baskets & property marking products.

The Secured Garden 2022
Heather Gurden, Strategic Designing Out Crime Officer for Essex Police, said: “Safer green spaces is more than just a garden, it’s about creating a sense of wellbeing, with the security measures in place blending in seamlessly into the background. The garden showcases that security does not need to be fortress in nature, but subtle and affordable!”

Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington: “Gardens are a place to relax, unwind or spend time with loved ones. They can also be purposeful and help make your home more secure. With a few small changes to your garden you can help protect your home and reduce your chances of being a victim of crime.”

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex: “This is a great opportunity to see how clever, sensible and defensive planting can make you and your community safer. These easy actions that we can all do to collectively make a big difference.”

Head of site at RHS Garden Hyde Hall & Garden Designer Ian Le Gros said: ““Well thought out design and planting demonstrates that you don’t have to scarify beauty for security. There are several things that can be done to improve security in the garden –most of which are relatively quick and inexpensive to do.”

Lyn Poole, Secured by Design, said; “Garden security is such a great way to enhance the physical security of a home whatever size the house and garden. There will be lots of information and ideas at the show for people to take away with them to implement in their own gardens, so I highly recommend paying a visit to the show".

To see more photographs and video clips of the garden, follow @EssexPoliceUK and @securedbydesign on Twitter, where updates will be posted throughout the week.

The Hyde Hall Summer Flower Show runs from Wednesday 3rd to Sunday 7th August.

For further information on the garden, security features contained within it and crime prevention advice, visit https://www.securedbydesign.com/royal-horticultural-society-flower-show.

Browse the Secured by Design home garden security pages for advice, tips and ideas to implement the best police preferred standards and reduce garden theft - https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/garden-security.

Contributions to the garden from Secured by Design member companies:

Further contributions: