Alarm or not to alarm

[Bahco]

With the recent burglaries being highlighted and people have found intruders into their home I feel I must take some steps to ensure we are all as safe as possible.

I really feel for people who have woken up to face intruders and they must have been scared out of their wits. I can't help feeling that hitting a panic alarm may have saved a few lives when faced with this situation.


I would like to have about 4 panic buttons around the house (2 upstairs and 2 down) which hopefully will frighten any intruder into running off.

What are your thoughts and should I be fitting a full alarm.

I hope this thread makes you ALL stop and think about having an intruder in your house while you are sleeping and take some measures.

 

[raebhoop]

I've got an old factory fire alarm rigged up to internal switches...probably illegal with the row it makes.
As I'm clocking on a bit it's not burglars that worry me......It's being alone and suffering a stroke or similar.

People tend to ignore alarms..but they wouldn't ignore this racket.

I'll make damn sure I get help if I need it.

 

[EngStudent]

If it makes you feel safer then by all means, go for it. I don't know many people who don't have some sort of alarm system nowadays; panic buttons may be taking it to an extreme but if that's what you want then why not.

I was probably around 12/13 when we were burgled. It wasn't so much the fact that he'd taken a lot of things (phone, camera, money, tools), but the fact that somebody had been rooting about through our house while we slept upstairs. Then of course we had to have our fingerprints taken and go through the hassle of having a new door fitted.

I think a burglar alarm is a crucial device nowadays, if you want to take it to the next step then do. If it concerns you that much, I'm pretty sure you can get portable panic alarms which link-in with the burglar alarm.

As for our burglar? He wasn't so clever. It had snowed the day before and his footprints showed his escape route - from our garden, across disused private land, over a wall and to his front door.

 

[raebhoop]

My old fire alarm is for dire emergency...but I've already spent a few quid on putting off the scumbags.

I figured the rear door being hidden from the main road behind the side gate was the most vulnerable point...so paid special attention to it.

The side windows are barred internally.Not too concerned with internal appearance as they belong to a toilet and storeroom.

 

[EngStudent]

raebhoop

With that level of security, one has to ask...where do you live?!

Have you had previous attempts, or is it just a rough area?

 

[raebhoop]

Ex council house,no worse an area than anywhere else.But as I said I live alone,and working the markets, the local riff raff know that when my trailers are missing I'm out all day.

So I figured from day one of moving in, make sure I get the message across that I'm kitted out.

 

[wreckedit]

I have fitted wired alarms in the past but if I fitted one now I think I would try one of those wireless ones. However, just a box on the outside wall would make burglars think twice.

A good idea is to look for an easy place to break in, such as a shed door. Because they may just want garden tools etc. or something to break in with. If the alarm is activated at the earliest possible moment it will often deter crims. An alarm can be fitted quite cheaply so do it.

Also, consider a phone dialler to call somebody in and emergency, but not the police at first in case its false. Put a small card in the back and front window saying that the place is alarmed. Always making it very difficult for a break-in is good insurance.

Pir lighting back and front extra barriers, quality locks and chains is a good investment.

 

[spacecat]

you Are right to fit a wireless alarm, far easier to fit than a wired one and basically do the same job. I.e.deter the average burglar

wired ones cost loads to install and often come with allsorts of expensive contracts

 

[alumni]

you Are right to fit a wireless alarm, far easier to fit than a wired one and basically do the same job. I.e.deter the average burglar

wired ones cost loads to install and often come with allsorts of expensive contracts

Just to clarify, the contracts are nothing to do with whether the system is wired or wireless.

 

[Alarm]

Just to clarify, the contracts are nothing to do with whether the system is wired or wireless.

Thanks for that, its good to get the correct info across.

 

[conny]

Thats a good point Re: Garden Shed but if you are going to fit the bog stanadrd type that pulls a pin out of a screecher box DON'T rely on the one at head height on the opening side of the door.

Fit a second one down at ankle level or slightly higher, they don't usually expect a shed to be double armed so if they unhook the upper one the second one will scare the carp out of them.

I used to know a guy who rigged up a flash gun in his shed, no camera, just a gun that would repeatadly flash away as though taking pictures if the alarm activated. Seemed to work because his shed was only attempted once in over 10 years he lived there.

Word must have got round about being caught on camera and scared others off from trying.

 

[snico]

Better than any burglar alarm!

 

[conny]

Beautiful streamlined system but costs a fortune to maintain!