Surveillance advice

[Staycalmandscream]

Posted on AIBU but this group maybe better for help with this.

Basically need something to protect my property, to (hopefully) capture any damage being committed & who by. Kids next door who trespass & play with anything to hand... footballs, rugby balls, rocks... it's only a matter of time. Their parents have been informed but don't seemed bothered as long as it's not happening to their own houses.

Local pcso suggested a dash cam as an economical option but that'd only cover the area for a few hours (battery / memory card limitations). Decent cameras I've looked at are £££££ and require monthly subscription for cloud memory if we needed enough capture to go away on holiday. I didn't really want to spend more than needed as money isn't flush at present, but equally I need to balance the cost against cost of repairs if they lob a rock thru my window & the parents won't pay repairs if I've no proof!

Was thinking of some sort of indoor 'easy set up' camera I could place in an upstairs window. Both for flexibility of fitting & keeping costs down.

Thanks for any help / advice!

[theconstantinoplegardener]

Would a fake cctv camera, placed in a very obvious location (and perhaps with a brightly coloured "warning! CCTV" sign to make sure they see it, prominently displayed on your front gate or the wall of your house) help? That would be much cheaper than the real thing, but might be enough to put them off coming near your house.

[Staycalmandscream]

Don't think so unfortunately. The kids doing this are like 6 & 7. The parents just don't want to know as long as it's not literally on their doorstep. Don't think a fake dome would deter them.
Also concerned it might send the parents the other way & they might put cameras up which cover my property. Their floodlights already illuminate my house and garden at night to the point I don't need lamps in any rooms at the rear of my house. So if I'm taking that risk I'd want a real camera.
I need something to capture any damage.
What a nightmare, can't relax in my own home when the rest of my life is super stressy. Home was the closest to a sanctuary I had.

[Watermelondoesntbelonginasalad]

We have Arlo, it was expensive but doesn’t require a monthly subscription, was easy to install and keeps footage for 7 days. It keeps clips of any movement and alerts your phone so you can also check it live time.

[MrsRufusdog789]

Do you think camera proof of any damage by neighbours children would guarantee they footed the bill ?
So sorry your home isn't the sanctuary we all expect to have but to anticipate future problems is adding to the pressure you feel ?
How receptive to a friendly chat would your neighbours be ?