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ok recently we were made aware there was some suspicious people roaming our estate we let people know and were on the look out…a few days past and one house was broken into and laptops, phones etc etc were taken they gained entry from the back patio door…
another house car was broken into and their house was attempted break in they were disturbed….
their front door lock was sheared off and popped through, the yale lock they had fitted stopped them gaining further entry….and the owner heard something and turned a light on…
it got everyone thinking of the amount of times that they have left their cars unlocked or valuables in their car, how they have secured the house but not put the alarm on…
there is also simple solutions to adding more locks to your windows that are inexpensive and easily fitted and effective, as well as ones on the front door that you simply flick at the top and bottom and then lock your door as normal, even if they pop your lock they still cannot force your door open…..
the locksmith that came had great tips for people…he said to scratch off your name on your bin label, as they use this as a way to start a conversation and gain access to your house…posing as workmen and stating your neighbours name saying oh doing a job o mary;s house and she said that i could just check something on your house joan…since they used your name and your neighbours name you take them for being real….
he also suggested locking the internal doors i.e kitchen frontroom doors as the more noise and effort they have to make the more it makes them not want to continue as it alerts you….
so please be vigilant and think of how you secure your house adding more ways of not having them try and access your house….
I have extra locks being fitted to all windows and doors costing less then 200e but adding piece of mind and keeping them away…most break ins happen while you are in the home rather then away from the home…
We keep the side gates locked and our gates at the end of the path closed over. I am weary of answering the door in the evening time and will send hubby to do it or will check through the window to see who it is.
we close all doors downstairs when we go to bed so god forbid, if someone did break in, they would have to make some noise getting around.
we also keep our hallway clear and a set of keys easily accessible every night incase of a fire, so we have a clear, easy exit.
we dont’ have a lock in our door that requires a search for a key from the inside it’s a thumb lock where you just turn….
and we do close the doors….and pull back door curtains, they are on a steel rail with steel eyelets so if they were pulled you’d hear them and the dog sleeps in the halltoo….and we have eircom phonewatch….
i think it’s the thought of having someone in your house going through your stuff and the what if i woke up what would happen thought that’s the scariest….
speaking to neighbours today it’s amazing how we really think we are secure and yet we forget the simple things….foundout that dh forgot to twist the lock last night of all nights but yale lock was on….and alarm and dog in hallway…so if they came to the door the dog would bark straight away…
The BBC series, "Beat the Burglar" used to be brilliant (I’m sure it’s available). They asked people how secure their house was, then fitted cameras and got a security consultant (who had also been a house breaker as a teenager) to try and break in. Sometimes it was effortless. On one occasion he wore a suit and glasses holding a clip board, as he walked into the garden a neighbour said "they’re out at present but the side gate is open if you need to have a look" (assuming he was an estate agent). A few minutes later he was driving away in the people’s car from the driveway with 2 suitcases full! I don’t entertain cold callers anymore. And we already caught a guy at a neighbours who knocked on the door and when he got no answer, brought his ladder around to the side. When he was challenged he said "he told me to come and do the windows", he was told that they had their own window cleaner and to clear off. If anyone answers, they simply say "do you want your windows cleaned"? I know this makes it hard on genuine workers but I’d rather err on the side of caution. We got a lot of extra lock points, the alarm is always set and the dogs go ballistic if anyone even approaches the gate.
WE’ve had our house robbed, so know all about the fear of god it puts in you. They took everything including my wedding ring 7 destroyed my bedroom in particular. They came in the front door, broke the locks someone while we were away for the night (thank god we werent here).
We now have those extra lookson all windows & door, another lock on front door, upgraded alarm & have a camera / intercom system on front door. Some people laugh & think im being over the top when the see the camera but i dont care, its piece of mind. I now dont open the door to anyone i dont know, i just say no thanks through the intercom. Cold callers are my pet hate – they have to be the most annoying people. I feel sorry for them having to do that job but really people hate being annoyed when at home.
Scole thats a very good price for that lock, i want one of those flip locks for my porch, i want it to keep ds2 in during the summer.
I lock my side gate at all times, i have it locked years after i caught a neighbour who lives about 5 doors aways give guided tours of my back garden while she thought i was at work!!! (She copied our back garden to a t)
This made me open my eyes that anyone could have walked into my house, so chub on back gate, also while im in the house i always have the external doors locked!!! A common traveller trick is one calls to the front door and other goes in your back door!
My tips to try keep them at bay…
When leaving the house i put all laptops etc out of sight.
I have a dog
I keep doors locked day and night
I close windows when leaving the house.Sleep well folks, most of houses that get robbed get robbed between 2 and 4pm, its more common to be robbed when doing the school run then at night.
MaryE maybe it was the travellers who robbed your house, i only found out that they walked into a few houses and robbed them in the middle of the day, Garda couldnt do anythign as the stuff was never found on them. Can you see your house from the main drive in?Robberies really do appear to be on the up and up.
I keep my front and back doors locked most of the time that I am in the house. The back door is only unlocked when the kids are in the back garden or I need to go out to the bin.
I tend not to set the alarm when I go out during the day but I am becoming more conscious of it and trying to remember each time. Generally just going out on the school run – only a few minutes – but like you say, it is when most robberies occur.
In saying that, the road that I live on has a high garda presence – they come in an out several times a day and throughout the night. My alarm went off once, when ds was still in a moses basket, hubby was working nights. I had the gardai in within 5 mins – they came through the house and checked the back garden.
Scole1, who fitted those locks for you? I am looking at getting locks on my upstairs windows because my toddler keeps trying to climb up to look out the windows and without locks, I dont want to think about what might happen if he managed to open the window. Thanks X
Guy called jim from secure base pm for his number
Have to say with the extra flip secure lOck the windows and doors don’t budge great value for peace of mind
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