Our best mates got burgled yesterday. Middle of the day, nice house on a good road. Very low crime area, totally out of the blue. The sods smashed their door to the extension at the back and ransacked the place, they even nicked his wedding watch 😩
It's come as a shock to us all to be honest - I guess it serves as a reminder not to get complacent about security.
B*stards
If they really want to do it, they will. Nice houses in nice areas will probably attract the more skilled criminal. My in-laws live in a cul-de-sac off a cul-de-sac in a very nice part of town yet got done over. The police said they will have been watching the house for weeks to learn the schedule of the house etc.
Yep - spending enough time or enough skill they will generally get in - the trick is that you want the hassle to be more than targeting another house. When I lived in a not so nice area, I replaced our french doors with higher spec Rockdoors - One Christmas, out of five houses they robbed four, the three before me and the one after me. On my security camera footage, you can see the scumbags checking out my door realising that it's too time-consuming and moving onto the next head...Originally Posted by SteveR
Similar thing happened in my road yesterday.
Terrible thing to happen. I have some simple CCTV installed front and rear which alerts me to movement on my phone, also enables me to keep an eye on the front and rear doors so a bit of peace of mind. Not full proof but for £50 well worth it IMO.
It cost just £50?
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
A bit less actually, clever dog is the name of the unit I use
https://www.mymemory.co.uk/clever-do...yABEgKdHvD_BwE
Last edited by Zolawinston; 17th November 2017 at 14:43.
That looks pretty good.A bit less actually, clever dog is the name of the unit I use
https://www.mymemory.co.uk/clever-do...yABEgKdHvD_BwE
Is it reliable, e.g. works all the time, no problems, etc?
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I know the pain having been burgled for the first time ever in Feb this year. Luckily there was no ransacking. Normally they know how long they have and so are in and out quick. I had top spec 2 years bifold doors and they just centre punched a bottom corner. It then breaks, crazes into tiny bits like a car windscreen, but holds together so they can make a small hole to get through.
The police advice, sad to say, is to make you house less attractive than your neighbours so I now have an alarm and Arlo system in place. Also getting a safe is sensible if you don't have one.
Any recommendations on a safe? I would like to make it has hard as humanly possible!
Sensible. I was burgled 10 years ago and psychologically it has a lasting impact...when I moved into my first house (it was a ground floor flat that was burgled) I had a monitored fire and burglar alarm fitted. When we do the extension I will also have the best doors/windows I can afford as well as lighting and possible the wifi cameras installed. You can never be 100% secure but I'll try to get as close to it as I can.
Touch wood they have been 100% reliable so far. I have one plugged into my router and the other into my Mac to enable the WiFi to work. They were really easy to set up and looking at the front and rear of my house on my phone whilst out gives me tremendous peace of mind.
It also lets me check what the dogs are up to!
MarcJ of this parish is the man who will sort you out.
Nice houses on a nice street in a nice neighbourhood are prime targets. its just what the scumbags thrive on.
Sorry to hear of your break in. The sad fact is, a house is only ever as secure as a glass window so if they want in, they’ll get in.
My workshop was broken in to in February. It had some very high value pedal bikes in there. I’d taken the time to put ground anchors in so each one of them was individually chained down. What did they do? Cut through the bike frames and left the chains and padlocks in tact on the ground. If scum bags are happy to ruin what they’re stealing (the bikes will be split for parts) there’s not much more you can do. Luckily they were all insured for their true value which saved the day.
My dad and brother have designed there own security system based on a security light sensor inside the garage which is connected through a transformer to some Heavy Goods Vehicle horns. The noise they make not only alerts people but is so loud that it physically incapacitates any one who’s in there when it goes off! If I’d had an alarm fitted to the workshop I’m pretty sure they would’ve done a runner and found a weaker target.
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That’s one of the best security measures I’ve taken - a metal security grille which protects the French/patio doors ..
When not in use they concertina away.. but when you need them, they are quickly pulled across and self lock into place.
Quite good in the summer when you want the doors open, but perhaps are upstairs. You leave the French/patio doors open with the security gate pulled across.
Of course when you’re away from home they are a godsend - as that point of entry is a favourite with the burglary types.
Very much like what was said in an earlier post paraphrasing police advice .. you simply have to make your house unattractive/difficult for a burglar - so they go elsewhere .
Woof woof, woof woof ; and they'll be your best mate too.
Excellent! Hope it never gets tested, mind you!
Was looking at getting a Klaxon Master Blaster linked to my burglar alarm.
http://www.cts-direct.net/klaxon-mas...SABEgIDFfD_BwE
https://youtu.be/Ht-WdxbXPVI
It has been- and they ran like f*^k!
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If you were to be burgled and the burglar took the camera. Am I right in thinking you wouldn't have any footage as it records direct to a memory card inside the unit?A bit less actually, clever dog is the name of the unit I use
https://www.mymemory.co.uk/clever-do...yABEgKdHvD_BwE
They are Godsent, very popular in Europe esp in the South..
That’s one of the best security measures I’ve taken - a metal security grille which protects the French/patio doors ..
When not in use they concertina away.. but when you need them, they are quickly pulled across and self lock into place.
Quite good in the summer when you want the doors open, but perhaps are upstairs. You leave the French/patio doors open with the security gate pulled across.
Of course when you’re away from home they are a godsend - as that point of entry is a favourite with the burglary types.
Very much like what was said in an earlier post paraphrasing police advice .. you simply have to make your house unattractive/difficult for a burglar - so they go elsewhere .
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Cameras, house alarms, shutters etc are all good and as most say does sometimes deter and usually the toe rags will move on to the next (not so protected property)
But the best thing is stop or deter them getting near your home in the first place.
Perimeter beams linked to a talking alarm works a treat and not expensive if you know abit about it.
Scares the scum bags to death and funny as anything watching them react on the CCTV (rabbits in the headlights spring to mind 😂)
we were burgled 18 months ago while we slept upstairs now fitted with dual com alarm with sensors everywhere cctv etc watch for chalk markings outside your house never noticed before police pointed it out to us the markings are done by burglars scoping out properties to advise other scumbags these marks can be searched online they show if the house is deemed an easy target,alarmed etc
You can fit a memory card and this would be the case. However the images are also sent to your phone so you would still have them
I've put 'Nothing worth stealing' outside ours and 'Good target' on the neighbours either side.
Great. Thanks.You can fit a memory card and this would be the case. However the images are also sent to your phone so you would still have them
I don't care how unpopular this is but the only way to reduce or stop burglary which is an awful and invasive crime is to execute them without exception.
I don't care why they did it, I am not worried about their rehabilitation, I just want them hung and then buried and the bill sent to their family.
I had a female member of my staff who was burgled when I was working and it ripped her to pieces.
Bit extreme, just chop off a hand.
Threads like these remind me I need to get my arse into gear and sort out a Home Alarm system, always better to be proactive rather than reactive I suppose- Anyone use or have any suggestions, Wireless, maybe IOS friendly and doesn't cost the earth to buy?
That's an urban myth which I'm surprised a copper repeated to you.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ester-35337747
Sorry to hear this. I know exactly how it feels.
We used to live in a flat 7 years ago. Towards the end of our time there, we were burgled TWICE in as many years. We had a modest car at the time and a completely non-extravagant lifestyle overall. We don’t show-off or do anything at all that should attract unwanted attention. But it happened to us anyway.
On both occasions, my wife and kid (only had one at the time) were away and I was at work, so middle of the day. Obviously someone was keeping an eye because wife was not working at the time, caring for our little one and would have been home if they weren’t away. In the first case I got home from work, tried to open the door but found it chained from inside so couldn’t enter. Mega worried, I went round the building and found the handle and lock on our French patio doors had been broken to gain entry from the communal garden. Proper UPVC double glazed doors and standard, strong, multipoint lock etc. Second time round, the following year, when I returned home from work I was greeted by a metal sheet where my flat’s front door should have been. Due to no TV or child noise from our flat for a few days, the neighbours had assumed I was away too and had insisted the police seal our front door. I went round and unlocked the patio door to enter. My front door’s frame was on the floor along with bits of broken bricks and the door was open on the inside as there was nothing left to hold the locks/latches. That time, while going out, a neighbour had actually run into “the burglar” and asked questions about what he was doing in the corridor. He got some rubbish answers and as soon as the neighbour saw the door damage, the chap ran off.
What did the police do? They reassured me they wouldn’t close the case without investigation (like they had done previously) because they seemed to agree with me that it may not stop there as it had happened twice in similar circumstances. However, they didn’t do ANYTHING that they promised me, like showing my neighbour some photos of usual suspects so he could possibly identify the guy he talked to. Few weeks later I reached out to them (as there was no proactive contact after the incident) with the crime reference number to check status, knowing my neighbour hadn’t been contacted. I was told by a very rude WPC that they had closed the case due to lack of evidence (well they didn’t seek any as far as I could tell). I questioned about the guy who my neighbour bumped into? “He could be anybody who was just there at the wrong time”. What about the fact that he sprinted away as soon as my neighbour saw the damage to my door? “Well, people can run off for all sorts of reasons”. Basically their view was that since no one had seen him INSIDE my property, there was insufficient evidence. I was not saying convict the guy and jail him. I was only saying investigate the crime while you have a witness willing to help and a possible suspect who could have been identified by the witness. Apparently too much to ask.
On one hand I was glad my wife and son didn’t see their home in a state that I saw and it was all “back to normal” when they returned. On the other hand, while they were still away for weeks, I used to come home from work with my heart pounding hard as I approached my door, every evening. Used to sleep with my Cricket bat by my side and was on my own without any emotional support.
Despite having experienced all of this first hand, I wouldn’t go as far as has been suggested above. Punishment needs to be proportionate to the crime otherwise it becomes a crime of its own IMHO. The worst I have ever hoped for “my” burglars is to lose everything they have snatched off others in a painful way that teaches them a good lesson.
Anyway ... when we moved into our current house, I got an intruder alarm system professionally installed within a few months (as soon as I could afford it). Just over 5 years ago I DIY’d a Swann CCTV system bought from Maplin. Last month I got a safe installed by MarcJ’s company - highly recommended. As others have said, we just need to make our properties appear as difficult as possible to put them off.
Apologies for the long post ... I haven’t thought about those incidents in a while but the OP brought back the not-so-pleasant memories.
I’m sorry to hear of your burglary It’s a crime that can be devastating to it’s victims.
There are lots of things you can do to secure your house against burglary. Proper window locks, closing windows before you go out etc etc. These appear simple but you wouldn’t believe how many people forget these simple things especially in the warm weather.
The real deterrent is to have a professional burglar alarm installed and arm it eveytime you leave or go to bed. In conjunction with checking your doors windows etc before retiring at night.It can be set on different circuits ie full house when out, downstairs when asleep. You can even have a pet sensor so your cat or dog does not set them off.
(not sure about pet Monkeys!)
Make sure you have it serviced every year and you should be sweet.
Most burglaries happen in the afternoon. Very few happen at night, however the last thing you want is a shadowy figure in your bedroom. Hence the night circuit on your alarm.
I had panic buttons around the house but thankfully never used them.
I’ve dealt with a few burglaries that did have alarms but not many. The clue for billy burglar was the rusting alarm boxes at the front of the house. Obviously they took a chance.
A dog is great as well, however when you are taking it for a walk..........
If you contact your local police crime prevention officer they will professionally survey your home, give you a written survey of what you need to protect yourself. This is all free.
Some areas have the local council doing the survey instead.
I know you can’t make everything 100% but short of having an SAS squad at your home, you can help prevent the devestation and mental anguish which lasts for years.
Keep em peeled!
Doesn't surprise me.
Interested to read this.
Moved house recently to a nice area and spent a lot of money on the property, including a new drive.
From the road it is evident that there will be some goodies for thieves to target.
About a week after the drive was done we woke one Sunday to discover '256' chalked/painted on one of the drive stones. There are no scally kids in the area and it did make me wonder exactly who had done this and why. About a week previously we'd had an unusual caller at the door who gave me the impression he was checking the property out as his reason for knocking was spurious to say the least.
Got a good alarm that is always armed when out or at night. Changed all the Euro cylinders to high quality anti-snap and all windows always locked, but still do wonder if we've been scoped out in some way.
Have two guard cats in case any looters are reading this.
Common sense tells you it's rubbish - why provide guidance to someone else to rob a house? Why not just rob a house?
More simply in 2017 why leave a chalk mark, when you could use google maps and leave no viable signs.
It's up there with the stuff about horse thieves that I used to hear as a kid in rural shropshire...
I agree in part.
Scrubbed the number off with brick acid and partially starved the cats so they would view any burglar as potential prey.
However, the world doesn't run on common sense, as common sense tells us.
I just hope the upgraded locks send a message to the thieves that they might be better off somewhere else.
Like said i think money is best spent on a good alarm system which is very visible from outside and cctv. If they want to get in they will. You can have the best door locks etc but your window is not going to stop a brick.
I've just returned from visiting my wife in hospital and the burglar alarm was sounding when I got back, turned out an interior door had slipped off the latch. Nobody took any notice.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Agree.
Those signs give the indication of a fraternal brotherhood of theives helping each other out...
The reality is, the theiving bastards would steal from each other with no concience if there was 50p to be made.
As my Gran used to say...'there's no honour among theives'
I had the same experience, alarm went off and nobody took notice.
I did get an sms however and called my neighbour, who went and checked my apartment.
I have now added a video camera to the system so I can have a look myself if the alarm goes off.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
check your mate hasnt had any car keys taken, there is a lot of this happening lately, happened to my neighbour
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Another proud Salopian? seems to be a few of us on here now...
Monitored is the way to go. Ours was set off by our cleaner...as soon as more that one sensor was tripped the police turned up.
Whilst it’s true your alarm is only as good as your neighbours etc there’s also some truth in the fact it takes a burglar with some massive balls to stay in a house for any length of time with an alarm sounding.
Which may be the difference between someone either not entering or entering grabbing and running out... as opposed to someone spending a hour going through every room, drawer and cupboard.
That’s worth thinking about when you consider the worthiness of an alarm I feel
I fitted an internal alarm sounder to our system and its very loud. Like said above i doubt anyone would hang around for long with that noise.
Other than the alarm box being a visual deterrent that’s the only benefit of an alarm (the noise causing the scum bags to run). Can you say you’ve been out and investigated or called the police every time you’ve heard an alarm going off nearby? I know I haven’t.
The benefits of an alarm outweigh any benefits (of which I can’t think of one) of not having one....
Agreed. But my point was some people seem a
little surprised or disappointed when the local community doesn’t come rushing out to check on their house should the alarm sound.
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My girlfriend saw two scrotes walking down our cul-de-sac with hoods up and faces covered trying doors and eventually trying to climb through our neighbours front window in broad daylight. I shouted at them to do one and they didn't run, they just swaggered slowly down the road like an incontinent Liam Gallagher. Tossers!
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