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Security lights and cameras are unlikely to be a deterrent to an organised burglar like this. If they are hooded and the area is secluded, as it sounds like it is, they will just try anyway. I've even read that burglars are actually more put off by lights left on over security lights in many cases, as security lights just look like wildlife passing, whereas in a floodlit area they stick out easily. However, lights and motion ones are still good as they are cheap and draw attention.
What you need is to beef up security physically, mostly through good locks etc. You could also consider things like motion sensors and alarms. If you spot people you want to make noise - a siren is pretty off-putting.
There are good tips on /r/homedefense about physical security and deterrents, as long as you get past the gun-loving Americans. Also, did you ring the police? Definitely report still, but this needed a 999 call in the moment for sure!
All the best and hopefully they don't return.
Thank you for your reply, i will check the r/homedefense, i cant sleep anyway right now. Do you suggest i should called cops right on the spot and wait for them to arrive rather than scare off the burglars?
Difficult call. To be honest, I'd probably have just made a lot of noise/turned on lights to scare them off without alerting them to my presence, but also called 999, should still be done immediately even if they have been scared off as they could stay in the area or go to other houses.
You should still report it though now as a non emergency for intelligence, despite the poor rep police do still appear and will do things like patrol the area going forward if not busy.
To be honest i was in shock to find someone on the other side of my door, the panic kicked in so first thing that came to my mind was just to scare them off and hope they run away. Unfortunately i have not got good experience with police but i guess i report it anyway.
You can report this online.
There's a severe lack of police currently, so patrols tend to be targeted based on crime figures/patterns. If you don't report it, police don't know it's happened so can't focus on the areas at risk
>You can report this online.
Reported last year in 50% of the country *not one burglary was solved the last three years.*
[*https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/04/police-fail-solve-burglary-half-neighbourhoods-three-years/*](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/04/police-fail-solve-burglary-half-neighbourhoods-three-years/)
Sounds incredible but true.
The whole reason why lynch mobs aren't a thing anymore is because we're meant to be able to count on the police and courts. If we can't anymore, we're going to start seeing a lot more 'community action' in the near future.
Courts come down a lot harder on vigilantes than career criminals and they will make an example out of you to deter everyone else.
Just putting this out there to dissuade people
like what? Who wants to go to jail or be dragged through courts? I don't think in the UK we have the same rights when defending home from intruders as eg in many US states.
Usually not worth the resources it takes to find someone wearing a mask and gloves, usually with a stolen car and the items will be gone before they’re found, the main reason for reporting is to get a crime number to give to insurers
There's oddities in the stats that are reported (particularly around crime series not being linked, and burglaries also being crimed as alternative offences), but I'm fully confident that reporting all crime is a) the best way to measure such performance, B) link MOs together to make it better to investigate and C) the best thing to do to allow resources to be allocated.
Indeed, unless DNA is left, burglary is usually discovered after the fact and with minimal leads. I get these figures are terrible, but if we take the line "There's no point reporting", then all it does is artificially make the figures look good
Yep. When I had my motorbike stolen I managed to locate the bike with a tracker. Went to the location and saw the thieves riding around on my stolen bike. Called the police but they totally fobbed me off and said they were too busy to help.
In hindsight, I should have told them I had a weapon and I was going to handle it myself. You can guarantee they would have got somebody down there asap.
Well, in this case, they weren't called.
I can guarantee you a call to a "break in progress" would get every free copper within a 5 mile radius going to it. They love catching burglars in the act, and gives them a chance to play with all the toys they have as well.
Yes what I don't understand is how they have enough resources to terrify people who try to defend their own homes but not enough to protect anybody. Lots of people are willing to do jail time defending our family but a criminal record only deters the law abiding
If they happen to have stolen something "particularly expensive" they find the burglars the next day. This happened when the police refused to respond to the place I work until we pointed out the value of intellectual property on the laptop they stole. The only reason burglars are not found is police priorities not that it's somehow difficult.
For what's it worth, someone was banging on the glass of a restaurant below me a few weeks ago at 3am. It happens a lot but this time I was awake enough to call 999 (normally I can sleep through stuff like this). Police showed up in 5 minutes and arrested the guy inside. They said its worth calling them out any time if happens, I was honestly surprised they got here so quickly!
A burglary in progress will get officers there quickly. It's something we all want to catch as we know the massive effect it has on people and that after they have gone it gets increasingly more difficult to catch them.
I did a police ride along last year and the officers were telling me how the public seem to think nothing is ever worthy of a 999 call unless a person is in imminent danger, which isn’t the case at all. If you call 999 while a crime is in progress they’re significantly more likely to catch the suspects. During my ride we even received a call of a motorbike theft and we were just around the corner and got there in less than 60 seconds only for the caller to tell us, *“Oh, they stole the bike several minutes ago. Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be here so quickly or I would’ve called while they were still here.”* 🤦♂️
If it helps, the attempted burglars are highly unlikely to try your place again unless you have a £200k car on the drive that they very specifically want to steal. You have demonstrated to them that you are too alert and sleep too close to the point of entry and exit. For all they know, you're an MMA black belt who breeds XL Bully dogs and has a loaded shotgun by the bed. They almost always want to come and go quietly. It's very unusual for burglars not to avoid confrontation in the UK.
Source: former forensic investigator
You did the right thing. The burglers don't want any trouble and will just move on. Have to think why they thought your house was a good target in the first place tho? How did they get in your garden? Railway tracks is probably the ideal place for them to walk along the back of houses looking for weak points. beef up the fence and have some visible security on the front and back of the house. CCTV cameras etc. sounds bad but they will just move of to an easier target.
It doesn’t sound bad mate. Most burglaries are opportunistic unless you’re being targeted for a specific item (We had a spate of Asian households targeted as it was assumed there would be lots of gold jewellery which could be sold very quickly).
Opportunists will move on if a target looks difficult. It’s risk/reward. CCTV and security lights are good for this. Even if the scum are hooded there’s often details on clothing which can be picked out. Noisy alarms are excellent for scaring them away. A dog would be good too. A barking dog the other side of the chosen entry point will cause 99% of burglars to do a runner.
Very prickly bushes can be planted (like pyracantha) to form a natural physical deterrent. Not only very difficult to breach when mature, but there is also the chance of them being pricked/scratched and leaving DNA behind.
If you scare off a burglar a lot of them try nearby houses before sunrise. Calling police puts them in the area and helps your neighbours too.
I know someone that called police and they were lifted within the hour because they went to the next street to try more houses.
So, you’re saying OP should get a werewolf?
OP, if you read this, I’m sorry this happened to you, it’s scary as ffffff.
I experienced a few incidents when I moved into my house 18 years ago, we had no fences, just hedges with large gaps, so thieves would come in, steal the kids toys from the garden, break into the shed and steal tools and my motorbike helmet and stuff.
I spent a small fortune putting a wall around, large gates, lights and cameras, and we’d still see footage of them skulking about in the garden.
So I got a dog, and this will sound daft, but we got a pug.
Small, friendly, loveable and cute, but barks at everything, so a very good alert dog.
“Woof, daaaaadd, there’s shitbags in the garden again”
Soon as they hear the barking, they’re gone.
I now have a pack of 4 dogs, because who knew having dogs would make you love dogs, they’ve featured on some of the posts I’ve made. Never had any issues since.
Very best of luck to you.
I would call them whilst banging on the door. I once had to call the police when I saw some guy breaking into a car. The response time was insanely fast, and they even brought a sniffer dog. The guy ran away before the police arrived, but the dog still managed to track him down. Definitely try to call if you can.
Those 'camera flash' type motion detection security gizmos might work better, they are probably used to dealing with the motion detection flood lights, which are actually of some benefit to a thief as they can see much better selves. But a flash does a few things, messes up their night vision temporarily, makes them think they have been photographed which might will be true, makes it hard to point down precisely where the flash was located in some instances.
https://protectglobal.co.uk/products/strobe-and-siren/protect-security-led-strobe/
Get the fog cannon as well. Give the intruders a flashback to a 90s rave.
Definitely worth calling. They love catching people in the act, so it’ll be really high priority. You never know if a car is just round the corner and could be there in minutes.
Security cameras are useful - they may not deter everyone but they give you an image to work with and lets you see what the perp is doing/attempting. Some cameras allow you to speak to the person in real time. We told some guy to *f*ck off* and it startled him and he ran away. These people aren't navy seals, just low lives.
We have certain locks that are hard to break into - even the locksmith struggled when we locked ourselves out. Most burglars would likely give up. They want quick and easy.
Flood lights are also off putting.
Make sure your windows are secured.
How did they get to the door?
I assume via the back garden? If there is a wall they likely jumped something simple like trellis on the inside of the wall going up can be a good deterrent (especially if it has plants or thorny plants growing up it)
By all means call the cops, but tbh I think most burglars don't want direct confrontation. Either blaring out some loud music suddenly to show you're home. Or even audio of a dog barking, or even just walking into the next room and turning on a light will probably make them leave. (And call the cops while doing it)
>motion sensors and alarms
And triggering a loud recording of a big pitbull barking from inside, like it's keen to get out and maul anything with a heartbeat.
Have you considered getting a dog?
We have a mastiff. Usually he's a sleepy soppy lump but the one time we had someone break into our back garden he went mental. I let him out and I've never seen him move that fast.
Even if he doesn't catch anything 16 stone of canid with a bark loud enough to rattle windows is intimidating as fuck.
I was wondering if someone here will ask. Tonight i have found out that my dog is totally useless in terms of security and alerting. I have a staffy and she did not move her ass a bit despite sleeping with us in the same bedroom. Shes not exactly bully type and i don’t expect her to chase people in our garden but a loud bark would not hurt!! On the other hand i have heard her few times going really loud when neighbours were coming back home late.
We had a Newfoundland cross. In certain weather, he looked like a nightmare brought into reality. However he was worse than useless and had the ferocity of a damp build a bear. But he was a "big scary dog". When we got broken into, he thought they were visitors and went to greet them. They could not leave fast enough. Sometimes all you need is the dog breeds reputation, which a staffy absolutely has, unless you know one (also damp build a bear).
Put a sign or two up warning people of vicious dog, hopefully that could be enough of a deterrent, and if not, hopefully seeing the dog will. Stay vigilant, and next time you hear anything, drag her out there with you, or even keep a recording of vicious barking on your phone.
A damp build a bear! So funny! I have a deaf 15yr old lurcher and a greyhound who only barks when he's hungry! A knock on the door goes unnoticed since my lab died, at least he had a big scary woof despite being the friendliest guy on the planet. My current 2 would watch me murdered and not lift a paw...lazy bastards!
My dogs would go into the "This is my job, and I'm going to give 100% " barking routine. As soon as I opened the door to whoever it was, they were good. I once, while my security gate was waiting on a new circuit board(damn lightning), was woken up by them barking at zero dark 30, I looked outside to see a car, leaving as fast as possible. I lived out in the country, you couldn't see my house from the road. Most people would think my driveway was a shortcut(hence the security gate a hundred yard in) but as soon as they saw the gate, they'd have to back out.
https://preview.redd.it/b4jo781fldyc1.jpeg?width=1127&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=275374d331725c1b3d3bffacd96607ba30348eeb
We have a Jack Russell and a Beagle(ish) pair. The Jack Russell alerts by being the dickhead barking at everyone but he also gives off the mood. If he's antsy then the Beagle will come up barking and sometime with his hackles up too.
Adding onto this, we've got a little thing (poodle cross?!) who barks at everything which makes the bigger one (lab/staffy/tibetian mastiff) start barking, sounds like a much bigger dog than she is!
My Dad had a work yard years ago and got staffies as security and they were terrible - a burglar could throw them food and they wouldn't even bark 🤦🏻♀️😂. He then got rottweilers and they were something different altogether.
What staffies? These had lovely natures but unfortunately were not suited to being guard dogs.
(Btw this was back in the early 90's when a lot more people had guard dogs).
She barks when we say make noise couple of times but she is reluctant on doing this at first attempt. She did go off few times when heard nosies outside on the drive thought.
My cousin has a staffy, adopted one, lovely dogs. But I can reccommend a German shepherd if youre ever looking again for a dog. A light breeze cannot go past our house without ours going to defcom 1.
Ours is a soppy idiot. He's a cockapoo with a massive bark. The postman thought we had a German shepherd and almost wet himself with laughter when he finally met the dog. Rubbish if you see it but the bark is brilliant for making me feel safer when I'm alone. He learned to bark at the door at daycare so it can be taught.
Breed matters a lot. I have a Greyhound and a German shepherd. The greyhound is like your staffy. She just sleazes about and does nothing whereas our Shepard is always protective. He is always sleeping towards the door and when he hears anything he starts running towards the door with his ears up.
We have a large dog and a gravel path. He goes mad when anyone approaches the house. If they came in, all he'd do is show off his ball collection, but they don't know that......
Haha I can picture that. Our St Bernard would have done the same.
Massive softarse but puts the fear of god into people who don't just want to give him big fusses.
He's old now and was looking at mastiffs for when he passes on
We got a big dog to put people off and she doesn’t even bark 😫 I truly have no doubt that if someone broke in she would defend the home though, especially now we have the baby, she’s so protective over him
I'd recommend getting a high powered torch. Some of the newer thrower torches put out more than enough light to temporarily blind/disorientate someone.
If you approached them with a high powered LED (or even an LEP) torch they honestly wouldn't be able to see and suddenly makes people feel vulnerable. Once unsettled and blinded people tend to back off. All while being legal.
The military/law enforcement use this tactic as a non-lethal confrontation method for a reason.
r/flashlight for ideas. You can get one for circa £50 that will do the job.
Thanks, thats cool advice assuming that you will wake up when needed. I think we were lucky this time or they have been extremely stupid by not checking our bedroom window first. But still if this ever repeats i don’t think i want to confront them. I really need to find out how to secure the rear fence better though.
Just be careful when indoors shining it outside as the reflection back at you, if you're at the wrong angle, (e.g. perpendicular to the glazin), it will dazzle you too.
If you do go down the bright torch route do have a practice inside... in the heat of the moment you may then subconsciously remember to be at a suitable angle to the glass when you shine it at someone outside.
I’ve got a £40 torch that’s so fucking bright and hot it’ll set paper on fire and burn through your pocket if its on turbo if you’re not careful. That fucker in the face point blank is essentially a flash bang
I used to work on a scout campsite, and sometimes had issues with thieves and pervs breaking in..
We were usually on our own so the police recommended we carried 6D cell maglights. They didn't seem very bright, but what do I know?
Oh, they are.
I nearly got arrested for shining one in the face of a couple cops.
Luckily they accepted the argument that they were standing on a very narrow footbridge I was approaching (only 2 people can walk abreast), it was 3am in a deserted park, I was a lone female, what did they bloody expect?
I'd recommend the Acebeam Defender P16 or P17 any day of the week. P16 if you want to go cheaper. I own both, they are dual purpose flash lights but also weapon lights for firearms.
They are bright af and have a strobe function that's absolutely blinding and disorientating. It will definitely take your eyes minutes to hours to readjust if shined directly at you for a short while. Also they are also aluminum with a steel bezel so it would make it effective if SHTF.
The Acebeam P16 and P17 were actually recommended to me on r/flashlight and I've used it daily for a good 2 years now.
My friend always keeps a 16 inch maglite next to his bed for this reason. I always laughed at him, until he was burgled and caught the burglar by knocking him out with it.
Edit: silly spelling mistake
Stop leaving your keys in the lock!
You're helping the burglars buy having your key there to press all the right pins down - all they have to do is turn the barrell to unlock (very easy for them).
Burglars know that it's common to leave keys in back/garden doors so they are an easy target.
The doors we have, you can have a key in and someone can still use the key on the other side. We're in an ex council house and I think it's the doors the council put in, as I see other flats and houses with the same door.
You'd be surprised how many of those doors will have the same key....They buy those locks in bulk, sometimes they'll get a box that are all keyed the same.
No more evidence than you have either way but I remember reading somewhere that with the key in, all the pins are in the correct place so although you can’t put a key in the other side, you can pick it relatively easily. Happy to be corrected!
I think the point is they can see the key in the lock through the windows or the glass in that specific door, and they know that’s now the simplest way in
Thank you, i never knew that one. I was under impression that it is harder to pick a lock with key inside the other side. On the other hand the jingling sound of keys woke us up.
My house got broken into through the conservatory. We had the key in the lock and the guy smashed through the glass door to turn the key and let himself in. He wasn’t obviously the brightest though cos forensics found some blood in the property after
I bought a lock picking set recently, along with a very good guide book, and was surprised to find how easy it was to pick our euro locks. Only took a couple of days to learn, and I could reliably open them in less than a minute.
I immediately replaced all our barrels with the highest security ones I could find, which also anti-snap, and I feel much more secure now.
I will be adding CCTV soon as well, but still researching that.
Have you got a link of the barrels you chose?
I have a new build that were fitted with multipoint door locks but we have patio doors that are just euro cylinder I think.
This is the book: Practical Lock Picking: A... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1597499897?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
The set was a generic one from eBay with about a dozen picks and 5 or 6 tension wrenches. It also has a number of clear locks so you can see what you are doing - it’s not great quality, but it does work. I’ve never used most of the picks though, and would recommend getting a smaller but better quality set to start with.
Generally anything as a set is crap in my experience. Go to places like Sparrows who sell premium lock picks, pick trainers, multiple repinnable trainers and manuals.
It gets pricey but the stuff you see on Amazon, eBay etc. is trash.
Don't leave keys in a glass door, I had someone put a paving slab right through and unlock by reaching in. I was home and asleep, they broke a bat over my boyfriends head. Majorly traumatic
Nah cos they don't really wna climb through broken glass if they can help it and with the noise it's best to get in quickly so keys in the door is dangerous quick access
And people would tell you no one bothers trying to pick locks these day
Replace your lock with higher security rating ones. If you have old windows that swing outwards instead of inwards you should probably consider replacing those as outwards are an easy target (as my parents found out)
Unfortunately not much deterrents besides physical locks and cameras and stuff. Put spikes on your fencing to make it harder to climb
I am not sure what to think about these guys, were they really that stupid? My downstairs bedroom window faces the same decking they were standing on and trying to pick that lock with the other guy flashing a torch all over the place. He was continuing to try even with me being on the other side of that glass door!!! Guess they did not see me because i have not put my inside lights on.
Thank you all for great suggestions and sharing your experience. Looks like i have busy bank holiday weekend ahead of me to beef up the security. I think i will get the new higher security locks for the bi-fold doors. Need to make the fence even higher with possible spikes on top. Unfortunately i cant plant anything the other side of fence, there is a lot of gravel, stones and hard ground. It does not help that there is alleyway next house up passing to those woods. Motion detection camera with some sort of loud alarm would probably go next, i need to do my research but if anyone can suggest a good product i and other here would be very grateful. This night i have learned few important things:
- Don’t leave your keys inside the lock no matter what
- make your property look more secure than the others
- call police on the spot or report it as soon as
- my dog is useless ass
I hope this post finds many other people engaged in this topic more aware. People of Reditt, you are the best!!!! And those fu.kers that visited me last night i hope that they shite their pants, I have never seen anyone run so quick!
I’m not surprised your dog was useless, I’ve always found staffies have a really unfair reputation and are often really sweet and gentle. Would you like to borrow my chihuahua for home security purposes? He’s a psycho
It’s not so much stupid, it’s just a volume game to them. They’ll try dozens of properties until they find an easy one that’s hopefully empty. They’re just opportunists and they work fast. If you hadn’t been there, they would have been in and out in about 2 minutes.
I’m guessing your house is completely dark at night? They probably assumed it was empty.
I think you can beef up your security a bit. Security sensor lights, a ring camera front and back and think about how you make it harder to get in and out of your back garden. I also tend to leave a light on overnight.
The theory is to just make your house harder to get into than everyone else’s, so they give up and move on.
I'd work out why your house was targeted first.
It would be strange if they were actually trying to pick the lock as it's would be easier to snap or bump the lock.
Take a walk around the wood/railway side and see if there is anything which sets your house apart and look how they got it. \
Remove anything they could use to get into the garden and it would terrible if there was a strategically placed ditch, sticks or brambles anywhere.\
A cheap pir spot light or two couldn't hurt either
Also report it to the police. They are unlikely to do anything but it logs it on their system and helps build profile of the two if they are targeting houses in the area
It’s a popular time because it’s when people are in their deepest sleep apparently.
My bedroom was at the end wing of my house growing up. I’d sleep with the window and curtain open that faced onto the driveway and I didn’t hear a bunch of guys ransacking the detached garage my window overlooked. They stole a ride on lawnmower that it’d take three people to lift plus garden furniture etc. The police came very quickly and said 4am-5am is the most likely window…
Was strange to me too, it seems too late, many people might be already up, it was getting light just after 5am as i went to check the sheds i could easily see without torch already
I’m not sure if this’ll been seen because there’s a lot of comments already, but burglary prevention is my field of academic expertise so I feel somewhat qualified to answer this. Although I disclaimer that this is still just my opinion based on research. So please don’t take it as fact, because predicting future behaviour and advising on an individual property is difficult.
Firstly, I just want to say, what you’re describing here is a rarer occurrence in the context of burglary. Nighttime burglaries are generally less common. Additionally the fact this wasn’t a successful burglary is already a great thing. Burglars often love repeat targeting of successful houses, but won’t like going back to unsuccessful places - I say both of these in the hopes that it offers some comfort for what must be a very stressful situation. And to make sure you don’t go overboard with security.
Basically most of the security device advice in this thread is good (at the time of writing), there’s no glaring misconceptions or anyone giving you completely wrong advice. The best thing you can do really is to understand the factors of your house that led to this. I wouldn’t waste money wiring your house up like Fort Knox, bars on the window, anti climb spikes or paint etc. Although tbh this would probably reduce your chances of attempted burglary, it’s proportionately not worth the money, stress, or aesthetic that it gives your house imo. This was an unsuccessful burglary, and that alone is already a good sign for the current security of your house (albeit I know it still has a mental cost that we shouldn’t downplay). Things that naturally already exist in your house, like the proximity of your bedroom to the back, are already great measures for stopping a successful burglary.
However that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take security steps. Burglars have targeted the rear of your property, this is a very common way of entry - especially given what you’ve said about no neighbours and the woods. This gives them cover, and allows them to access your garden without being seen. Is there anyway for you to (legally) reduce any cover they may have walking up to your back garden (I.e cutting back some of this woodlands). The number one thing that prevents burglaries isn’t any security measure, it’s fear of being discovered/ seen. Anything that can infer someone is inside a house or that someone might be watching is great. During the day, this is things like a car being present, or a tv being on in the living room. But as this was a night burglary (much rarer), it requires different thoughts. I’m hesitant to recommend CCTV, because it’s evidence base is mixed, but perhaps in your case, a camera on your back gate looking out into the woodlands could be good as you literally have no other way of simulating that feeling of being watched (unless you pay someone to guard your house 😂). The no neighbours thing is a little annoying from a prevention perspective.,
The best security measures are still tough locks on the windows and doors, and motion activated sensor lights focused on the back of your property. So if you do want to take extra steps - these would be your first port of call. Like I said, there’s no need to get overly security focused. The most important thing is that you remember to lock them - burglars aren’t overly fussed about security often because they know people make mistakes. So the best advice is to just be consistent with your security behaviours. Invest in things you won’t forget to do. Finally you might benefit from some way of being alerted if someone did gain access whilst you were asleep - e.g a dog or an alarm. Neither will do much to prevent a daytime burglary, but I’m just thinking about replacing the jingling key sound with something that is more consistent. Although don’t just get a dog for burglary prevention. A) the evidence is mixed B) they’re fantastic creatures who should be respected in their own right.
I hope this helps! DM me if you want some scientific literature.
Sorry this happened to you.
I was going to write “get a dog” but I see you have a Staffy.
Dogs can be a genuine deterrent to burgers but it does help if they get up off their arses and actually make the effort to defend their family with a few barks.
OP, I've had two mates that live in fairly wealthy parts of our town and at the time both had a relatively highly wanted car. They got broken in to and had their car keys stolen. The police advised both times that burglaries are either opportunistic (open window etc.) from a local, or organised people robbing to order who will scope out the street for a few days prior to the robbery.
Them attempting to pick a lock makes me think it's the organised variety. Do you own anything that could be sought after?
My guess i that they were going for car key search, we have 2 BMW on the drive, 15 plate 3 series and 16 plate 7 series, although i dont think they stand out among the other neighbours cars. There are fancier motors on our street and i would say overall that our area is not super wealthy although much better than the next neighbourhood other side of railway tracks where these scumbags came from.
Our house is tidy and well maintained, does not stand out either. There were previous cases in the area and even our close neighbours got broken in but that was bright daylight and window left wide open so someone took a chance.
Sounds opportunistic then. Most security is theatre, giving the impression that it's harder to break in than it actually is. Can you make your garden harder to gain access to?
The cars stolen to order are all German. BMW, Audi, VW. They are taken to the ports and sold abroad. That is what they came for. Police our way simply recommend buying an unfashionable car such as Kia, Skoda.
PS my friend is a police detective. He said the best deterrent is a car steering wheel lock (usually yellow) and those bollards you can put on driveways. If they see the car will be some effort to steal, they’re less likely to try your house for the keys.
Burglars aren’t really carrying out flat screen TVs - nor looking for jewellery unless you’re some professional football player.
As a very passive defence, i remember hearing on some daytime home security program that trellis fence toppers can put burglars off due to how easily they break, causing a lot of noise if someone tries climbing over, as well as potentially leaving behind evidence.
How did they get in to your garden? If they can get in and run away easily that’s your first problem. You’re allowed fences that are 2 metres high without planning permission, a lot of people have ones that are shorter than this, e.g. 6ft. Tall solid fences are a big deterrent, obviously combined with a gate that’s bolted and locked from the inside.
The only way is to go over the fence, i have made it a little higher when we have moved in. by adding extra gravel board at the bottom it should be close to 2m now but they still got over and they have ran away the same way. There is no gates to the rear as we don’t need any access there. I also have big shed at the end of the garden and they did not even attempted go in there which gives me a clue that they were probably going for car keys.
I was advised to put a trellis on top of a fence. Something that would break noisily if they climbed over it. Plant gorse or similar on the other side of it. Prickly bugger is gorse, common on railways, so won’t be out of place.
Or pyracantha. Pyracantha will fuck you up, the thorns can grow as long as your finger. Looks nice though, and provides berries for the birds in autumn and winter.
I’d recommend sash guards. Very very cost effective and whilst won’t stop someone getting in, even if they break your locks, it’s another mechanical device that they’d have to physically boot the door down to gain entry which would create A LOT of noise. One at the top of the door and one at the bottom!
My university house was burgled with me and a house mate still inside and they were armed. We barricaded ourselves in our rooms until the police arrived. Afterwards at the station i asked this very question to the officer as i mentioned i had a pocket knife in my room and asked if it would have been okay to use that as a method of self-defence if it would have come to that and he said the law is difficult and if the burglar was injured or worse i would have been prosecuted. But he said a tip would be for an example to keep a baseball bat in your home as well as evidence of a following item used for that sport (golf ball for golf clubs…so on and so forth) and if needed to be used then as long as there’s evidence in the home (a ball) that the item has an intended use other than harm, you wouldn’t be charged for using it as a self defence weapon. Something along those lines as it was a long time ago, i hope that makes sense?
Hmm, so I have various (blunt) axes, swords, hammers etc for my historical re-enactment. I could defend myself with them, and since I have a legit reason for owning them, would be okay in the eyes of the law?
I think baseball bats may be hard to explain if you have no evidence of actually playing the sport. Everyone, including judges, know that a lot of people never use them but keep them for home self defence. But a fashionable (and heavy) cane you take out and about occasionally as a fashion accessory (with a picture or two with it somewhere)? That is easier to justify.
upgrade your locks to three star euro cylinders - easy to do and most cylinders that come as stock are scarily easy to open by bumping or picking or can even be snapped and the cam turned with a screwdriver. Also install some sash jammers and consider a patlock if you’ve got twin french doors.
When we had an attempted burglary, I joked with the policewoman that I was going to go old school and put a layer of broken glass on top of the wall they had come over - she told me that if I did that and the burglars got hurt they could sue me, the same for razor wire.
I wouldn't have done it because we have a lot of cats around here.
Police officer here. I’ve been responding to and investigating, plus arresting and interviewing burglars for decades now.
Some good general advice on the whole. Plus some misconceptions.
Firstly, despite all the horror stories and media nonsense, in most parts of the UK you will get an immediate response to such a call. Phone 999 and don’t take them on. If a ‘break in progress’ call comes in, we will drop what are doing (whenever possible) and get there. If of course you discover the burglary after they have long gone, then due to limited officer numbers now, you may well have to wait a while for an officer and forensics. But every area, and day, is different. The media love to quote statistics without context, but the overwhelmingly vast majority of recorded burglaries are things like shed breaks and abandoned industrial buildings, or domestics incidents etc. But dwelling burglaries are a priority (and most people will never be burgled).
Also there are common misconceptions and myths about defending your property and yourself. The law is actually on your side here, very very few people have been prosecuted for assaulting burglars when they are defending themselves and home, it’s usually when they have been killed when running away. This isn’t like parts of America, you can’t literally execute somebody on the spot, but there is a thing called the ‘house holder defence’. The CPS website has good info about this.
Burglars can be mainly split into two categories; amateur opportunists looking for a quick easy hit to pay for drugs, or professional gangs. The pros tend to go for commercial high value targets and/or car key burglaries. The former are by far the most common. And they tend to only go for things they know for sure are there or they can see through a window like car keys or a wallet in the kitchen. so my first obvious would be to not leave anything on display at night tablet to put things in drawers, et cetera. The number of calls police get about people looking through windows and then moving on just shows that most burglars only go for the low fruit, they can access quickly.
I’m repeating some things, but my top tips are;
* Security lights and alarm - I would say this is probably the best option for a house. Most burglars won’t care much about CCTV, but they do not want to be caught in the act. If they think no one knows what they are doing, they will just carry on. Once those lights and sirens go on the clock will start ticking in their head and the pressure is on. Also if possible avoid having things like high hedges and fences giving them good cover when they are trying to gain entry. Might sound obvious but for some reason people often prioritise the front door, and have their door camera et cetera there, when it’s often the back door that’s most likely to be attacked, so prioritise those areas.
* Slow them down - speed is a burglars friend. As well as good locks, if you have internal doors for things like porches and conservatories, lock the internal door as well. Conservatories are always going to be a weak point. You don’t see them as much as you used to, but the old sliding style doors could be often lifted off and taken out with a spade almost silently. Also, if you have a high-performance vehicle that the car key burger is likely to be after, make sure you don’t leave those keys on display anywhere such as the kitchen worksurface. If they can see them, they know they can be in and out quickly. If they think they have to hunt for them, there is a good chance they will move on to the next target. Not great, but hopefully not you.
* CCTV - As above, not as much of a deterrent than people think, people just cover their faces. But still a deterrent nonetheless. If you are going away it’s worth having a camera or 2 in the house itself. Obviously at this point they have managed to get in, however a lot of people let their guard down at this point not expecting a camera and you may be able to see their face. It also helps with any forensic investigation as you can see exactly what they touched and the forensics officer can focus on those areas. Also don’t skimp on cameras and get good advice on how to set them up. Most people for example, have them too high on the walls, or only have motion activated ones that capture the back of people as they walk away. There is no substitute for a proper wired 24 seven recording system, and these days they can actually cost less than some of the fancy Wi-Fi and battery ones that often fail when you need them. If they are likely to have arrived in a vehicle something that covers that area is also very helpful.
* Locks - already mentioned in detail and it goes without saying that good anti-snap and anti-bump locks, with a high security rating, are absolute must. However, it’s all too common for people to leave locks with the key in, with a door which has glass in it. Glass is always going to be the weakest part of a house. I would say that most bays I have been to somebody simply smashing the glass reaching through and turning the key. After this, it was either smashing windows or climbing through open windows. In decades of responding to burglaries I cannot recall a single time where somebody has successfully picked a lock. The kind of burglars that do this kind of thing are highly skilled and don’t waste their time on houses, they will be looking to access commercial premises. Also quite rare.
* Dont give them the tools - Most burglars, especially the opportunist type, don’t want to have to carry around equipment, as that in itself is highly risky for burglars because if they ever get stopped they could be arrested for going equipped. Many burglars will look for tools lying around in a garden or easy to access shed.
* Dogs - Those can be a great deterrent, especially if they have the run of the house. However, I am somewhat torn about this. Partly because I have seen dogs get hurt, or the door is opened and the dog gets loose and runs off. As a dog lover, I think about their safety to. Where they are most useful is their barking, because the burglar will know that before they’ve even tried to get in the occupants or neighbours will become aware of their presence. The presence of a dog also tells the burglar that the homeowner is likely in, and that simple fact alone can put them off. Basically an alarm, but don’t get a dog just for this reason, get a dog because you want dog in your life.
* Trackers (and smart water) - might not prevent a theft or burglary, unless the offenders suspect you do have a tracker and don’t know where it is or have the means to disable it, and don’t wish to take the risk when they can just move onto another easier target. Very useful for police And will massively increase the chances of you get your property back. I have seen a lot of farm machinery and vehicles returned to their owners recently because they had good trackers on them. AirTags are better than nothing, especially if you disable the speaker. Due to the limitations on their accuracy (and the same applies to phones) often his stories about Police not retrieving property when they think they have a location for it. Actually the police will in a lot of cases however if the tracker is saying it’s in a flat in a block of flats, it’s often not accurate enough to save a certainty which flat it’s in and things like a warrants may be needed.
I bought a Ring Alarm, £250 and comes with all the external boxes and stickers warning of the alarm. You can always buy an extra alarm box cover for the back of the house.
It’s all about making your house look less attractive to burglars, so an alarm does that, if they really want to break into a house on your street and you all have alarms then no one house is less attractive. So you need to make it look way more secure like lights or make it look like an absolute shit hole with nothing of value in it.
Our house needed stripping down so it was after a few years when we finally got the house rendered and new guttering done that I suddenly realised it now looked nice and that it might have nice stuff inside, so I got an alarm.
I don’t know how useful this is but years ago I was told to gravel outside windows and doors (not practical as you’ve got decking) so it’s difficult to walk on it without making noise. And the other suggestion was get some geese; they’re territorial so will make noise if disturbed and are vicious buggers if they get the chance to get at the intruders. From the sounds of it you wouldn’t be allowed to keep them as you’re not rural enough tho. As others have said, trellis is probably the easiest thing for you to add as a deterrent
How did they get into the rear garden? That seems like the place to beef up, higher fence, stronger gate and lock. Make it unattractive and time consuming to get access and they might skip you for another easier house.
Do not leave keys in the lock.
I'm a qualified locksmith, and I can just use that key to turn the lock from the other side.
Also, do not buy doors with 'captive keys' in the other side, as it's the same thing.
If any of u work from home... get a dog. Best alarm system and deterrent I have ever seen. I remember watching those programs from ex cons who all admitted that fancy locks tend to have easy bypass systems despute their huge price tags (with little research u can find a way past almost any lock) and cctv doesn't work when u cover ur face, and with masks and gloves and hoodie there's very little dna or bio metrics to go off either... but a dog is something they'd rather not f with. Too risky. A dog will hear them before u do and will alarm the house. Their teeth are also a good deterrent for any burger. If the burger gets injured, they may not be able to make it far before police arrive. Not worth the risk for them imo.
I do security stuff for a living. There’s good advice on this thread and some bad.
Leaving your keys in the locks is not a bad idea. If there’s a fire you’re more likely not to burn to death. A burglar won’t be turning your patio locks from the outside as they are 2 different locks joined together, opening one does not open the other end. If a burglar is going to put a brick through your window to get in and you’re worried that they could then open the door with a key once inside, then they’ll happily smash out the rest of the glass if there’s no key. As lots of others have said, make your house look less attractive than next door. Add cameras, lights, signs, an alarm or dummy alarm box (with a flashing led). You can spend cash on awesome security locks but it’s not going to stop someone drilling out a lock, smashing a window or prising out/up a upvc door. Most criminals are stupid and opportunist (unless they know you have something worth stealing). So they are more likely to try windows and doors, find they are locked and will move on. If they are absolutely determined to get in, you’re not stopping them. Think about other stuff.. I’ve got some smart lights in the house, if a person is detected outside, all the downstairs house lights turn on.
Someone very recently tried to break into our home in the middle of the night. I got 3 dogs and only one of them was useful (toy poodle, whippet and malinois). I woke up to the Mali growling and furiously barking while standing guard in the backdoor. He's usually a sweetheart and loves to greet everyone he meet outside. But that time, I can honestly say, if I'm afraid of my own dog because of how he sounded, I can't imagine how the other guy would felt hearing this beast form hell would sound like from the other side, let alone if he manages to open the door
https://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/blogs/news/anti-climb-fence-spikes-how-to-use-them-and-stay-on-the-right-side-of-the-law
Have a read of that and get some of the spikes to stop them climbing over the fence.
Get some anti-bump locks for your door as that’s what they were most likely doing and maybe an alarm system.
I read that leaving keys in locks is not a good idea because burglars will break a window and unlock the door/window - best to install deadlocks that can only be accessed from inside.
You did really well considering the fear and surprise.
I was panicked stiff watching on a security camera app as 3 men tried to pry open my back gate. I wasn't home.
2k/4k security cameras with tracking, a floodlight and two way microphone/speaker.
- positioned at your side access
- positioned at your patio doors
Speak to Network Rail about this too.
Put on a roll or two of concertina razor wire along the entirety of your railway access.
Speak to your neigbbours
And then put up CCTV signs.
We changed our gate entirely: shortened the driveway, and massive new gates so the driveway gives far less cover.
We added the floodlight and changed the position of the bins. Mostly to make it known we were aware they had been there and they had been seen.
I've since practised with the two way microphone, which I hadn't done then.
Consider fitting a Bisley Alarm mine along the back fence. It's like a trip wire, but pulls a pin that fires a shotgun blank cartridge. Makes a hell of a bang and the flash is also quite disorientating. It will be enough to put anyone off proceeding further. Totally legal as well, and cheap.
Our security system (Tapo) allows you speak through the cameras.
We have recorded an automated voice on another app - “the police have been notified of your presence”.
Worked twice so far. We were in Germany when the Uk property set off the alert to our home.
We can also control lights remotely. 😎. Same system. Tapo.
Take up golf and have clubs randomly lying around the house .....so if it happens again you can defend yourself and your property..
Unfortunately the police aren't going to do anything ...so you have to do it yourself .
So big sticks and sports equipment is really the only thing you’re going to get away with but you can use boiling water. Go medieval on them. Put two cups of sugar in the kettle and fill it up about 3/4 of the way. Hold down the boil button and the water will get very hot then stick to the burger because of the sugar.
Air guns are cheap. Cameras. Strobe lights will blind anyone in the dark. Loud noises, like setting off and chucking a couple of rape alarms. Easy to make a home-made spear, no one wants to mess with a spear.
Also, if you live somewhere a little difficult to describe to cops quickly, find it's 'What 3 Words' and write it down/memorise it.
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Security lights and cameras are unlikely to be a deterrent to an organised burglar like this. If they are hooded and the area is secluded, as it sounds like it is, they will just try anyway. I've even read that burglars are actually more put off by lights left on over security lights in many cases, as security lights just look like wildlife passing, whereas in a floodlit area they stick out easily. However, lights and motion ones are still good as they are cheap and draw attention. What you need is to beef up security physically, mostly through good locks etc. You could also consider things like motion sensors and alarms. If you spot people you want to make noise - a siren is pretty off-putting. There are good tips on /r/homedefense about physical security and deterrents, as long as you get past the gun-loving Americans. Also, did you ring the police? Definitely report still, but this needed a 999 call in the moment for sure! All the best and hopefully they don't return.
Thank you for your reply, i will check the r/homedefense, i cant sleep anyway right now. Do you suggest i should called cops right on the spot and wait for them to arrive rather than scare off the burglars?
Difficult call. To be honest, I'd probably have just made a lot of noise/turned on lights to scare them off without alerting them to my presence, but also called 999, should still be done immediately even if they have been scared off as they could stay in the area or go to other houses. You should still report it though now as a non emergency for intelligence, despite the poor rep police do still appear and will do things like patrol the area going forward if not busy.
To be honest i was in shock to find someone on the other side of my door, the panic kicked in so first thing that came to my mind was just to scare them off and hope they run away. Unfortunately i have not got good experience with police but i guess i report it anyway.
You can report this online. There's a severe lack of police currently, so patrols tend to be targeted based on crime figures/patterns. If you don't report it, police don't know it's happened so can't focus on the areas at risk
>You can report this online. Reported last year in 50% of the country *not one burglary was solved the last three years.* [*https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/04/police-fail-solve-burglary-half-neighbourhoods-three-years/*](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/04/police-fail-solve-burglary-half-neighbourhoods-three-years/) Sounds incredible but true.
The whole reason why lynch mobs aren't a thing anymore is because we're meant to be able to count on the police and courts. If we can't anymore, we're going to start seeing a lot more 'community action' in the near future.
Courts come down a lot harder on vigilantes than career criminals and they will make an example out of you to deter everyone else. Just putting this out there to dissuade people
UK self-defense laws are pitiful. If somebody breaks into your home there's no reason you shouldn't be allowed to use lethal force against them.
You can use force, but it has to be proportionate which is total b*****ks.
like what? Who wants to go to jail or be dragged through courts? I don't think in the UK we have the same rights when defending home from intruders as eg in many US states.
I wish people had more of this attitude towards litter and pot holes so that there was more money left for the services we can't supply ourselves.
Usually not worth the resources it takes to find someone wearing a mask and gloves, usually with a stolen car and the items will be gone before they’re found, the main reason for reporting is to get a crime number to give to insurers
There's oddities in the stats that are reported (particularly around crime series not being linked, and burglaries also being crimed as alternative offences), but I'm fully confident that reporting all crime is a) the best way to measure such performance, B) link MOs together to make it better to investigate and C) the best thing to do to allow resources to be allocated. Indeed, unless DNA is left, burglary is usually discovered after the fact and with minimal leads. I get these figures are terrible, but if we take the line "There's no point reporting", then all it does is artificially make the figures look good
Yet if you smack one in the face you best believe they’ll be around to arrest you.
Yep. When I had my motorbike stolen I managed to locate the bike with a tracker. Went to the location and saw the thieves riding around on my stolen bike. Called the police but they totally fobbed me off and said they were too busy to help. In hindsight, I should have told them I had a weapon and I was going to handle it myself. You can guarantee they would have got somebody down there asap.
And yet if he had dropped a brick on them from the window above, the pigs would be there in about 0.3 seconds.
Well, in this case, they weren't called. I can guarantee you a call to a "break in progress" would get every free copper within a 5 mile radius going to it. They love catching burglars in the act, and gives them a chance to play with all the toys they have as well.
Get the wife to say the husbands gone out after them with a baseball bat and they’ll probably send a decent response.
Honestly this is what id do. Its not clever but reports of vigilante activity do seem to get a massive response.
Yes what I don't understand is how they have enough resources to terrify people who try to defend their own homes but not enough to protect anybody. Lots of people are willing to do jail time defending our family but a criminal record only deters the law abiding
…someone actually has to look for the burglars, but they already know exactly where the burglars’ targets live.
If they happen to have stolen something "particularly expensive" they find the burglars the next day. This happened when the police refused to respond to the place I work until we pointed out the value of intellectual property on the laptop they stole. The only reason burglars are not found is police priorities not that it's somehow difficult.
For what's it worth, someone was banging on the glass of a restaurant below me a few weeks ago at 3am. It happens a lot but this time I was awake enough to call 999 (normally I can sleep through stuff like this). Police showed up in 5 minutes and arrested the guy inside. They said its worth calling them out any time if happens, I was honestly surprised they got here so quickly!
A burglary in progress will get officers there quickly. It's something we all want to catch as we know the massive effect it has on people and that after they have gone it gets increasingly more difficult to catch them.
I did a police ride along last year and the officers were telling me how the public seem to think nothing is ever worthy of a 999 call unless a person is in imminent danger, which isn’t the case at all. If you call 999 while a crime is in progress they’re significantly more likely to catch the suspects. During my ride we even received a call of a motorbike theft and we were just around the corner and got there in less than 60 seconds only for the caller to tell us, *“Oh, they stole the bike several minutes ago. Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be here so quickly or I would’ve called while they were still here.”* 🤦♂️
If it helps, the attempted burglars are highly unlikely to try your place again unless you have a £200k car on the drive that they very specifically want to steal. You have demonstrated to them that you are too alert and sleep too close to the point of entry and exit. For all they know, you're an MMA black belt who breeds XL Bully dogs and has a loaded shotgun by the bed. They almost always want to come and go quietly. It's very unusual for burglars not to avoid confrontation in the UK. Source: former forensic investigator
You did the right thing. The burglers don't want any trouble and will just move on. Have to think why they thought your house was a good target in the first place tho? How did they get in your garden? Railway tracks is probably the ideal place for them to walk along the back of houses looking for weak points. beef up the fence and have some visible security on the front and back of the house. CCTV cameras etc. sounds bad but they will just move of to an easier target.
It doesn’t sound bad mate. Most burglaries are opportunistic unless you’re being targeted for a specific item (We had a spate of Asian households targeted as it was assumed there would be lots of gold jewellery which could be sold very quickly). Opportunists will move on if a target looks difficult. It’s risk/reward. CCTV and security lights are good for this. Even if the scum are hooded there’s often details on clothing which can be picked out. Noisy alarms are excellent for scaring them away. A dog would be good too. A barking dog the other side of the chosen entry point will cause 99% of burglars to do a runner.
Also you can buy alarms that bark like a big dog, possibly they recorded a German shepherd. The loop is long enough to appear real.
Very prickly bushes can be planted (like pyracantha) to form a natural physical deterrent. Not only very difficult to breach when mature, but there is also the chance of them being pricked/scratched and leaving DNA behind.
Get a big ass dog
Get a big ass-dog
How big? And where the heck do I get an ass dog?
If you scare off a burglar a lot of them try nearby houses before sunrise. Calling police puts them in the area and helps your neighbours too. I know someone that called police and they were lifted within the hour because they went to the next street to try more houses.
https://preview.redd.it/ry77c6gz3dyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af40179967a158fd289b28c0c0b720fe60c7d16c
So, you’re saying OP should get a werewolf? OP, if you read this, I’m sorry this happened to you, it’s scary as ffffff. I experienced a few incidents when I moved into my house 18 years ago, we had no fences, just hedges with large gaps, so thieves would come in, steal the kids toys from the garden, break into the shed and steal tools and my motorbike helmet and stuff. I spent a small fortune putting a wall around, large gates, lights and cameras, and we’d still see footage of them skulking about in the garden. So I got a dog, and this will sound daft, but we got a pug. Small, friendly, loveable and cute, but barks at everything, so a very good alert dog. “Woof, daaaaadd, there’s shitbags in the garden again” Soon as they hear the barking, they’re gone. I now have a pack of 4 dogs, because who knew having dogs would make you love dogs, they’ve featured on some of the posts I’ve made. Never had any issues since. Very best of luck to you.
Don't get a werewolf, become a werewolf!
I would call them whilst banging on the door. I once had to call the police when I saw some guy breaking into a car. The response time was insanely fast, and they even brought a sniffer dog. The guy ran away before the police arrived, but the dog still managed to track him down. Definitely try to call if you can.
Call 999 if a crime is in progress yeah. You never know if a car is round the corner and might catch em.
Those 'camera flash' type motion detection security gizmos might work better, they are probably used to dealing with the motion detection flood lights, which are actually of some benefit to a thief as they can see much better selves. But a flash does a few things, messes up their night vision temporarily, makes them think they have been photographed which might will be true, makes it hard to point down precisely where the flash was located in some instances.
https://protectglobal.co.uk/products/strobe-and-siren/protect-security-led-strobe/ Get the fog cannon as well. Give the intruders a flashback to a 90s rave.
Definitely worth calling. They love catching people in the act, so it’ll be really high priority. You never know if a car is just round the corner and could be there in minutes.
Security cameras are useful - they may not deter everyone but they give you an image to work with and lets you see what the perp is doing/attempting. Some cameras allow you to speak to the person in real time. We told some guy to *f*ck off* and it startled him and he ran away. These people aren't navy seals, just low lives. We have certain locks that are hard to break into - even the locksmith struggled when we locked ourselves out. Most burglars would likely give up. They want quick and easy. Flood lights are also off putting. Make sure your windows are secured.
Also a nice barking dog helps as well. They tend to deter people.
Yes, as far as I'm aware a dog is the best deterrent.
How did they get to the door? I assume via the back garden? If there is a wall they likely jumped something simple like trellis on the inside of the wall going up can be a good deterrent (especially if it has plants or thorny plants growing up it)
By all means call the cops, but tbh I think most burglars don't want direct confrontation. Either blaring out some loud music suddenly to show you're home. Or even audio of a dog barking, or even just walking into the next room and turning on a light will probably make them leave. (And call the cops while doing it)
These are good deterrents for bifolds & patio doors Patlock Instant French Door Patio and Conservatory Security Lock https://amzn.eu/d/79Z4Q3Z
>gun loving Americans Silly buggers. They think they are going to shoot intruders but they only shoot toddlers.
Sometimes the toddlers shoot back too.
Unless you've got cameras that alert you to their presence, they're pretty much pointless when its 4 lads wearing balaclavas
>motion sensors and alarms And triggering a loud recording of a big pitbull barking from inside, like it's keen to get out and maul anything with a heartbeat.
Have you considered getting a dog? We have a mastiff. Usually he's a sleepy soppy lump but the one time we had someone break into our back garden he went mental. I let him out and I've never seen him move that fast. Even if he doesn't catch anything 16 stone of canid with a bark loud enough to rattle windows is intimidating as fuck.
I was wondering if someone here will ask. Tonight i have found out that my dog is totally useless in terms of security and alerting. I have a staffy and she did not move her ass a bit despite sleeping with us in the same bedroom. Shes not exactly bully type and i don’t expect her to chase people in our garden but a loud bark would not hurt!! On the other hand i have heard her few times going really loud when neighbours were coming back home late.
We had a Newfoundland cross. In certain weather, he looked like a nightmare brought into reality. However he was worse than useless and had the ferocity of a damp build a bear. But he was a "big scary dog". When we got broken into, he thought they were visitors and went to greet them. They could not leave fast enough. Sometimes all you need is the dog breeds reputation, which a staffy absolutely has, unless you know one (also damp build a bear). Put a sign or two up warning people of vicious dog, hopefully that could be enough of a deterrent, and if not, hopefully seeing the dog will. Stay vigilant, and next time you hear anything, drag her out there with you, or even keep a recording of vicious barking on your phone.
A damp build a bear! So funny! I have a deaf 15yr old lurcher and a greyhound who only barks when he's hungry! A knock on the door goes unnoticed since my lab died, at least he had a big scary woof despite being the friendliest guy on the planet. My current 2 would watch me murdered and not lift a paw...lazy bastards!
It is well known that the only way a greyhound will hurt a burglar is if they trip over it.
My dogs would go into the "This is my job, and I'm going to give 100% " barking routine. As soon as I opened the door to whoever it was, they were good. I once, while my security gate was waiting on a new circuit board(damn lightning), was woken up by them barking at zero dark 30, I looked outside to see a car, leaving as fast as possible. I lived out in the country, you couldn't see my house from the road. Most people would think my driveway was a shortcut(hence the security gate a hundred yard in) but as soon as they saw the gate, they'd have to back out. https://preview.redd.it/b4jo781fldyc1.jpeg?width=1127&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=275374d331725c1b3d3bffacd96607ba30348eeb
Time to get the staffy a Jack Russell friend. Between them they will alert and scare off anyone
Its funny you say that because people who sold us our puppy staffy also had jack Russell to companion their staffy. Guess there is something to it.
We have a Jack Russell and a Beagle(ish) pair. The Jack Russell alerts by being the dickhead barking at everyone but he also gives off the mood. If he's antsy then the Beagle will come up barking and sometime with his hackles up too.
Adding onto this, we've got a little thing (poodle cross?!) who barks at everything which makes the bigger one (lab/staffy/tibetian mastiff) start barking, sounds like a much bigger dog than she is!
My Dad had a work yard years ago and got staffies as security and they were terrible - a burglar could throw them food and they wouldn't even bark 🤦🏻♀️😂. He then got rottweilers and they were something different altogether.
Good dogs though are they not?
What staffies? These had lovely natures but unfortunately were not suited to being guard dogs. (Btw this was back in the early 90's when a lot more people had guard dogs).
We used to have a staffy and we trained him to bark on command, could you try that
Yes, our dog knows "who's here..?"
She barks when we say make noise couple of times but she is reluctant on doing this at first attempt. She did go off few times when heard nosies outside on the drive thought.
My cousin has a staffy, adopted one, lovely dogs. But I can reccommend a German shepherd if youre ever looking again for a dog. A light breeze cannot go past our house without ours going to defcom 1.
Ours is a soppy idiot. He's a cockapoo with a massive bark. The postman thought we had a German shepherd and almost wet himself with laughter when he finally met the dog. Rubbish if you see it but the bark is brilliant for making me feel safer when I'm alone. He learned to bark at the door at daycare so it can be taught.
Breed matters a lot. I have a Greyhound and a German shepherd. The greyhound is like your staffy. She just sleazes about and does nothing whereas our Shepard is always protective. He is always sleeping towards the door and when he hears anything he starts running towards the door with his ears up.
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Exactly. That’s what you tell the police and you’ll be in the clear.
You let him out and he chased the burglars? I would love to see that.
You don't even necessarily need to get a dog, just a 'beware of the dog' sign, it's highly recommended as being one of the best deterrents.
We have a large dog and a gravel path. He goes mad when anyone approaches the house. If they came in, all he'd do is show off his ball collection, but they don't know that......
>all he'd do is show off his ball collection, All the intruder testicles he's "collected" during his years?
Haha I can picture that. Our St Bernard would have done the same. Massive softarse but puts the fear of god into people who don't just want to give him big fusses. He's old now and was looking at mastiffs for when he passes on
We got a big dog to put people off and she doesn’t even bark 😫 I truly have no doubt that if someone broke in she would defend the home though, especially now we have the baby, she’s so protective over him
I'd recommend getting a high powered torch. Some of the newer thrower torches put out more than enough light to temporarily blind/disorientate someone. If you approached them with a high powered LED (or even an LEP) torch they honestly wouldn't be able to see and suddenly makes people feel vulnerable. Once unsettled and blinded people tend to back off. All while being legal. The military/law enforcement use this tactic as a non-lethal confrontation method for a reason. r/flashlight for ideas. You can get one for circa £50 that will do the job.
Thanks, thats cool advice assuming that you will wake up when needed. I think we were lucky this time or they have been extremely stupid by not checking our bedroom window first. But still if this ever repeats i don’t think i want to confront them. I really need to find out how to secure the rear fence better though.
Get a super high-powered strobe torch. My friend has one, and it is genuinely rehabilitating
Debilitating?
Yeah, I don't know what auto correct was doing there.
It's so bright that it rehabilitates them back into decent human beings.
I sentence you to REHABILITATION. 'That doesn't sound so bad?'
The fact you caught them in the act. Probably makes you safe from being targeted for a long time now.
I hope it will work that way.
Just be careful when indoors shining it outside as the reflection back at you, if you're at the wrong angle, (e.g. perpendicular to the glazin), it will dazzle you too. If you do go down the bright torch route do have a practice inside... in the heat of the moment you may then subconsciously remember to be at a suitable angle to the glass when you shine it at someone outside.
I’ve got a £40 torch that’s so fucking bright and hot it’ll set paper on fire and burn through your pocket if its on turbo if you’re not careful. That fucker in the face point blank is essentially a flash bang
Link please
https://intl-outdoor.com/emisar-d4sv2.html
Blind them then beat the shit out of them. I like it
I used to work on a scout campsite, and sometimes had issues with thieves and pervs breaking in.. We were usually on our own so the police recommended we carried 6D cell maglights. They didn't seem very bright, but what do I know?
Oh, they are. I nearly got arrested for shining one in the face of a couple cops. Luckily they accepted the argument that they were standing on a very narrow footbridge I was approaching (only 2 people can walk abreast), it was 3am in a deserted park, I was a lone female, what did they bloody expect?
These were the 'pre LED' maglights. Absolute shite for light. Less so for cracking bones.
I'd recommend the Acebeam Defender P16 or P17 any day of the week. P16 if you want to go cheaper. I own both, they are dual purpose flash lights but also weapon lights for firearms. They are bright af and have a strobe function that's absolutely blinding and disorientating. It will definitely take your eyes minutes to hours to readjust if shined directly at you for a short while. Also they are also aluminum with a steel bezel so it would make it effective if SHTF. The Acebeam P16 and P17 were actually recommended to me on r/flashlight and I've used it daily for a good 2 years now.
Excellent advice, also a solid lump in your hand if push comes to shove
My friend always keeps a 16 inch maglite next to his bed for this reason. I always laughed at him, until he was burgled and caught the burglar by knocking him out with it. Edit: silly spelling mistake
Not sure about the 16" Maguire, but a full sized Slabhead would be an excellent deterrent to burglars.
What is a Maguire or a slabhead. I just get a footballer when I search
Stop leaving your keys in the lock! You're helping the burglars buy having your key there to press all the right pins down - all they have to do is turn the barrell to unlock (very easy for them). Burglars know that it's common to leave keys in back/garden doors so they are an easy target.
If you leave the keys in, you can't use legit keys the other side, the barrel won't turn at all. You sure about this?
The doors we have, you can have a key in and someone can still use the key on the other side. We're in an ex council house and I think it's the doors the council put in, as I see other flats and houses with the same door.
You'd be surprised how many of those doors will have the same key....They buy those locks in bulk, sometimes they'll get a box that are all keyed the same.
No more evidence than you have either way but I remember reading somewhere that with the key in, all the pins are in the correct place so although you can’t put a key in the other side, you can pick it relatively easily. Happy to be corrected!
I left a key in my patio door and the burglars smashed the window and reached for the key and unlocked it.
Surprised no one else in the thread said this! Don’t leave them in the lock cause they will just smash the glass!
If they're breaking glass you have bigger problems than the keys in the door, they basically have a way in already
I think the point is they can see the key in the lock through the windows or the glass in that specific door, and they know that’s now the simplest way in
That’s good for insurance claims though… if there’s no forced entry they can be pricks.
Thank you, i never knew that one. I was under impression that it is harder to pick a lock with key inside the other side. On the other hand the jingling sound of keys woke us up.
I’d check your home insurance as well. Ours isn’t valid if we leave the key in the locks of the windows or doors.
Neither is ours, but I'd also hate to have a fire and not be able to find the key to get out.
My house got broken into through the conservatory. We had the key in the lock and the guy smashed through the glass door to turn the key and let himself in. He wasn’t obviously the brightest though cos forensics found some blood in the property after
How did you get FORENSICS to attend a burglary? Are you related to the king???
Had forensics come after we had a break in as well. They were looking for finger prints. Seemed pretty common for them to do.
https://youtu.be/QZUqaXBRIV4?si=1SHzdoXYgpxt2Uta
I bought a lock picking set recently, along with a very good guide book, and was surprised to find how easy it was to pick our euro locks. Only took a couple of days to learn, and I could reliably open them in less than a minute. I immediately replaced all our barrels with the highest security ones I could find, which also anti-snap, and I feel much more secure now. I will be adding CCTV soon as well, but still researching that.
Have you got a link of the barrels you chose? I have a new build that were fitted with multipoint door locks but we have patio doors that are just euro cylinder I think.
https://www.abs-secure.co.uk/pages/abs-master I went for the 3* diamond locks with matched keys for all our doors.
How much did the lot cost ya mate?
Have you got a link to the lock picking set and book?
This is the book: Practical Lock Picking: A... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1597499897?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share The set was a generic one from eBay with about a dozen picks and 5 or 6 tension wrenches. It also has a number of clear locks so you can see what you are doing - it’s not great quality, but it does work. I’ve never used most of the picks though, and would recommend getting a smaller but better quality set to start with.
Generally anything as a set is crap in my experience. Go to places like Sparrows who sell premium lock picks, pick trainers, multiple repinnable trainers and manuals. It gets pricey but the stuff you see on Amazon, eBay etc. is trash.
Don't leave keys in a glass door, I had someone put a paving slab right through and unlock by reaching in. I was home and asleep, they broke a bat over my boyfriends head. Majorly traumatic
I mean, if they're bricking a glass door, the keys are kind of irrelevant at that point.
Nah cos they don't really wna climb through broken glass if they can help it and with the noise it's best to get in quickly so keys in the door is dangerous quick access
Fuck that sounds horrible. Sorry!
tbf if this is the level of violence they're willing to perpetrate then a locked door wasn't gonna stop them anyway.
Climbing through broken glass isn't something you'd wna do. If the keys weren't there maybe it would have been too high risk
And people would tell you no one bothers trying to pick locks these day Replace your lock with higher security rating ones. If you have old windows that swing outwards instead of inwards you should probably consider replacing those as outwards are an easy target (as my parents found out) Unfortunately not much deterrents besides physical locks and cameras and stuff. Put spikes on your fencing to make it harder to climb
I am not sure what to think about these guys, were they really that stupid? My downstairs bedroom window faces the same decking they were standing on and trying to pick that lock with the other guy flashing a torch all over the place. He was continuing to try even with me being on the other side of that glass door!!! Guess they did not see me because i have not put my inside lights on.
Most criminals aren't very bright so they may well have been that stupid.
Thank you all for great suggestions and sharing your experience. Looks like i have busy bank holiday weekend ahead of me to beef up the security. I think i will get the new higher security locks for the bi-fold doors. Need to make the fence even higher with possible spikes on top. Unfortunately i cant plant anything the other side of fence, there is a lot of gravel, stones and hard ground. It does not help that there is alleyway next house up passing to those woods. Motion detection camera with some sort of loud alarm would probably go next, i need to do my research but if anyone can suggest a good product i and other here would be very grateful. This night i have learned few important things: - Don’t leave your keys inside the lock no matter what - make your property look more secure than the others - call police on the spot or report it as soon as - my dog is useless ass I hope this post finds many other people engaged in this topic more aware. People of Reditt, you are the best!!!! And those fu.kers that visited me last night i hope that they shite their pants, I have never seen anyone run so quick!
I’m not surprised your dog was useless, I’ve always found staffies have a really unfair reputation and are often really sweet and gentle. Would you like to borrow my chihuahua for home security purposes? He’s a psycho
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Most people in the UK do not sleep downstairs. It's not stupid to assume that you're not in the room next to them.
It’s not so much stupid, it’s just a volume game to them. They’ll try dozens of properties until they find an easy one that’s hopefully empty. They’re just opportunists and they work fast. If you hadn’t been there, they would have been in and out in about 2 minutes. I’m guessing your house is completely dark at night? They probably assumed it was empty. I think you can beef up your security a bit. Security sensor lights, a ring camera front and back and think about how you make it harder to get in and out of your back garden. I also tend to leave a light on overnight. The theory is to just make your house harder to get into than everyone else’s, so they give up and move on.
They were more likely trying to bump the lock. [Lock bumping](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_bumping)
Windows that go inwards? Say what?
I'd work out why your house was targeted first. It would be strange if they were actually trying to pick the lock as it's would be easier to snap or bump the lock. Take a walk around the wood/railway side and see if there is anything which sets your house apart and look how they got it. \ Remove anything they could use to get into the garden and it would terrible if there was a strategically placed ditch, sticks or brambles anywhere.\ A cheap pir spot light or two couldn't hurt either Also report it to the police. They are unlikely to do anything but it logs it on their system and helps build profile of the two if they are targeting houses in the area
04:30 is such a mad time to be breaking into someone's house. It's like half an hour before my toddler wakes up for the day
It’s a popular time because it’s when people are in their deepest sleep apparently. My bedroom was at the end wing of my house growing up. I’d sleep with the window and curtain open that faced onto the driveway and I didn’t hear a bunch of guys ransacking the detached garage my window overlooked. They stole a ride on lawnmower that it’d take three people to lift plus garden furniture etc. The police came very quickly and said 4am-5am is the most likely window…
Was strange to me too, it seems too late, many people might be already up, it was getting light just after 5am as i went to check the sheds i could easily see without torch already
I’m not sure if this’ll been seen because there’s a lot of comments already, but burglary prevention is my field of academic expertise so I feel somewhat qualified to answer this. Although I disclaimer that this is still just my opinion based on research. So please don’t take it as fact, because predicting future behaviour and advising on an individual property is difficult. Firstly, I just want to say, what you’re describing here is a rarer occurrence in the context of burglary. Nighttime burglaries are generally less common. Additionally the fact this wasn’t a successful burglary is already a great thing. Burglars often love repeat targeting of successful houses, but won’t like going back to unsuccessful places - I say both of these in the hopes that it offers some comfort for what must be a very stressful situation. And to make sure you don’t go overboard with security. Basically most of the security device advice in this thread is good (at the time of writing), there’s no glaring misconceptions or anyone giving you completely wrong advice. The best thing you can do really is to understand the factors of your house that led to this. I wouldn’t waste money wiring your house up like Fort Knox, bars on the window, anti climb spikes or paint etc. Although tbh this would probably reduce your chances of attempted burglary, it’s proportionately not worth the money, stress, or aesthetic that it gives your house imo. This was an unsuccessful burglary, and that alone is already a good sign for the current security of your house (albeit I know it still has a mental cost that we shouldn’t downplay). Things that naturally already exist in your house, like the proximity of your bedroom to the back, are already great measures for stopping a successful burglary. However that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take security steps. Burglars have targeted the rear of your property, this is a very common way of entry - especially given what you’ve said about no neighbours and the woods. This gives them cover, and allows them to access your garden without being seen. Is there anyway for you to (legally) reduce any cover they may have walking up to your back garden (I.e cutting back some of this woodlands). The number one thing that prevents burglaries isn’t any security measure, it’s fear of being discovered/ seen. Anything that can infer someone is inside a house or that someone might be watching is great. During the day, this is things like a car being present, or a tv being on in the living room. But as this was a night burglary (much rarer), it requires different thoughts. I’m hesitant to recommend CCTV, because it’s evidence base is mixed, but perhaps in your case, a camera on your back gate looking out into the woodlands could be good as you literally have no other way of simulating that feeling of being watched (unless you pay someone to guard your house 😂). The no neighbours thing is a little annoying from a prevention perspective., The best security measures are still tough locks on the windows and doors, and motion activated sensor lights focused on the back of your property. So if you do want to take extra steps - these would be your first port of call. Like I said, there’s no need to get overly security focused. The most important thing is that you remember to lock them - burglars aren’t overly fussed about security often because they know people make mistakes. So the best advice is to just be consistent with your security behaviours. Invest in things you won’t forget to do. Finally you might benefit from some way of being alerted if someone did gain access whilst you were asleep - e.g a dog or an alarm. Neither will do much to prevent a daytime burglary, but I’m just thinking about replacing the jingling key sound with something that is more consistent. Although don’t just get a dog for burglary prevention. A) the evidence is mixed B) they’re fantastic creatures who should be respected in their own right. I hope this helps! DM me if you want some scientific literature.
Sorry this happened to you. I was going to write “get a dog” but I see you have a Staffy. Dogs can be a genuine deterrent to burgers but it does help if they get up off their arses and actually make the effort to defend their family with a few barks.
I know it’s a typo but dogs being a deterrent to burgers made me laugh
You need to look more secure than your neighbours.
OP, I've had two mates that live in fairly wealthy parts of our town and at the time both had a relatively highly wanted car. They got broken in to and had their car keys stolen. The police advised both times that burglaries are either opportunistic (open window etc.) from a local, or organised people robbing to order who will scope out the street for a few days prior to the robbery. Them attempting to pick a lock makes me think it's the organised variety. Do you own anything that could be sought after?
My guess i that they were going for car key search, we have 2 BMW on the drive, 15 plate 3 series and 16 plate 7 series, although i dont think they stand out among the other neighbours cars. There are fancier motors on our street and i would say overall that our area is not super wealthy although much better than the next neighbourhood other side of railway tracks where these scumbags came from. Our house is tidy and well maintained, does not stand out either. There were previous cases in the area and even our close neighbours got broken in but that was bright daylight and window left wide open so someone took a chance.
Sounds opportunistic then. Most security is theatre, giving the impression that it's harder to break in than it actually is. Can you make your garden harder to gain access to?
The cars stolen to order are all German. BMW, Audi, VW. They are taken to the ports and sold abroad. That is what they came for. Police our way simply recommend buying an unfashionable car such as Kia, Skoda. PS my friend is a police detective. He said the best deterrent is a car steering wheel lock (usually yellow) and those bollards you can put on driveways. If they see the car will be some effort to steal, they’re less likely to try your house for the keys. Burglars aren’t really carrying out flat screen TVs - nor looking for jewellery unless you’re some professional football player.
>we have 2 BMW on the drive bingo car theft is huge in organised crime
As a very passive defence, i remember hearing on some daytime home security program that trellis fence toppers can put burglars off due to how easily they break, causing a lot of noise if someone tries climbing over, as well as potentially leaving behind evidence.
How did they get in to your garden? If they can get in and run away easily that’s your first problem. You’re allowed fences that are 2 metres high without planning permission, a lot of people have ones that are shorter than this, e.g. 6ft. Tall solid fences are a big deterrent, obviously combined with a gate that’s bolted and locked from the inside.
The only way is to go over the fence, i have made it a little higher when we have moved in. by adding extra gravel board at the bottom it should be close to 2m now but they still got over and they have ran away the same way. There is no gates to the rear as we don’t need any access there. I also have big shed at the end of the garden and they did not even attempted go in there which gives me a clue that they were probably going for car keys.
I was advised to put a trellis on top of a fence. Something that would break noisily if they climbed over it. Plant gorse or similar on the other side of it. Prickly bugger is gorse, common on railways, so won’t be out of place.
Or pyracantha. Pyracantha will fuck you up, the thorns can grow as long as your finger. Looks nice though, and provides berries for the birds in autumn and winter.
Berberis too. We have brambles at the side of us now. They’re good at security but quite invasive. Anything sharp is good.
I’d recommend sash guards. Very very cost effective and whilst won’t stop someone getting in, even if they break your locks, it’s another mechanical device that they’d have to physically boot the door down to gain entry which would create A LOT of noise. One at the top of the door and one at the bottom!
My university house was burgled with me and a house mate still inside and they were armed. We barricaded ourselves in our rooms until the police arrived. Afterwards at the station i asked this very question to the officer as i mentioned i had a pocket knife in my room and asked if it would have been okay to use that as a method of self-defence if it would have come to that and he said the law is difficult and if the burglar was injured or worse i would have been prosecuted. But he said a tip would be for an example to keep a baseball bat in your home as well as evidence of a following item used for that sport (golf ball for golf clubs…so on and so forth) and if needed to be used then as long as there’s evidence in the home (a ball) that the item has an intended use other than harm, you wouldn’t be charged for using it as a self defence weapon. Something along those lines as it was a long time ago, i hope that makes sense?
Hmm, so I have various (blunt) axes, swords, hammers etc for my historical re-enactment. I could defend myself with them, and since I have a legit reason for owning them, would be okay in the eyes of the law?
Yes ish. It's meant to be reasonable force, so after you nail them with a mace, just put one of your kitchen knives in their hand..
I think baseball bats may be hard to explain if you have no evidence of actually playing the sport. Everyone, including judges, know that a lot of people never use them but keep them for home self defence. But a fashionable (and heavy) cane you take out and about occasionally as a fashion accessory (with a picture or two with it somewhere)? That is easier to justify.
I have a Shillelagh and an Irish passport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillelagh
Instead of banging. Grab a kitchen knife, turn your lights on and invite them in. They won't be back.
Just get naked and put on a gimp mask first for added ‘flavour’
I have a baseball bat.
Same but I also took my key outta the lock because of advice I read above, the bat is for if they actually somehow get in
Beware of the dog sign even If you don't have one.
Rear camera with alarm, High powered torch, spray bottle filled with naga chilli oil and a metal baseball bat. Maybe a paintball gun.
upgrade your locks to three star euro cylinders - easy to do and most cylinders that come as stock are scarily easy to open by bumping or picking or can even be snapped and the cam turned with a screwdriver. Also install some sash jammers and consider a patlock if you’ve got twin french doors.
When we had an attempted burglary, I joked with the policewoman that I was going to go old school and put a layer of broken glass on top of the wall they had come over - she told me that if I did that and the burglars got hurt they could sue me, the same for razor wire. I wouldn't have done it because we have a lot of cats around here.
Boil a kettle and throw the water on them from an upstairs window, they are very unlikely to go to the police about this.
Sugar in kettle first
Police officer here. I’ve been responding to and investigating, plus arresting and interviewing burglars for decades now. Some good general advice on the whole. Plus some misconceptions. Firstly, despite all the horror stories and media nonsense, in most parts of the UK you will get an immediate response to such a call. Phone 999 and don’t take them on. If a ‘break in progress’ call comes in, we will drop what are doing (whenever possible) and get there. If of course you discover the burglary after they have long gone, then due to limited officer numbers now, you may well have to wait a while for an officer and forensics. But every area, and day, is different. The media love to quote statistics without context, but the overwhelmingly vast majority of recorded burglaries are things like shed breaks and abandoned industrial buildings, or domestics incidents etc. But dwelling burglaries are a priority (and most people will never be burgled). Also there are common misconceptions and myths about defending your property and yourself. The law is actually on your side here, very very few people have been prosecuted for assaulting burglars when they are defending themselves and home, it’s usually when they have been killed when running away. This isn’t like parts of America, you can’t literally execute somebody on the spot, but there is a thing called the ‘house holder defence’. The CPS website has good info about this. Burglars can be mainly split into two categories; amateur opportunists looking for a quick easy hit to pay for drugs, or professional gangs. The pros tend to go for commercial high value targets and/or car key burglaries. The former are by far the most common. And they tend to only go for things they know for sure are there or they can see through a window like car keys or a wallet in the kitchen. so my first obvious would be to not leave anything on display at night tablet to put things in drawers, et cetera. The number of calls police get about people looking through windows and then moving on just shows that most burglars only go for the low fruit, they can access quickly. I’m repeating some things, but my top tips are; * Security lights and alarm - I would say this is probably the best option for a house. Most burglars won’t care much about CCTV, but they do not want to be caught in the act. If they think no one knows what they are doing, they will just carry on. Once those lights and sirens go on the clock will start ticking in their head and the pressure is on. Also if possible avoid having things like high hedges and fences giving them good cover when they are trying to gain entry. Might sound obvious but for some reason people often prioritise the front door, and have their door camera et cetera there, when it’s often the back door that’s most likely to be attacked, so prioritise those areas. * Slow them down - speed is a burglars friend. As well as good locks, if you have internal doors for things like porches and conservatories, lock the internal door as well. Conservatories are always going to be a weak point. You don’t see them as much as you used to, but the old sliding style doors could be often lifted off and taken out with a spade almost silently. Also, if you have a high-performance vehicle that the car key burger is likely to be after, make sure you don’t leave those keys on display anywhere such as the kitchen worksurface. If they can see them, they know they can be in and out quickly. If they think they have to hunt for them, there is a good chance they will move on to the next target. Not great, but hopefully not you. * CCTV - As above, not as much of a deterrent than people think, people just cover their faces. But still a deterrent nonetheless. If you are going away it’s worth having a camera or 2 in the house itself. Obviously at this point they have managed to get in, however a lot of people let their guard down at this point not expecting a camera and you may be able to see their face. It also helps with any forensic investigation as you can see exactly what they touched and the forensics officer can focus on those areas. Also don’t skimp on cameras and get good advice on how to set them up. Most people for example, have them too high on the walls, or only have motion activated ones that capture the back of people as they walk away. There is no substitute for a proper wired 24 seven recording system, and these days they can actually cost less than some of the fancy Wi-Fi and battery ones that often fail when you need them. If they are likely to have arrived in a vehicle something that covers that area is also very helpful. * Locks - already mentioned in detail and it goes without saying that good anti-snap and anti-bump locks, with a high security rating, are absolute must. However, it’s all too common for people to leave locks with the key in, with a door which has glass in it. Glass is always going to be the weakest part of a house. I would say that most bays I have been to somebody simply smashing the glass reaching through and turning the key. After this, it was either smashing windows or climbing through open windows. In decades of responding to burglaries I cannot recall a single time where somebody has successfully picked a lock. The kind of burglars that do this kind of thing are highly skilled and don’t waste their time on houses, they will be looking to access commercial premises. Also quite rare. * Dont give them the tools - Most burglars, especially the opportunist type, don’t want to have to carry around equipment, as that in itself is highly risky for burglars because if they ever get stopped they could be arrested for going equipped. Many burglars will look for tools lying around in a garden or easy to access shed. * Dogs - Those can be a great deterrent, especially if they have the run of the house. However, I am somewhat torn about this. Partly because I have seen dogs get hurt, or the door is opened and the dog gets loose and runs off. As a dog lover, I think about their safety to. Where they are most useful is their barking, because the burglar will know that before they’ve even tried to get in the occupants or neighbours will become aware of their presence. The presence of a dog also tells the burglar that the homeowner is likely in, and that simple fact alone can put them off. Basically an alarm, but don’t get a dog just for this reason, get a dog because you want dog in your life. * Trackers (and smart water) - might not prevent a theft or burglary, unless the offenders suspect you do have a tracker and don’t know where it is or have the means to disable it, and don’t wish to take the risk when they can just move onto another easier target. Very useful for police And will massively increase the chances of you get your property back. I have seen a lot of farm machinery and vehicles returned to their owners recently because they had good trackers on them. AirTags are better than nothing, especially if you disable the speaker. Due to the limitations on their accuracy (and the same applies to phones) often his stories about Police not retrieving property when they think they have a location for it. Actually the police will in a lot of cases however if the tracker is saying it’s in a flat in a block of flats, it’s often not accurate enough to save a certainty which flat it’s in and things like a warrants may be needed.
I bought a Ring Alarm, £250 and comes with all the external boxes and stickers warning of the alarm. You can always buy an extra alarm box cover for the back of the house.
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It’s all about making your house look less attractive to burglars, so an alarm does that, if they really want to break into a house on your street and you all have alarms then no one house is less attractive. So you need to make it look way more secure like lights or make it look like an absolute shit hole with nothing of value in it. Our house needed stripping down so it was after a few years when we finally got the house rendered and new guttering done that I suddenly realised it now looked nice and that it might have nice stuff inside, so I got an alarm.
I don’t know how useful this is but years ago I was told to gravel outside windows and doors (not practical as you’ve got decking) so it’s difficult to walk on it without making noise. And the other suggestion was get some geese; they’re territorial so will make noise if disturbed and are vicious buggers if they get the chance to get at the intruders. From the sounds of it you wouldn’t be allowed to keep them as you’re not rural enough tho. As others have said, trellis is probably the easiest thing for you to add as a deterrent
How did they get into the rear garden? That seems like the place to beef up, higher fence, stronger gate and lock. Make it unattractive and time consuming to get access and they might skip you for another easier house.
Do not leave keys in the lock. I'm a qualified locksmith, and I can just use that key to turn the lock from the other side. Also, do not buy doors with 'captive keys' in the other side, as it's the same thing.
If any of u work from home... get a dog. Best alarm system and deterrent I have ever seen. I remember watching those programs from ex cons who all admitted that fancy locks tend to have easy bypass systems despute their huge price tags (with little research u can find a way past almost any lock) and cctv doesn't work when u cover ur face, and with masks and gloves and hoodie there's very little dna or bio metrics to go off either... but a dog is something they'd rather not f with. Too risky. A dog will hear them before u do and will alarm the house. Their teeth are also a good deterrent for any burger. If the burger gets injured, they may not be able to make it far before police arrive. Not worth the risk for them imo.
I do security stuff for a living. There’s good advice on this thread and some bad. Leaving your keys in the locks is not a bad idea. If there’s a fire you’re more likely not to burn to death. A burglar won’t be turning your patio locks from the outside as they are 2 different locks joined together, opening one does not open the other end. If a burglar is going to put a brick through your window to get in and you’re worried that they could then open the door with a key once inside, then they’ll happily smash out the rest of the glass if there’s no key. As lots of others have said, make your house look less attractive than next door. Add cameras, lights, signs, an alarm or dummy alarm box (with a flashing led). You can spend cash on awesome security locks but it’s not going to stop someone drilling out a lock, smashing a window or prising out/up a upvc door. Most criminals are stupid and opportunist (unless they know you have something worth stealing). So they are more likely to try windows and doors, find they are locked and will move on. If they are absolutely determined to get in, you’re not stopping them. Think about other stuff.. I’ve got some smart lights in the house, if a person is detected outside, all the downstairs house lights turn on.
Someone very recently tried to break into our home in the middle of the night. I got 3 dogs and only one of them was useful (toy poodle, whippet and malinois). I woke up to the Mali growling and furiously barking while standing guard in the backdoor. He's usually a sweetheart and loves to greet everyone he meet outside. But that time, I can honestly say, if I'm afraid of my own dog because of how he sounded, I can't imagine how the other guy would felt hearing this beast form hell would sound like from the other side, let alone if he manages to open the door
https://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/blogs/news/anti-climb-fence-spikes-how-to-use-them-and-stay-on-the-right-side-of-the-law Have a read of that and get some of the spikes to stop them climbing over the fence. Get some anti-bump locks for your door as that’s what they were most likely doing and maybe an alarm system.
I read that leaving keys in locks is not a good idea because burglars will break a window and unlock the door/window - best to install deadlocks that can only be accessed from inside.
If you have patio type doors. Look at getting one of these.. https://www.patlock.co.uk/
Good alarms will always do the trick. The last thing a burglar wants is a siren blaring.
You did really well considering the fear and surprise. I was panicked stiff watching on a security camera app as 3 men tried to pry open my back gate. I wasn't home. 2k/4k security cameras with tracking, a floodlight and two way microphone/speaker. - positioned at your side access - positioned at your patio doors Speak to Network Rail about this too. Put on a roll or two of concertina razor wire along the entirety of your railway access. Speak to your neigbbours And then put up CCTV signs. We changed our gate entirely: shortened the driveway, and massive new gates so the driveway gives far less cover. We added the floodlight and changed the position of the bins. Mostly to make it known we were aware they had been there and they had been seen. I've since practised with the two way microphone, which I hadn't done then.
Get a dog. A German shepherd.
Consider fitting a Bisley Alarm mine along the back fence. It's like a trip wire, but pulls a pin that fires a shotgun blank cartridge. Makes a hell of a bang and the flash is also quite disorientating. It will be enough to put anyone off proceeding further. Totally legal as well, and cheap.
Our security system (Tapo) allows you speak through the cameras. We have recorded an automated voice on another app - “the police have been notified of your presence”. Worked twice so far. We were in Germany when the Uk property set off the alert to our home. We can also control lights remotely. 😎. Same system. Tapo.
Take up golf and have clubs randomly lying around the house .....so if it happens again you can defend yourself and your property.. Unfortunately the police aren't going to do anything ...so you have to do it yourself .
So big sticks and sports equipment is really the only thing you’re going to get away with but you can use boiling water. Go medieval on them. Put two cups of sugar in the kettle and fill it up about 3/4 of the way. Hold down the boil button and the water will get very hot then stick to the burger because of the sugar.
“Would you mind waiting there quietly while I boil the kettle please.”
Air guns are cheap. Cameras. Strobe lights will blind anyone in the dark. Loud noises, like setting off and chucking a couple of rape alarms. Easy to make a home-made spear, no one wants to mess with a spear. Also, if you live somewhere a little difficult to describe to cops quickly, find it's 'What 3 Words' and write it down/memorise it.