IT is the latest police tactic to stop thieves gaining easy access to people's homes.
But an initiative to be launched in Leith will not involve installing expensive alarms or security cameras. Householders are instead being told to ensure their gardens are "thief-proof".
A new community garden, being developed by a partnership inv
olving the police and Redbraes Residents Association, will include an example of special stones and gravel which are particularly loud under foot, as well as jagged plants to be draped across windowsills.
Security lights which sense someone's presence could also be included in the display at what is currently a patch of unused land in the Redbraes area of Leith. Leith Walk councillor Angela Blacklock said the Redbraes Community Garden scheme would help local people tighten security at their homes.
She said: "I think this will make a big difference for people. From what police tell me, intruders always go for soft targets, they don't want an unnecessary challenge, so anything people can do to make their homes safer will lower that risk.
"This garden will show that security can mean more than burglar alarms and extra locks. Even a loud path and plants preventing access to windows can put intruders off trying a house."
The home-safety area is one of numerous zones planned for the garden, which is loosely based on the nearby Persevere Garden which has recently had an orchard planted in it.
A wildlife haven would be created under the proposals which is hoped would attract various species of wildlife such as herons, ducks and kingfisher.
Fruit and vegetable patches for the use of local organisations and flower beds on the banks of the Water of Leith have also been mooted.
To ensure Leithers of all ages get use of the facility, it is hoped an area for outdoor education could also be established.
Cllr Blacklock added: "It is a great thing for the community because it will bring everyone together and already quite a few organisations and contractors are involved.
"It would be another area of green space for the community as well."
Local community beat police officer Simon Daley has been working closely with the association chairman Davie Thomson in creating a steering group to take the project forward. It is thought organisers have made impressive progress in securing funding, donations and promises of financial backing once the garden begins to take shape.
Mr Thomson said: "It's ambitious, but if we all work together we can show how to create a wee bit of sanity in the every day hustle and bustle of city life."
The full article contains 444 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
