Fucking Burglars!

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

My dad has just been burgled for the 5th time in about 6 months! Does anyone have any ideas on what to do?

We have an idea of who is doing it but absolutely no proof. Each time the police come round, look for fingerprints, offer advice on security and that's that. He's had a local crime prevention person round but that hasn't helped either as each time he improves security they get in another way. It's like he's being victimised (possibly is if we are correct about who is doing it) and I don't know how to help him. He is getting older and I am really worried that he is going to disturb them one time or they will break in when he is home and he will get killed. I actually think the stress alone could kill him.

I was thinking of surveillance cameras but discrete one's. It would be fine to deter them but ideally I want to catch the fuckers.

Does anyone know anything about this? (need to keep costs fairly low)

Don't wait for them to offer, ask them if they will. Tell them what a good opportunity it would be for them to catch somone red handed, help their crime stats by having some solved crimes and lower crime in the area by banging someone up.

When I used to be away on business a lot, and the house was empty for long periods, I got a commercial-grade alarm, like you'd have in an office. It sends a coded message down the phone line to a monitoring station, and I paid a local firm of security guards to hold the keys, and come round if it went off. The police will only come out to a professional alarm or a confirmed "intruders inside" call. Mine will send an alert saying e.g. "back door opened at 16:05:00. Intruder in front hall at 16:05:10. Intruder in front room 16:05:30" and so on.

The monitoring station also called my neighbour, who had a key and, being retired, was usually pottering around his garage or garden, and could let the police in.

I only had one attempt, and the police and guards were round within minutes, which probably discouraged the same people from trying again.

It is expensive, though. But as an alternative to being unable to live peacefully in your own home it could be worthwhile. If you want to catch the intruder, you could have concealed cameras, and you can have a siren delay while it phones out, so they think it hasn't gone off and there is a better chance of the police catching them.

An ordinary cheap alarm may discourage burglars, but is mostly ignored

Will think about that John. The thing is my dad lives in a little council house and is fairly poor. I am not making ends meet so can't really help. Those alarms you describe sound expensive.

has he got a nosy neighbour who is trustworthy? You can buy a different sort of alarm quite cheaply but to get police response someone needs to confirm they have seen an intruder in the house.

There is one yes but she is elderly. Not sure I'd want to put that on her shoulders.

So does anyone know about discreet CCTV? At least then I'd (hopefully) get their faces on film!

Could he / would he move house?

it's disgusting to think that he could be forced from his home by the actions of criminal scum.

I think he would be extremely reluctant to move house as he's been there for many years and it has lots of memories for him.

Hi we have an alarm with infra red detectors which are adjusted to cater for our cat so it can be done. All installed by mh dh so not expensive. DH did buy a cctv system as we were having problems with kids running through the garden but he didn't use it and gave it to FIL who was having probs with his car being vandalised.

I know DH uses Maplin for electronic/pc stuff so I think it would be worth checking out their website - they have stores in most large towns/cities and you can buy online also.

We were burgled several years ago and it was very traumatic so you and your dad have my sympathy.

Would suggest you father signs up for a monitoring service. A confirmed activation gets the police there in a few minutes normally. Once they know thats going to happen they are less likely to come back again. Its not that expensive and well worth the cost. Also very prickly bushes another very good deterent.

A confirmed action to get the police to come would be achieved by movement sensors and window sensor in all/ key areas of the house and also a phone line alarm. Any two sensor triggered with a certain time limit to each other will get a police response or a monitoring system keyholder response. A single activation will get you or an authorised phone call to tell you the alarm is going off. Ie cats left inside or bird flying into window etc.

I have cats and a dog! In the the past I've had a very nasty Doberman which loved cats but hated humans! No fucker would have got past her with all their limbs still intact. Some lads were trying to break into my car for about the fourth time and I just let her out and I've never seen anyone run so fast!! Never bothered again!!