Burglars

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harry

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Apr 16, 2005
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The house right opposite me was burgled last night....police van here all day, all street asked if they saw anyone....turned out the family left their door unlocked, so obviously opportunistic.

In my eyes, most burglars would be drugged up or want to be....My son is petrified (sleeping over at grandparents) and I'm now using my alarm.

Why I'm worried so much is because we have a Mercedes car (5 years old) on the drive and my house is a new build of 6 years in a road of houses 120+ years old...they MUST have tried our door too!!

I'm not rich or have cash/jewellery in the place but with 3 kids under 10 I'm seriously worried:(
 
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I have a shotgun and a "swing trainer" under my bed and wouldn't be shy using either! Any scumbag entering my house uninvited is getting some!!
 
Good man Granger....but after they have minced your "weapon" and fed it to your dog you might be slightly more inclined to get a gun...;)
 
Oh Harry How horrid, your poor neighbours. No wonder you are worried with it happening so close, but Id have thought it would be a pretty small chance that they would go to yours - not least cos it does sound opportunist... Geese or Dogs though (geese are better!) but im sure they arent really an option - or move everyone in with On The Bridle.... ;)
 
I was only told on thursday of a burglery that happened 4 or 5 months ago, in a house 6 doors up the road. Apprently a paedophile had been living in the woods behind our houses, he had broke into the house, made himself some food and left a note claiming what he had been accused of was not true and then took a camera. Its actually spooked me as I knew nothing about it and I live alone with my 7 year old, ive searche local online newspapers and googled an there is nothing about it. I live on a main road so my front door is always locked but on nice days I leave my back yard door open to let air in, think itll be upstairs windws only in future
 
Keep a golf club or other easy enough to wield sports club under your bed. Anyone uninvited into your home feels the wrath of such club, well, that's their lookout isnt it...
 
By the time you've had a couple of practice swings, addressed the burglar, wiggled your hips a few times to get a decent stance and picked out the part of the burglar you intend to whack, he'll probably have shot you.
 
My son came sobbing into our room at 3am thinking he could hear noises downstairs. Daughter followed at 5am.

Happy days
 
harry said:
My son came sobbing into our room at 3am thinking he could hear noises downstairs. Daughter followed at 5am.

Happy days
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That's not good Harry, apologies if I seem to be joking about this. It is a very serious matter when your kids are affected like this.
 
No probs OTB, just really,really glad I have an alarm that I am now using after not using it for the whole 6 years Ive lived here....I routinely had the back door open etc

Wake up call
 
Harry, it's the kids you need to address when something like this happens either to or close to you.
Two points I'd make a) make light of it and b) tell them what happens in burglaries( the vast majority anyway).

We were burgled twice in 6 months when my boys were quite young. It was a sub-contractor to the builder that had been rebuilding our house. Guy knew our dog and manouvered him into into a room.
First kept kids from seeing police, when the fingerprint people came I took the kids to Lakeside to get them updated replacements for their game box etc.
" did you a favour that burglar, you've got better toys and I'm not having to pay for them-result." Also made the point that their cuddly toys had not been taken.

More important I stressed how burglars are opportunistic and don't go into homes where people are indoors. Said they were too scared because we would have sorted them out. " Burglars only go into very rich houses when people are there to steal things like paintings and that their drawings on the fridge were not yet valuable enough. Simple but it worked!

As to defending oneself I grew up in the depth of the East End and could use my fists, feet, teeth ,head and most of the usual implements. However note the past tense and remember that burglary is usually opportunistic, and usually done by youngsters. Getting physical is usually unnecessary and you are forcing a panicked person to confront you. It ain't worth it!

I used to keep a small rounders bat and a nasty dagger by the bed for use if someone was endangering the family. In those circumstances I would seek to kill but far, far, better is to have safe locks and to be able to make a loud noise and summon assistance thereby driving the intruder to flight. For my mum I got her a mobile and made sure she always took it up to bed with her. I also got her an airhorn on a can, as used by football supporters, and advised her neighbours.
General advice is therefore safety not confrontation,if you can get hold of a shotgun as some on here have all well and good if you are sure that you would not hesitate to use it otherwise you just might be providing the weapon that is used against you.

Golf clubs, cricket bats, etc are useless in confined spaces against a cornered adversary. Noise and the threat of capture are a better deterrent. You are not in a film.
 
Very Very Ordinary said:
Only if it was a very loud squeaker :lol:
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Grrrrroan, VVO.

Poor neighbours. Poor kids. Hope they are settling down now Harry.

One of my colleagues was burgled a couple of weeks ago. She came to work as normal but when she got home the whole house had been cleared out, every stick of furniture except, oddly enough, her TV. She's only just stopped asking her friend to go into the house with her when she goes home.

Granger's comment about sleeping in the buff reminds me of an incident a few years ago when I was working for a local GP. The top floor of the (Regency) building was a flat with a very attractive chap living in it.

One morning he came downstairs and asked if he could have a quick chat with one of the doctors before surgery started. After about 10 minutes he left for work. The doctor came into reception grinning broadly and told us that Paul had been woken in the early hours of the morning by someone who had climbed the scaffolding next door and let himself in through Paul's open kitchen window (it was a very hot summer). The cheeky sod had gone through the flat and woken Paul when he opened his bedroom door.

Paul leapt out of bed with a yell, the burglar screamed in fright and bolted, got himself out of the door of the flat, ran all the way down the main staircase to the main door, managed to unbolt the double doors and swing them open, then legged it down the High Street, with Paul in hot pursuit yelling like a pack of hounds in full cry - and not a stitch on.

Apparently he only realised he was starkers when he got as far as Barclays Bank in the Strand (almost opposite Taylor's the pub, for those of you who visit Cheltenham occasionally).

Not to make light, though, of what can be a horrible experience. Hope everyone is okay soon, Harry.
 
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Thanks all, have followed your advice TS and made light of it, even told them they have been caught and were little kids.

Once again, thanks
 
I run a CCTV SYSTEM AS WELL HAS AN HOUSE ALARM the CCTV helped the bill with identification of a murder suspect who left the scene and was seen passing my house(2-a.m.) to go to murder but then beat up his mother who survived the attack after weeks in intensive care the guy he killed an hour earlier, but its more for my own safety but my neighbours benefit having free cover of their abodes also..
Sorry to hear your dilemma Harry just hope the kids get over it....I keep a pick axe handle in my bedroom as an equaliser if there's more than one?????
What amazes me are people who say its against the law to deter or injure a burglar and put broken glass or none drying paint on your walls surrounding your abode, Respond by saying its against the law for someone to enter my property without an invite such as a burglar or a robber or an escapee going over my property....
Their nicking the lead now off front door porches or bay windows I renamed this place THE BRONX but its worse than that.....
 
Sorry to hear about your ordeal Harry, I hope your kids have got over the experience.

Whilst this subject is still live, I wanted to tell you about a Business my former colleague has been working in recent months, this involves offering a Household & Car protection for people that intend to go on Holiday for a short time and they carry out daily checks on the property giving the client e-mails and text messages whilst on holiday.

Would you be interested in the future?
 
Bruce_Savage said:
Sorry to hear about your ordeal Harry, I hope your kids have got over the experience.

Whilst this subject is still live, I wanted to tell you about a Business my former colleague has been working in recent months, this involves offering a Household & Car protection for people that intend to go on Holiday for a short time and they carry out daily checks on the property giving the client e-mails and text messages whilst on holiday.

Would you be interested in the future?
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Thanks Bruce, my parents live eight doors down the road and they look after our house when away
 
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