Oil Theft - CCTV Installation?

[huwp]

We have just been the victims of a sizeable theft of heating oil from a tank at our home. The thieves got past a fairly expensive padlock (i.e. not a £9.99 effort from a DIY shop).

So, apart from this being a warning to others my question is:- Has anyone had any experience of installing CCTV at home (I am only contemplating an external camera(s)), and is it a worthwhile deterrent? Second question, what might the cost be? For a decent camera and recording equipment it seems that £500 might be the likely outlay required?

I am working on the logic that the more security you have the better the deterrent will be even if you can't totally exclude the risk of theft.

Huw

[Vidal Baboon]

If it was me, I'd be tempted to use a cheap or even dummy CCTV system & security lighting. Not the small IR ones at home, but a big 2000W flood light to light the tank up at night.

I don't think CCTV would put them off- especially if they have the tools to cut through a decent lock.

Perhaps put extra locks on any pipe caps comming off the tank- you can buy locks with audible alarms built in. Anything to slow them down.


If you really want CCTV, the shop next door sells a few systems & perhaps I may be able to put you in touch?

[snowmuncher]

You should be able to pick a system up for < £500

If the CCTV is visible, a theif can plan round it, all it takes to beat a CCTV is a balaclava ...

If you hide the CCTV, you've got to make sure you can located it so that it'll capture faces and number plates of vehicles.

I'd spend the money on the type of padlock designed to withstand bolt cutters, and then look to see what other measures you could take - wrap it is barbed wire and then electrocute it ?

[cptsideways]

B&Q do a very decent 3 camera to hard drive system with IR lighting & movemnet sensing system for about £200, friend fitted one to his workshop, its brilliant & all can be viewed by a pc.

[Stubby Pete]

huwp- YHM

CCTV and security lights are good deterents, more deliveries of smaller amounts are just as good. No-one's going to risk theiving a few litres, whereas 500 or so is worth the risk.

[Sssline]

If its a plastic tank then a padlock might not be much use a simple hole saw in a drill still gets them in, cctv would allow you to look back and see them nicking it but some sort of alarm system might be better, the link is to one possible commercial option but I would have thought it possible to do something simple with a micro switch etc...

link

Cheers
Tony.R

[Xenocide]

Razorwire

[Stubby Pete]

Xenocide said:

Razorwire

Unfortunately a big in these "take no responsibility for your own actions" times.

Try pyracantha instead.

[Xenocide]

Stubby Pete said:

Xenocide said:

Razorwire

Unfortunately a big in these "take no responsibility for your own actions" times.

Try pyracantha instead.

How ridiculous.

I hurt myself on your razor wire
Why were you near my razor wire?
I was stealing your heating oil.
...don't steal my heating oil?

[Stubby Pete]

Xenocide said:

How ridiculous.

I hurt myself on your razor wire
Why were you near my razor wire?
I was stealing your heating oil.
...don't steal my heating oil?

You're not wrong and I didn't say I agreed with it. I do know of a firm that had to pay compensation to someone who cut themselves on glass embeded concrete on top of a 7 foot wall though. Ridiculous doesn't come close!

[xkrGiles]

if its any consellation, I think your safe

This crime is pretty new, due to the cost of oil. So i doubt they would be so stupid to steal from the same place twice.

I heard on the news today that they are following the oil delivery wagon and then stealing it after delivery as they reckon the locks will be off for that day.

I can just see a couple of pikeys in the back of a transit with a big tank and a manual pump !

I burnt thru 900 litres in 2 months over christmas due to family being here, that felt like theft at £700 to refill it

[Hoonabator]

Stubby Pete said:

You're not wrong and I didn't say I agreed with it. I do know of a firm that had to pay compensation to someone who cut themselves on glass embeded concrete on top of a 7 foot wall though. Ridiculous doesn't come close!

Surely worth it, I'd quite happily have some scumbag sliced open and then come and chase me for compensation. Most crims would simpily bugger off once cut open I'm sure.


This whole culture of not doing right for fear of the I'd imagine very rare occassion that the victim of a crime ends up getting punished is crazy.

About time us normal law abiders started to stand up a be counted.

[Henry-F]

Sorry for being a bit late to the party on this one.

Rather bizarrely we cover just such a problem on our website CCTV

In particular you might find this article useful reading Protecting against fuel and heating oil theft

If we can be of any help please do not hesitate to get in touch, fellow Pistonheaders etc...

Good luck & keep smiling

Henry

[joe_90]

Wire handle to mains?


/edit.. not thought that thru..

[IroningMan]

Henry - there's some tubby bloke trying to help himself to your oil...

I had heard that the preferred method was to drive a heated pipe through the side of the tank - much quicker than cropping padlocks and no need for a pump or syphon - leaving the householder with contaminated ground and a written-off tank as well as a chill.

Is this something that's generally within the scope of household contents insurance?

[wessexrfc]

IroningMan said:

Henry - there's some tubby bloke trying to help himself to your oil...

I had heard that the preferred method was to drive a heated pipe through the side of the tank - much quicker than cropping padlocks and no need for a pump or syphon - leaving the householder with contaminated ground and a written-off tank as well as a chill.

Is this something that's generally within the scope of household contents insurance?

My wife, before she left to have our baby, used to work for Total Butler and the expense of clearing up the waste left when someone does this is horrendous and has to be done way before any insurance pay-out.

I have caught people on cctv breaking into our workshops to steal copper and stainless steel. Even had a guy, clear as day with our weelie-bin, walking passed the cammera and off into Marsh Barton trading estate one Saturday morning pushing our weelie bin full of our stuff, never caught. I spend all day when it first happened going through 5 days of cctv to log the times and people our cctv caught. Gave it all to the police......nothing, next time it happened.......nothing, next time it happened.......you guessed it nothing. Didnt matter what we did to try to prevent these guys from breaking in they did. The last time they were able to bend 8mm plate to access the lock on a shipping container. When I told the police that I would wait and deal with them myself the police wommen was beside herself, no no you can't do that.

We havn't been touched for some time and I am not prejudice towards anyone, but now, then I see the caravans parked in the field, I make sure our guys lock everything away and park our 5ton fork lift (which they also tried to seal)infront of the containers.......its a fking nightmare for those of us who follow the law.

My adive, big flood light and an even bigger dog!!!!!

[Roop]

To the OP, feel free to PM me for info. I have installed some low cost and effective home CCTV (nothing like 500 notes). I'm no expert installer, but it was easy and effective (it caught the pikey robber within 3 days and the cozzers arrested him).

Cheers,

Roop