Deterring burglars especially at night

R

Rose65

Senior Member
Location
United Kingdom
I sometimes feel anxious about someone breaking in while we sleep. So I decided to take stock of how safe we are. We do have good anti-snap locks front and back, though no alarm system. So we better get one. We have a dog, she's old but would bark.

I realised some things we could do better. We never close the dining room curtains, so now we will do that at night. We turn all lights off at night but I think leaving the spare bedroom or downstairs lounge light on would perhaps be best? It would make it look like someone is still awake.
We never go on holiday, so us being home, car always parked in the drive is a good deterrent. Except we always go shopping on the same day - burglars do check people's routines. So we ought to vary things a bit.

Anyone got other simple suggestions to make your home less attractive to burglars?
 

Rose65 said:
Anyone got other simple suggestions to make your home less attractive to burglars?
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A porch, or a wall mounted light, with a sensor so that the light comes on with any movement. Those up to no good don't like illumination. Security cameras can be expensive but fake ones look like the real thing and you can get warning signs too.
Warning Signs. Fake Cameras.
 

I have motion sensor lights front , back and side of the house... I have motion sensor lights also on the barn at the end of the garden so if someone was to try and break into the house from way at the back over the fence instead of from the front of the house , they'd get a surprise when the motion sensor lights would light them up back there as well

I have a video ring doorbell on both the front door and the side gate...

All tools that could be used to prise open windows or doors are kept locked away as are ladders...

I got burgled when my daughter and I were asleep .. she was about 8 or 9 years old. Thank god they didn't come upstairs.. they simply took all the electronics they could from downstairs and made their way back out of the window, the way they got in.

For about 3or 4 years after that, I slept with an upstairs and a downstairs light on.. then I got much more secure windows.. and doors... I also slept with a .22 rifle under my bed.. that's the truth. I was so horrified and what <MIGHT have happened to my child and me.. that there was no question in my mind that if they came back they were going to get both Barrels..
 
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I've thought what I might do when my dog is gone.
One thing that crossed my mind was to shore up the bedroom door.
A two by four across the door, a deadbolt or whatever to beef the door up.
I have firearms in the bedroom and a secure door would slow an intruder down just enough for me to fully prepare to defend myself.
I think I would sleep more soundly with a strong door.
 
Well burglars don’t care if you’re home and it’s broad daylight or at night if they want to break in or just walk in unlocked doors .
We seen a stand off between a home Intruder and 5 cars of police blocking roads at 10 am yesterday
he had a home owner bailed up with a machete demanding their car . ( it was in Adelaide ) and made the nightly news last night .

We have a security system we operate on our phones and it will send us alerts day or night if anyone enters our property ,the cameras also take a close up photo of a persons face for identification
The system cost us $1300 ( DH installed / set it up ) and we’ve since added extra cameras it costs us nothing for monitoring cause we do all that ourselves, and it’s really clear day or night , and it will scream if anyone tries to steal
or tamper with the cameras .

so if anyone’s outside we can see in an instant who it is , ( no matter where we are interstate or overseas )
we don’t have to risk going outside to check ..just pick up our iPad of phone

EDITED ….. Photo / screen shot of what the front door camera sees
 
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I am on five acres in the middle of nowhere and lights near the house would not allow anyone else to see what is going on out there except the people across the road who are the ones causing all the problems to begin with. It would just light the way for them. I have put in a fence and security cameras and just this week ordered on at dusk, off at dawn floodlights to go on the peremeter which will help me see further out there and also help the cameras see further out. It will stay dark up around the house which means I could go out without them seeing me.

I have this Amazon.com installed on each exterior door and I use them at night. I also have two loaded shotguns that I know how to use.
 
birdy said:
I'm pretty sure our police department recommends keeping outdoor lights on at night. I definitely think you want the shades pulled at night.
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I have always been of the opinion that running outdoor lighting all night only helps a would-be burglar see better detail of your property. Motion sensing lights come on and illuminate the intruder, and alert the homeowner. An alarm system with door and window sensors can set off an alarm siren and scare off the burglar, that's as good as it gets. Cameras? It's nice to catch a glimpse of who stole your possessions, somebody wearing a hoodie that maybe on the off-chance can be identified by the police... shrug.gif
 
Nathan said:
Motion sensing lights come on and illuminate the intruder, and alert the homeowner. An alarm system with door and window sensors can set off an alarm siren and scare off the burglar, that's as good as it gets.
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That does sound like a good deterrent system.

We had one of the home security systems a long time ago, but regularly forgot and opened the door, setting off the alarm and getting a phone call from the security company. The next home we didn't bother, having three dogs gave us a sense of safety -- the Chihuahua and Sheltie were mostly only good for the watchfulness and noise, but the German Shepard mix mutt was good at watching, noise and scaring people.

There was a time I alarmed doors and windows for inside protection, when I had foster kids and wasn't sure what they might be up to.
 
Test to see how far a distance the car alarm button on your car keyfob will work. I tested mine and I can set off the car alarm from my bed. Keep your key fob or an extra one by your bed and if you hear someone outside in the middle of the night, set off the alarm briefly. That'll scare them off. Of course, you won't be popular with your neighbors..... On the other hand, you've scared off the miscreant so they won't be checking out your neighbor's house or car, either.
 
Our whole home monitored security system gets us a discount on our home insurance. We can control three lights on a random pattern using our phones when we travel. Curtains are closed in the evenings. Doors are always kept locked. No system is perfect, including ours.

Burglars are totally indifferent to cameras or lights - on or off. They know to keep their heads down or their vehicles at a distance. Stolen license plates. The police post photos of indifferent behaviour on their part and no one is caught.

All we can do is be careful and as logical as possible.
 
Jules said:
Our whole home monitored security system gets us a discount on our home insurance. We can control three lights on a random pattern using our phones when we travel. Curtains are closed in the evenings. Doors are always kept locked. No system is perfect, including ours.

Burglars are totally indifferent to cameras or lights - on or off. They know to keep their heads down or their vehicles at a distance. Stolen license plates. The police post photos of indifferent behaviour on their part and no one is caught.

All we can do is be careful and as logical as possible.
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the big mistake people make when they think they're being safety conscious is to leave a bathroom or toilet light on when they're away so it comes on at the same time every night and goes off again at the same time every morning on a timer... No-one lives in a bathroom and burglars know this.

Today for some of us it's easier to control these things. I have Hive on my phone which means when I'm abroad I can turn the lights on and off in any room on my phone.. same with the heating if I thought it was needed.. but the lighting being on in one or 2 bedrooms and a livingroom one night, and leave them on for anything from a minute to 12 hours .. and maybe a kitchen, hallway and bathroom the next night makes the house look occupied..
 
Some people used to have timers to turn on lights inside the house around dusk, then turn them off around bedtime. This was mainly to help ward off those looking for empty homes during likely vacation months.

Today one can use smart home tech to ramp that up. Lights can be set up to come on for a while then turn off in random patterns, good for bathroom lighting and the kitchen, etc. That can be overridden when you actually use those rooms. There are also smart RGB lights that a home automation routine can turn on then flicker through colors, simulating light patterns of TV usage on a room's curtains. Similar things can be done playing music or long audio podcasts, especially good for the "vacant house" anti-burglar routine.

That's all DIY today but soon it might come with lights, speakers, and a wireless controller designed just for the purpose.

I haven't even mentioned motion sensors as smart routine triggers, or things like cameras which can sense motion, send alerts, and record or be viewed on your phone or smart TV.
 
Hi Rose,
A determined burglar will break a window if they cannot find one unlocked. There are alarms you can stick on windows that will beep loudly if they feel a vibration. Problem is, a strong wind or earthquake might make those beep also. Other problem, once they beep and you think someone is inside and you are home, then what's your plan? Keep a gun nearby so you can shoot at him? For some people, that is their plan.
I'd rather use pepper spray, but again, where is that going to be kept? One can in the kitchen, one in the nitestand, one on the bathroom and one by the front door?

After you spray him, THEN what? Run outside and scream? If you're in a very rural area, who will hear you, right? That's why, out in the Boonies, I'd want to have one of those alarm systems that I can call with a touch of a button I'm wearing around my neck, or a button I have stuck to the nitestand or by the bedroom door.

If he breaks a window and gets in when you are not home, that's when a good video surveliance system might help. But NOT if he's smart enough to have a WiFi jammer.

There's always workarounds to all these systems, as far as I know. So the best thing is to have great home insurance, keep highly detailed records and a video of all valuables uploaded to the Cloud, and always keep your most important documents somewhere very hard to find. A wall safe behind a painting is ideal as long as it's a combo lock. (Because if he finds the key when you're not home, so much for your documents.) But you don't even have to have a wall safe - just hide them away in some corner of somewhere where the typical burglar is too lazy to look.

How do I know all this? I have experienced a burglary and so afterwards, I tended to read all the ways to keep oneself safe.

Once you are victimized one of your #1 goals in life becomes Not Being a Victim Again.
 
I can only relate to crime in South Aust as I dont see what happens in other states as i rarely watch the gloom and doom show otherwise known as the nightly news .

Crims only appear to target high end homes in the city ( suburbs ) because they are often aware of what cars the residents have and the crims are not going to drive a old bomb if they can drive a BMW as an example .

One example was a highly skilled respected Adelaide doctor who lived right on the edge of the city (in the most prestigious suburb in Adelaide )

he had all sorts of working security on / in his home , however a couple broke into his home in the very early hours of the morning and demanded his car keys which he refused to hand over so they bashed him to death , ( within a inch of his life ) he apparently didn’t stand and take it he fought for his life .

and the couple still took the car

THIS was December last year.
'Evil must not win': Family, friends pay tribute to top Adelaide doctor at emotional funeral
 
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Our main entrance is 200 feet from the house and hidden by trees. The gate is covered by a floodlight at night. No bell and nothing that a stranger could figure out whether someone is at home. We have a recording video camera with communication ability at the gate if we want to check when someone is honking at the gate.

With video cameras from my bed, I can see both directions of our driveway. We also have several sensors that ring alarm when something is moving, and a dozen motion-activated lights.
 
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My late husband was a trap shooter and believed in safety on and off the field. A few years ago, he wanted me to have some "protection" so I bought this and now that he's gone, it's at my bedside. I hear more house noises now because he's not around but I'm prepared to protect myself if I have to. One thing he told me was...if you have to shoot someone trying to break in, be sure to drag them inside the house.000_0064.JPG
 
I have firearms. Also, motion lights, a sign in the front cactus garden that says "This home fully protected by Allied Liberty Security" and a small black box with a tiny green light on it that I stuck on the inside of a couple of windows. They look like security cameras in record mode.

Barred windows are a good idea.
 
An alarm system installed & monitored 24/7 by a reputable security company is worth the money to me. They will be able to tell you what alarm components (glass break, motion, door, etc.) should be located & installed in your house. If your alarm goes off, they will call you first. If you don't answer they will immediately call the police. You should also install a fire alarm at the same time which if it goes off, it's an immediate call to the fire department.

Pepper spray isn't as good as you may think. #1 - You have to be close enough to use it on someone & not have them take it from you. #2 - You have to be ACCURATE the FIRST TIME time & hit them in the face (eyes/nose/mouth) to shut them down. #3 - You need to be aware of any wind movement (coming towards or away from you) in your home to avoid blow back spray in your face shutting you down.

Most importantly you need to realize that PEPPER SPRAY DOESN'T WORK ON EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY MENTALS.

You need to have a plan on what you are going to do if someone breaks in. That plan needs to be thought out before a break in happens. You need to practice what you plan on doing ... not just once, but ongoing. You also need to re-evaluate your plan to see if will still work for you & update if needed.
 
I live in a bungalow (one level). I've 2 motion sensors on the garage facing towards the Close, and one opposite the back door. Both not working.

I've a burglar alarm and 'thingies' (can't think of the name :rolleyes:) attached to the windows and front and back doors which are attached to the alarm and would go off if someone broke in - if the burglar alarm wasn't broken.

I've a truncheon somewhere in the back of the hall cupboard.

Basically - if anyone broke in to rob (there's nothing of any value anyway), or it happened when I was in and they'd go to hurt me - I'd be stuffed.

Probably sounds silly, but I honestly think you can do everything you possibly can - but if they want to get in, they will always find a way.

The last time anything happened around here, (which is a very quiet area and a small cul-de-sac so no passing trade or 'unknown' people wandering about) was about five years ago and a car was stolen. I've a car, but it's a little 'city' tin box of a car, and I could probably walk faster that it with a zimmer frame. So there's no way they'd take that even though it has no alarm on it.

I know places are never safe and I'm aware of that and how things can change, but I don't feel bothered for some reason.
 

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