Broken into, nothing taken

Almost certainly they got spooked and legged it. I’ve been burgled before and they took some euros and sunglasses. They had emptied the cupboards. The electronic items were unplugged and moved but looked like they had been put down quickly as if they had been disturbed by someone outside. It was a close call and the security is much higher now.
 
The police turned up on Saturday morning to do finger prints etc, one of the neighbours saw the police car and came over to say they'd seen someone loitering at 2 in the morning and they may have them on CCTV.

No idea if they were anything to do with the break in yet.
 
Do any of you guys who've been done have alarms? I know they can be a bit of a nuisance at times, but I'm interested to know whether an alarm going off would put most thieves off, especially when they like to sneak around unnoticed.
 
agw_01 said:
Do any of you guys who've been done have alarms? I know they can be a bit of a nuisance at times, but I'm interested to know whether an alarm going off would put most thieves off, especially when they like to sneak around unnoticed.
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Last time I was broken into I had an alarm but didn't seem to stop them putting a crowbar through my patio doors in full view of a canal tow path (my house had a canal at the bottom of the garden).

But yeah, I think generally the idea is if you make your property more difficult than those around it they'll go for the easier option rather than it'll stop them full stop.

My sister suggested my brother gets a dog but, as he said, you'd either take a dog with you or put it in kennels when you went on holiday so....
 
Feel sorry for anyone who has been burgled. I lived most of my life growing up in a quiet village and burglary was something of a rarity. I then moved for my job to Manchester where I was burgled in a rented flat. To say it was a shock was something of an understatement.

It happened during broad daylight on Nov 5th 2010 when I was at work (always remember the date as it was bonfire night and we had plans to go out that evening and watch a local firework display). They just carded the lock (yes, a wake-up call to how poor the security was) and took my 42" tv, which back then was still a bit of a beast to carry and a laptop which they put in a "bag for life" shopping bag. They also took a blanket, presumably to wrap the tv in. They then walked straight out the front of the flats onto a busy main road and just walked off. Astonishing.

They also did my neighbour the next day...went through some drawers and ignored all his expensive watches and took nothing.

It affected me for weeks, months and years. Certainly I was paranoid to leave the house for months afterwards and even today sometimes if I have left for work in the morning, I consciously lock my front door to the point where I force myself to remember the act of doing it, rather than just doing it as subconscious routine, to ensure I don't feel paranoid later in the day. Even then, sometimes I get in my car on the driveway, start the engine, stop the engine, get out and go and check the door handle again.

We've moved since but that experience really ahs stayed with me. Some people may not see it as a serious crime, and it wasn't particularly, nobody got hurt, but it affected me. My girlfriend on the other hand was far more robust and resilient and got over it quickly.
 
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physichull said:
Feel sorry for anyone who has been burgled. I lived most of my life growing up in a quiet village and burglary was something of a rarity. I then moved for my job to Manchester where I was burgled in a rented flat. To say it was a shock was something of an understatement.

It happened during broad daylight on Nov 5th 2010 when I was at work (always remember the date as it was bonfire night and we had plans to go out that evening and watch a local firework display). They just carded the lock (yes, a wake-up call to how poor the security was) and took my 42" tv, which back then was still a bit of a beast to carry and a laptop which they put in a "bag for life" shopping bag. They also took a blanket, presumably to wrap the tv in. They then walked straight out the front of the flats onto a busy main road and just walked off. Astonishing.

They also did my neighbour the next day...went through some drawers and ignored all his expensive watches and took nothing.

It affected me for weeks, months and years. Certainly I was paranoid to leave the house for months afterwards and even today sometimes if I have left for work in the morning, I consciously lock my front door to the point where I force myself to remember the act of doing it, rather than just doing it as subconscious routine, to ensure I don't feel paranoid later in the day. Even then, sometimes I get in my car on the driveway, start the engine, stop the engine, get out and go and check the door handle again.

We've moved since but that experience really ahs stayed with me. Some people may not see it as a serious crime, and it wasn't particularly, nobody got hurt, but it affected me. My girlfriend on the other hand was far more robust and resilient and got over it quickly.
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So true, after they smashed their way into my house I felt massively insecure in my own home.

It was actually worse than when, at another place, someone got in while a housemate and I were both asleep upstairs.

That time we'd left a window on the latch as we were in, so I kinda felt like it was avoidable in the future, someone just smashing their way in just felt more of a violation.
 
wesimmo said:
they'd seen someone loitering at 2 in the morning
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Brings back memories of Nick Ross and Sue Cook. "A suspicious looking character was spotted loitering nearby... was it you? Do you know where he headed next?" And the dodgy looking photo/videofits WERE enough to give you nightmares lol
 
Pawnless Endgame said:
I have heard of the expression "stolen to order" with respect to new or expensive cars. Then the car ends up in a shipping crate and gets sent to Russia. What does the expression mean though? Is it an organised crime where a gang targets specific cars then sell them overseas, as opposed to targeting households blindly?
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It means exactly that; they know what cars they want and can sell on quickly, and target homes/owners of said cars.

They'll go to quite impressive lengths to do it too, I think Housey has a thread in Motors about his ordeal a while back where a tracking device was found on his car.
 
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This sort of thing is why I never keep my keys on key hooks but I always hide them in obvious places but only obvious to me.

Unfortunately this sort of thing and lack of police numbers to do anything or stop anything will lead to vigilantism and ultimately a worrying saga.
 
Hiding your keys is one of worst things you can do

If the car they are after is of particular "need"

they are going to come upstairs or return when your on your driveway and car jack you

Here in northfield Birmingham there was a couple who had an attempted break in by a gang who were clearly coming for the golf r estate, due to them upgrading the upvc door locks they failed. All captured on cctv

Great you think job done.

4 days later as they arrived back home on there drive the same gang car jacked them holding a knife to her husbands throat

DONT hide your keys seriously
 
wesimmo said:
So true, after they smashed their way into my house I felt massively insecure in my own home.

It was actually worse than when, at another place, someone got in while a housemate and I were both asleep upstairs.

That time we'd left a window on the latch as we were in, so I kinda felt like it was avoidable in the future, someone just smashing their way in just felt more of a violation.
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I was the same after mine. The first time didn't bother me even though I was asleep upstairs. I'd not deadlocked the door so felt it was avoidable. The second time when they got in, they tore the house apart while I was away for my birthday weekend. I arrived back on the Sunday evening to that and it really shook me up. I'm still paranoid now several years later. I've got out of my car on the driveway several times to make sure I've definitely locked the house, I go round every night to make sure doors and windows are closed etc.
 
The_One said:
Hiding your keys is one of worst things you can do

If the car they are after is of particular "need"

they are going to come upstairs or return when your on your driveway and car jack you

Here in northfield Birmingham there was a couple who had an attempted break in by a gang who were clearly coming for the golf r estate, due to them upgrading the upvc door locks they failed. All captured on cctv

Great you think job done.

4 days later as they arrived back home on there drive the same gang car jacked them holding a knife to her husbands throat

DONT hide your keys seriously
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100% mate

Cars can be replaced

If you enter my house you'll see the keys, but theyre not visible from outside.
The last thing you want is some idiot in your property coming to wake you up and "ask where things are"
 
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