PC Chris Skillicorn-Aston is the Waverley Beat Officer for Godalming. Here he gives advice on how to keep your stables and outbuildings secure against burglars.

Stable security.

Policing a largely rural community, one of the recurring crime themes is theft and burglary from stables, so it seems timely to share a few tips and pointers to help stable owners and users to make their premises less vulnerable to crime. Stables are often in secluded areas and house high-value items and equipment which can make them a tempting target to thieves. It's a good idea to take an objective look at your premises - try to view them through the eyes of a thief. Approach.

What can you see in plain sight that's valuable?

How easy is it to access the site and remove items? Perimeter.

A sturdy perimeter fence is the first sign that a premises takes its security seriously. If it's old, broken or easily pulled or moved the rest of the site probably isn't secure either and attracts curiosity.

Lighting.

Thieves often operate at night when premises are unattended and using the cover of darkness. Motion sensor security lighting is a really effective deterrent at points of entry and covering high-risk and dark secluded areas. Locks.

Flimsy locks are no obstacle to a determined thief, quality anti-snap locks make it much harder for thieves to gain access to areas housing high-value items.

CCTV.

CCTV technology has come on in leaps and bounds over the years and there are systems available that are not prohibitively expensive, provide good image quality even late at night and can send alerts to your smartphone when something out of the ordinary happens. Cameras at points of entry and covering vulnerable or high-risk areas are a really effective asset in crime prevention and detection. Alarms.

Intruder alarms are a really effective deterrent – it's known that burglars will target premises without an alarm box over premises with one, and don't hang around once an alarm is activated.

Every premises is different and one size certainly doesn't fit all,but these are some general tips to consider that will make your premises less attractive to thieves.

PC Skillicorn-Aston can be contacted by dialling 101. To make a report, for advice or to find out more about Surrey Police visit the website. In an emergency dial 999.