Recent Break-In

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MandaC

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I hope seriously bad things happen to the person(s) who broke into my house at 4am this morning. So much so, I cant even repeat them on this board.

I am very angry right now.

I work my backside off to pay for this place. Some slimey ........ thinks its ok to break in and take my stuff.

Gardai come and tell me I am another statistic (no complaints about Gardai by the way)

Any other practical assistance would be much appreciated too, because I am probably not thinking straight right now.

Credit Cards/etc cancelled.

Next going to have to change all the locks. Can I do this on my insurance?
 
sorry to hear about your trouble, i think we will have a lot more of this happening with the current downturn and more and more on the dole ect. as far as i know you can change your locks on your insurance...have a read through you policy it should be in there somewhere.
 
MandaC said:
... Next going to have to change all the locks. Can I do this on my insurance?
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Sorry to hear about the break-in.

I just scanned through my policy documents and I can't see anything specific, but if the house keys are compromised then I guess you have no choice other than to go ahead and get receipts.
MandaC said:
... Any other practical assistance would be much appreciated too, because I am probably not thinking straight right now...
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I suppose personal security, physical & psychological, is the immediate issue. If you live alone, can you have family / friends stay over for the next few nights and maybe house-sit while you're at work? Can you borrow / adopt a huge, hungry man-eater of a dog and park him in the garden? If you don't have alarms / motion detectors / sensor-pads / external sirens and strobe lights fitted, could you short-term get a dummy box mounted outside? Could friends family park their cars on your driveway or outside the house to give the impression that there's a crowd inside? Can you put lights on timers downstairs while you're out or in bed (assuming two-storey) to switch lights on-off every hour, front and back?
 
Gardai came again this morning. Said more than likely after the car keys. Terrible that you are a target over a car.

Am going to replace all the locks anyway, irrespective of whether or not the insurance pays.

All the houses at the back row had their sheds done. Gardai said they travel in gangs and do different estates all around the country every week.

They only got as far as the hall because I disturbed them.

Even took the half price pair of shoes and cardigan I got in M&S on Friday and my gym bag! I hope they cut the feet off whoever gets them.

Thanks for the suggestions!
 
Sorry to hear about that. Awful thing to happen. The car keys is a probable alright, lots of break-ins seem to have cars as the actual target. I'd definitely change locks regardless of insurance. Just wondering if they will take cardie back to M&S for a refund ??? I'd think seriously about an alarm.
 
On the positive side, be glad that they didn't attack you when you disturbed them! It's awful being robbed, particularly the feeling that they have invaded and violated your personal space, but much worse if they had physically attacked you as well.

My neighbour had some similar scumbags break into her house at night. They were asleep as were their two kids.

The thieves couldn't find the car keys and took a large knife from the block in the kitchen and made their way into the master bedroom. They found the keys in my neighbour's jeans pocket, dropped the knife on the bedroom floor and left, taking the car with them.

She and her husband were shocked to the core when they awoke the following morning and thanked God that they are both heavy sleepers. If the had disturbed the knife-wielding yob(s), God knows what would have happened.

Your personal safety is much more important/valuable than possessions which can be replaced.

It will be hard to get over the emotional trauma, but a previous poster's suggestions on increasing security in and around your home will hopefully make you feel a bit more comfortable.
 
You poor thing, what an awful thing to happen.

I agree with a previous poster about practical security steps to take to ensure you don't get targeted again. We had similar problems with being targeted repeatedly in my Dad's house but these stopped once we installed motion sensor lights and a camera. He has always had dogs, the present incumbants are worse than useless so the camera and lights became necessary. When my late mother was alive we also had a series of robberies and once some rather bold would-be thieves came during the day time and tried to force their way into the house on the pretext of getting some water ( they thought she was alone) but luckily one of my rather tall and imposing brothers was there. After that we got her a trained guard dog, a dobermann, and that stopped them until he died.

They always go for the easy target, if there is a vicious dog or a camera, motion lights they will just move on to the next house.
 
We were broken into a few months ago, nothing taken but the car keys and thankfully the car wouldn't start so they left it.
The keys were downstairs so they didn't come up stairs, but a neighbour was robbed the same night and they came into her bedroom for her keys and phone. Terrifying.
We've got a dog since and hope that it will prove a deterrent in future.
 
Forget a dog. Time to apply for a shot-gun license. But then they'd be probably be after the gun.

If I found someone in my house at night then I'd definitely shoot them and deal with the consequences later. But that's just me.....
 
Sorry to hear of the break-in Mandac. Do you mind me asking how they gained entry - frontdoor / backdoor etc?

For the other AAM readers, can you provide a list of tips to keep the family home safe? I can start...

A dog (if possible)
House alarm
Fake eternal cctv
Motion-sensor light detectors
Padlocking the front gates
Instal top and bottom bolt locks on front and back doors
Installing alarm system with sensors on doors and windows
Eircom phone watch
Neighbour Watch
 
MandaC - so sorry to hear about the break in, thank god you yourself are physically unharmed.

For the list of security features:
Do not leave any keys out on hooks or anywhere that can be seen by looking in windows or a letter box etc..
Take handbag into the bedroom with you at night.
Lock all internal doors at night and take the keys to your bedroom with you.
Wind chimes on front and back doors and on any windows large enough to climb through.
Internal bolts/chubb locks on external doors.
Spiky plants around perimeter fence/walls of back garden.
Motion sensor lights both externally and internal in hallway.
 
truthseeker said:
Take handbag into the bedroom with you at night.
Lock all internal doors at night and take the keys to your bedroom with you.
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Mandc I am so sorry you had to go through this, I would have been terrified. Am just glad you weren't physically harmed.

As to the suggestion to take things into your bedroom, I'm not sure I would now, having read about thieves coming into bedrooms to get them. I'll just do what I do now, put a key in the door (no letter box) and leave rest of the car keys in the (unlocked) key box in the kitchen.
 
Bubbly Scot said:
As to the suggestion to take things into your bedroom, I'm not sure I would now, having read about thieves coming into bedrooms to get them. I'll just do what I do now, put a key in the door (no letter box) and leave rest of the car keys in the (unlocked) key box in the kitchen.
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I agree. I'm gonna leave my car keys on the floor in the hall. That's what car / home insurance is for...leave me and my family alone!
 
Firefly said:
I agree. I'm gonna leave my car keys on the floor in the hall. That's what car / home insurance is for...leave me and my family alone!
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Generally speaking these kinds of thieves are opportunistic and dont want a confrontation, if they find a locked bedroom door they wont try to get through it knowing they will wake you, its the ajar door with heavily sleeping people inside the room that they tend to sneak in on, especially if they can spy a locker with a set on keys on top or a handbag by the bed.

I wouldnt leave my keys on the floor in the hall, a look through the letterbox will just encourage them to go for such an easy targit.
 
Why do people make it easy for these scumbags? I take my car keys to bed with me. I also have 9 dogs including a rottweiller. Never had a problem. ;)

OP, I am sorry for your trouble. Hopefully karma will catch up with them.
 
Sorry to hear about this Manda - as Bond says, hopefully karma will catch up with them.

Depending on what type of area you live in, motion activated security lights, as mentioned, can be a cheap, effective deterrent.
 
Hi MandaC,

Sorry to hear about the break-in and as others have said at least you are ok.

truthseeker said:
MandaC - so sorry to hear about the break in, thank god you yourself are physically unharmed.

For the list of security features:
Do not leave any keys out on hooks or anywhere that can be seen by looking in windows or a letter box etc..
Take handbag into the bedroom with you at night.
Lock all internal doors at night and take the keys to your bedroom with you.
Wind chimes on front and back doors and on any windows large enough to climb through.
Internal bolts/chubb locks on external doors.
Spiky plants around perimeter fence/walls of back garden.
Motion sensor lights both externally and internal in hallway.
Click to expand...

Drive an old banger that they wouldn't want.
 
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