Legal Weapons

Nilrem

As has been said, anything you keep for use as a weapon is classed as a weapon and thus on very dodgy ground legally.

However it's not unusual for women to keep hairspray etc in odd places.

But your best bet is to make sure the physical security of the property is good, to whit.
Make sure your locks are good - if you have upvc doors make sure the locks are BSI 3 star with anti-break/break/pick (about £35 a lock).
Windows are locked at night (if you leave them on the vent lock them, don't leave them open for the cat or you may get a cat burgler).

Possibly look at putting up some realistic dummy cameras etc (if you put one up make sure you put up a cable leading to it!), as that will put many criminals off.

Remember most criminals are after the easy target, if you can make it harder, or look more risky for them they'll likely go elsewhere.

I personally happen to have various things around my bedroom as I have a nasty habit of forgetting to put small tools away after I've used them (the hammer and picture pins by the bed have been there for ages, I just never get round to putting up some pictures), but the only time I've ever potentially had the need for anything I was too surprised to think of it.

So security - both physical and psychological, and make sure that you have a phone (preferably land line and mobile) in the bedroom etc so if there is a need to call the police you can do so (a land line is far better for this as it's unlikely to be out of charge, and will automatically connect you to the nearest police call centre in most of England, unlike a mobile which may connect you to a call centre on the other side of the country).
Despite various press articles the police give break ins, or attempted break ins where there is someone in the house a fairly high priority, especially if it's a woman on her own in the house, besides anything else if they can get there fast enough they can potentially clear up a number of crimes.

One of my friends had an attempted break in recently and had the police attending within minutes (this was at about 3am).

stator

Silver-Surfer wrote: »

Banned, I doubt it. There are far better torches that are smaller, lighter and more powerful.

You missed the point. The police were carrying them not because they are good torches but because they were big and heavy and metal and hence good weapons. Even when provided with a better, lighter torch, they still used the old mag lites because they like to have a weapon. So they had to ban the officers from carrying them at all.

moneyistooshorttomention

This was discussed in some depth on another thread recently - and basically it was felt that anyone might well have spray deodorant or spray Deep Heat on them was one of the thoughts. Spray straight in the eyes of an attacker - with something you obviously had in the house anyway (rather than having there with the intent of using it as a weapon).

Though I'm of the school of thought personally that "If they ask for it - they get it" and I'll worry about whether it's legal or no later.

Admitted I have the advantage of many many years of peaceful law-abiding living under my belt - once you are as old as in your 60s its obvious that if you were a troublemaker you would have been known to the police for it by now:rotfl:

Silver-Surfer_2

stator wrote: »

You missed the point. The police were carrying them not because they are good torches but because they were big and heavy and metal and hence good weapons. Even when provided with a better, lighter torch, they still used the old mag lites because they like to have a weapon. So they had to ban the officers from carrying them at all.

With a can of pepper spray, a baton, taser, 9mm hand gun and shot gun or assault rifle they still need a makeshift weapon? Link please then.

Silver-Surfer_2

Nilrem wrote: »

As has been said, anything you keep for use as a weapon is classed as a weapon and thus on very dodgy ground legally.

However it's not unusual for women to keep hairspray etc in odd places.

But your best bet is to make sure the physical security of the property is good, to whit.
Make sure your locks are good - if you have upvc doors make sure the locks are BSI 3 star with anti-break/break/pick (about £35 a lock).
Windows are locked at night (if you leave them on the vent lock them, don't leave them open for the cat or you may get a cat burgler).

Possibly look at putting up some realistic dummy cameras etc (if you put one up make sure you put up a cable leading to it!), as that will put many criminals off.

Remember most criminals are after the easy target, if you can make it harder, or look more risky for them they'll likely go elsewhere.

I personally happen to have various things around my bedroom as I have a nasty habit of forgetting to put small tools away after I've used them (the hammer and picture pins by the bed have been there for ages, I just never get round to putting up some pictures), but the only time I've ever potentially had the need for anything I was too surprised to think of it.

So security - both physical and psychological, and make sure that you have a phone (preferably land line and mobile) in the bedroom etc so if there is a need to call the police you can do so (a land line is far better for this as it's unlikely to be out of charge, and will automatically connect you to the nearest police call centre in most of England, unlike a mobile which may connect you to a call centre on the other side of the country).
Despite various press articles the police give break ins, or attempted break ins where there is someone in the house a fairly high priority, especially if it's a woman on her own in the house, besides anything else if they can get there fast enough they can potentially clear up a number of crimes.

One of my friends had an attempted break in recently and had the police attending within minutes (this was at about 3am).

Maybe you'd care to explain why your on very dodgy ground when you're not in a public place.

prowla

I'm not sure about having a bat in the house, as space may be too limited to use it.

There is also a real danger that when you lift a weapon you escalate things and/or it could be turned on you.

I do think that taking up a (reputable) martial art could be good advice, though the lesson you soon learn is that there is always someone better than you (I'm a 2nd Dan karate, and will be off to my Sunday morning karate class in half an hour's time).

prowla

Oh, as for guns, you are not allowed them for self-defence in England. Even if you do have one legally (there is a procedure to go through to obtain an FAC, and self defence is not acceptable as a reason), you have to keep it unloaded in a locked cabinet which is fixed to a wall and with the ammunition in a separate locked cabinet; that makes it pretty useless in the circumstance of a break-in, unless you said to the assailants "'scuse me while I just squeeze past you so that I can go and unlock my cabinet to get my gun and then would you mind while I unlock the other one to get the ammo out and load it - thanks awfully!".

You can get some muzzle-loading things "off-ticket", but they are a faff.

The only option firearm-wise, then is something illegal, and in that case you're breaking a more severe law than the real or imaginary miscreants you are protecting yourself against. So I wouldn't even go there.

Even if you were armed, you would have to carry it with you at all times in order to be sure that you had it if you needed it, and if the person was already in the house and sneaked up on you, then it'd do you no good.

You could try an air pistol, which has enough power to at least break the skin, but they can be unreliable (eg. gas cylinders can leak over time), so that would not really fit the bill.

I think a crossbow is legal & unlicensed, but I am damn sure I would not want a loaded crossbow lying around the house. And again there is the space issue.

Indeed, the risk with any weapon is what happens if a curious kid or friend picks it up, and ooops!

pendragon_arther

I travel a lot but the type of things I carry are not illegal:

Cork opener, the type like this. Jabbed in the eyes... ouch.

Nunchucks.

A small hammer.

I also carry a personal alarm on my keyring http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xpersonal+alarm.TRS0&_nkw=personal+alarm&_sacat=0

unforeseen

I take it that the nunchucks are in a locked bag/case when in public?

Silver-Surfer_2

unforeseen wrote: »

I take it that the nunchucks are in a locked bag/case when in public?

Makes no difference whether they are or not, but he's obviously a keen martial artist and that's he's reasonable excuse.

http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/10802270.Dad_jailed_for_carrying_nunchucks/