Home security

kinger101

tugrin wrote: »

Thank you kinger, for the link to alarm site.

The link was for some very good locks rather than alarms (though those might be a good idea too!). Burglars are opportunists, and if you house looks like too much effort, they'll look for something easier.

With failed planning applications having already gone in, I suspect it was only a matter of time before the site was built on. There's only one way to stop someone building on the field next to your house - owning it.

One the bright side, your burglar neighbour will have more houses to target which aren't yours. Every cloud.......

C_Mababejive

I think there is undue paranoia about crime in general in the uk.

Did you know that in recent years crime has dropped by around 16% and is below its 1981 level?

Further traditional crimes such as burglary have fallen dramatically.

Its very easy to form a distorted picture of crime and society in general from news reports and perceptions.

To find crime in your local area go to

https://www.police.uk/

You only have to check these stats and maybe read your local forces twitter feed. Most of the crimes they deal with are of low volume and refer more to quality of life issues i.e drink,drugs, anti social behaviour.

I have never had a security alarm in any home i have lived in and i have lived in some areas that many would perceive to be..err..not the best.

House building--well it happens all the time .Whats the problem? At least they are not building a block of flats !

Not too far from me there is an area in which the residents are quite well off, house prices are high, lots of big houses etc. There is a plan to build 4000 new homes in that area. They have suddenly all spat their dummies out and are lobbying with all sorts of faux reasons why it shouldn't happen when the real reason is nimbyism.

I think its very true that house burglars rarely poo on their own doorstep.

What sort of criminal burgles houses anyway? Its a bit old hat. Most burglaries are probably done by druggies and desperados after a quick buck/fix.

And so i say to the OP, try to be calm and rational. Enjoy your home,get a decent alarm and try not to dwell too much on these worries.

wullie

In my opinion people are very blase about home security if they have never been burgled . We had a friend visit who actually laughed at ""all the alarms in the street". As if their house would never be broken into because they live in a "nice" area. It can happen to anyone, any place , any time , and it will devastate you. Home security systems are very sophisticated nowadays and reasonably cheap compared to the potential loss. In a way , getting burgled when we were relatively poor was the best thing to happen to us. The scum got very little, but it taught us a very important lesson . Take home security seriously .

dacouch

tugrin wrote: »

The person opposite has form (several prison sentences) and next door neighbour was 'done' last summer whilst they were on holiday. I think that they will gleefully burgle their neighbours because it is actually very hard for victim to point out to the police that they have suspicions of neighbours as it so often sounds like gossip/bad blood and is often not taken seriously.

It's always been my understanding that burglars tends to work away from their own home as they tend to target areas with rich pickings.

Slinky

Does it matter whether you are burgled by the bloke across the street or one from the other side of town? Having been burgled, I'd never want to live in a house without decent security again. Just make your place look more difficult to get in than the neighbours and it shouldn't happen to you.

alumende27

dacouch wrote: »

It's always been my understanding that burglars tends to work away from their own home as they tend to target areas with rich pickings.

Then your understanding is wrong. Burglars don't care where (or when) do their thieving. Most of it is opportunistic.

I absolutely agree with Wullie and Slinky, having had my house burgled.

Generally, you just need to make your house less desirable to a burglar than neighbouring houses.

See
https://www.police.uk/crime-prevention-advice/burglary/
https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/document/advice-home
etc.,

robatwork

dsdhall wrote: »

Then your understanding is wrong. Burglars don't care where (or when) do their thieving. Most of it is opportunistic.

I absolutely agree with Wullie and Slinky, having had my house burgled.

You agree with them that you are extremely likely to have your house burgled by a someone who lives very close? Is that what happened to you?

Nobody is saying that burglary isn't very traumatic, or that you shouldn't have decent security - a burgler will prefer an easy secluded entrance eg. open window to everything tightly locked and alarmed. But can you show the figures to back up your claim? Those websites don't mention anything about being more likely to be burgled by someone living very close by.

alumende27

Sorry, my post was perhaps not clear. The links given were just some helpful pointers on improving home security (aka making your house less desirable to a burglar than neighbouring properties).

Most burglars are opportunistic by nature, and as you indicate will look for somewhere secluded and easy to break into. They won't care if that is their next door neighbours house or one on the other side of town if they can get in and out quickly without being seen.