Intruder in the house this morning

[DianaMitford]

I feel ridiculous writing this because if it was anyone else I'd be saying phone the police!

Here's what happened.....my partner had left to take dd to school. He's been away and this was the first day in a long time that I didn't take her. I am out 7:45-8:15am guaranteed, every day. We live in a bungalow and I was in the room furthest from the front door. Around 8am my dogs started going crazy, not excited barking but real, threatening growls. There's some left over chicken on the side so I assumed they were growling at the cats as they normally do if they think they're going to steal food. It went on for a minute or so and then I very distinctly heard someone say "Shhh". At that point, I leapt up, petrified. I didn't know whether to stay put, jump out of the window in the room or try and dash to the next room where there are patio doors. I just froze. I opened the window to get out but it was too difficult, I mainly just stood stock still on the spot. I heard further footsteps in the corridor but nothing other else. I tried to phone my DP but he'd left his phone at home. He got back around 5 mins after that and has been sweet and slightly concerned but basically wasn't worried and just said to lock all of the doors. There are four separate doors to the outside. I've only just stopped trembling! I can't remember the last time I was so scared. The thing that's bothering me the most is the timing. They came when they thought they knew that the house was empty. The dogs clearly didn't know them. Nothing has been taken or re-arranged as far as I can tell. If it wasn't for the dogs I'd almost swear I'd hallucinated the whole thing.

It seems a bit overkill to call the police (non-emergency number). I thought about calling them when I was trapped in the room but the danger seemed too immediate, I didn't think I had the time. And I knew DP would be back any minute.

So, lovely mumsnetters, WWYD??

The whole incident lasted around 10 mins and I've checked everywhere to see if there's a note or a parcel but there's nothing.

Eh, I would have called 999 and hid in the safe room with an AK47 and prayed that we don't run out of oxygen. (Although thankfully we don't have guns). Not that I'd over react or anything.

Any CCTV around the area? Are you certain that it wasn't a cat hissing?

You should call the police anyway so they can log the attempted burglary. There may be others nearby and they may need to up the local patrols.

I'd call the police. Even if all they do is give you an incident number. It'll be logged.
Hope the shock wears off soon and your dp looks after you

Why do you say "they"? You think there was more than one?

Did you hear a door shut when they left? They must have heard you open the window?

Call the police!

Gosh just wanted to say "how awful" and "poor you" op.

I don't know about police, I'd be unsure too. But I'd definitely be changing locks, getting hidden CCTV and checking again very carefully if anything has been taken or moved. Even ordinary post can be used to create for false identities. Any sets of keys missing? I agree that the timing is worrying.

One last thought though, it wasn't the postman was it?

Yes, log it. You don't know for sure nothing was taken. And lock your doors. Glad nothing bad happened, that would have shaken me quite a bit.

Be aware that if a burglar finds a house unsecured they may attempt a rerun. Be more vigilant about your security if you can.

Do you have neighbours? Can you ask them to keep an eye out when you're out the next few days?

Were the doors unlocked?

Oh sorry - have just read you've already checked for post/parcels etc. Could you ask your neighbours if they saw anyone? 10 mins is scary!!

Wow that sounds really scary. Hope you're ok.

There was a spell of this sort of thing round our way, people would just try doorhandles and if one was unlocked they would walk in and lift car keys or whatever happened to be lying around.

I guess your intruder didn't find anything so just left, or the dogs scared him off.

Log it with 101, there might be a few incidents like it round about. Then make sure you keep your front door locked all the time.

OP come baaaaaaaack, they weren't hiding in the closet, were they?

How scary!! D finitely call the fuzz

Yes, ask your neighbours.

I'd log it, there could be CCTV on the street outside on a pole.

I said "they" just to make it easier. I certainly didn't hear anything to make me think there was more than one.

We don't have any close neighbours and yes, I have in the past been lax about door locking

Ok, I'll call the 101 number this afternoon and see what they say.

DP is being very caring but I can tell he's a bit about the whole thing!

Definitely ring 101. They'll likely send someone out to you (happened to us, the intruder was only in the garden but police still came out). It's always worth logging this kind of thing because it may be part of a bigger picture of local break-ins.

After doing that your main priority is to up your security, particularly if it's known that you're out at the same times every day.

Whew. Glad you aren't tied up in the closet. Thank you for coming back.

Look after yourself, it is a huge fright. And do call the police. And do lock your doors. And practice going out your windows.

I really must get this overactive imagination under control.

Oh and should have said, poor you! Horrible horrible to think of someone in your house that shouldn't be there.

There's no CCTV around. It's a large, detached property with a long driveway. You can't see the house from the top of the drive. It's also gravel so I would have heard a car arriving/leaving.

Yes, it was bloody scary!!!!

"Practice going out your windows" - that made me laugh!!! 😂

Also - be reassured that dogs are a very good deterrent. They obviously left because of the dogs, rather than you, as it doesn't seem from your OP that they heard you. Opportunistic burglars aren't going to push their luck in a house with growling/barking dogs - much easier to try somewhere else without dogs.

You need CCTV!

We got a video doorbell, it was fitted [by me] in minutes and it films everyone who rings, and also anyone passing as you can choose how far and how regularly it films. It was up and running in half an hour, after charging. And it saves the clips for you.

Could it have been a nosey neighbour?

We aren't very close to our neighbours, but one Saturday dh went off very early to work and the neighbour obviously assumed that since it was a Saturday we had all gone out in the car or off on holiday because I spied him wandering round the back of the house and peering in the windows. Since we had only recently moved in I just hid upstairs wondering what the etiquette was!

My aunt returned home from work unexpectedly one day and found her neighbour in the house! He said he'd heard something and had managed to open a window to see . She was then worried he'd been in numerous times before.

If you're isolated you need your own CCTV!

Thank goodness you have good dogs though!

Don't leave it until this afternoon. Give the police a ring now. If there are burglars in the area they might have a drive round the area and prevent them breaking in anywhere else.

Glad you're ok .