Great !!!! - Just been burgled

[garrymum]

Woke up this morning to the patio doors in the kitchen open and every cupboard and drawer open in the kitchen. Looks like they were after the car and looking for the keys. Thankfully, they didn't look properly and didn't find them.

Anyway, now looking to get some good quality strong iron gates for the two pathways at either side of the house (detached house with access to rear down either side).

Wondered if anyone had any recommendations regarding gates. I know nothing at all about gates so do not know what is good and what is not.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[JohnD]

Very sorry to hear it

your police station should put you in touch with a crime prevention person who should be able to give you lots of advice. Your household insurance co should have at least a leaflet but if they send someone round to look at the damage she might also give advice.

My side gate is 1900mm high and has barbed wire over it, but I don't think you're supposed to do that unless you have warning signs.

sadly, once burglars have got in once, they tend to come back again to the same house as they know how to get in and know what you've got

 

[Thermo]

depends on the layout of the house and the garden. Burglars love something that will screen them off and cover noise. If the side passageways are viewable from the street and there is nothing in them, then a see through iron gate is better. Any roundtop gate is better as they are harder to climb over.

You need to make his access routes as difficult as possible and make it look to well defended to bother with. A dummy alarm box and cctv camera are always worth a go. Keep the shed locked with a big padlock. Big visible padlocks are a always a good deterrent.

As john says speak to the local crime prevention officer. Speaking as an ex-copper don't lose too much sleep over them coming back. In my experience it was actually very rare in urban areas. Most burglars are opportunistic and the great majority cant even remember the house they've done

Make your house look harder to break into than next doors!

 

[masona]

Woke up this morning to the patio doors in the kitchen open

Make sure the patio door got an anti-lift blocks in the top channel of the frame, if not, you can use timber and screw it into the frame to prevent the door lifting off. Do you know how they've got in? Any damaged?

 

[garrymum]

Do you know how they've got in? Any damaged?

Yeah, the police told me how they did it. For obvious reasons I won'y say on a public forum but even a so called high security 6 bolt patio door can be opened in seconds.

Only damage was to the exterior handle.

Locksmith made safe the doors yesterday and also fitted some additional locks on the inside so even if they do it again, the doors cannot be opened from the outside.

 

[masona]

Locksmith made safe the doors yesterday and also fitted some additional locks on the inside so even if they do it again, the doors cannot be opened from the outside.

Glad to hear you got it sorted it out, are the windows lockable and has the front door got a good yale lock type as well as a mortice lock?

 

[Thermo]

sliding patio doors are notoriously easy to do, we had one guy that specialised in doing them. you wouldnt believe how easy it was to do (well obviously you would gary as theyve told you!)

Hope you get it all sorted out mate

 

[libby lou lou]

Why not invest in a decent alarm system? be a lot cheaper, and also a visible deterent.
If you left a door unlocked by accident,(i'm sure you won't now) and went to bed, youd'e still be protected.
Idon't know if your single or have a family,but in our house, missus and two children,it gives peace of mind to go to bed knowing we will not get burgled successfully.

 

[garrymum]

sliding patio doors are notoriously easy to do, we had one guy that specialised in doing them.

They are french patio doors, but, as the copper said, these locks are rubbush.

 

[garrymum]

Why not invest in a decent alarm system? be a lot cheaper, and also a visible deterent.

We do have an alarm. typical, the night we get done is the night we forgot to set it!!!!

Saying that, they didn't know it wasn't set. There is a bell box on both the front and rear of the house, with the front box having flashing L.E.D's in.

Granted, if the alarm had been set, they wouldn't have hung around as long but it would not have stopped them trying in the first place.

 

[PE]

Why not invest in a decent alarm system? be a lot cheaper, and also a visible deterent.
If you left a door unlocked by accident,(i'm sure you won't now) and went to bed, youd'e still be protected.
Idon't know if your single or have a family,but in our house, missus and two children,it gives peace of mind to go to bed knowing we will not get burgled successfully.

yep same here - a zonal alarm that you can set the downstairs when you go to bed gives great peace of mind

oops just read down you aleardy have this sorry!

 

[Blasphemous]

We got burgled once, not here, had a flat years ago. It happened through the day so its not just at night that these scum bags strike.

As Thermo says, make the access/exit routes difficult (where possible) and Alarms are a deterrent especially when you set them... oops!

Obviously we all worry about our homes and our families when these things happen. But again, as Thermo points out, most of these a***holes are looking for a quick in and out and most would be too stoned to realise where the hell they are to be able to come back.

We have all seen these cases where criminals have taken people to court because they had the audacity to defend their family and their property against these low lifes. It seems quite simple to me, if you weren't in someones house, where you shouldn't have been, then you wouldn't have been attacked by that home owner, tenant, who ever. But as we have also seen, the CPS seem to have a different view That's justice for you! It sticks in the throat when these lads go out nicking cars, joy riding, probably killing a few people in the process and the Criminal Justice System (CJS) puts them on a Mechanics course, a Rally Driving Experience and probably a trip to the Sun for a week or two all as part of their punishment... err sorry, we don't punish any more do we, its rehabilitation now isn't it? I ain't saying Jails are the best way of dealing with 'SOME' of these lads but its irritating when you see some of the 'rehabilitation' that these lads are getting. I remember when I was a lad, (just one or three years ago!!!), I wanted to train as a Mechanic. I put myself through college. I worked (for free) in a small local garage to get some experience and I applied to loads of companies but there just wasn't enough work going round back then. Now all I'd need to do is nick my neighbours Porsche and the CJS would have me fully trained in a year! Then I could get a job couldn't I? I mean there are loads of Garages out there wanting to employ Car Thieves aren't there

Best wishes garrymum.