to feel very vulnerable?

[exactchange]

We've moved from a 2nd floor flat to a house not long ago, and were just starting to adjust to being more...accessible I suppose is the best word to describe it. In the past week or so, there has been a spate of burglaries in the village, one just up our road. I have depression and anxiety anyway but now am a little paranoid about any noises, are the doors locked - and what would we do if we did have intruders? Looking for reassuring advice please, serious or lighthearted! X

PS we have two small children, one sleeps with us still but the eldest is across the hall. In case it makes a difference x

Do local crime prevention officers still come out and check locks, etc?

Most burglars are opportunists. Won't go near a house with people in, won't want confrontation, will look for easy pickings such as unlocked sheds and people announcing holidays on Facebook.

That must be pretty shit, feeling like that. Statistically speaking are you in a low crime area?

Put your postcode into this, it'll give you a true picture of local crime.

www.police.uk

The house in our road had the occupants asleep upstairs. My mum has been burgled twice, both times (different addresses) she was asleep in the house/flat, my sister has been burgled several times, each time she was in the house. I will be contacting our crime prevention officer in the morning, thanks for the suggestion x
I've just come back upstairs from checking out a noise and scared myself half to death with my own shadow! Wasn't sure if it was next door moving around or something else.

The noise I mean, not the shadow

Try this too;

www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention/docs/bumblebee_burglary_prevention.pdf

As a single parent restricted to ground floor I can thoroughly recommend getting a dog.

A real dog not a bloody ornamental dog ( dons flame proof suit)

If I wake in the night thinking I've heard something and the dog is just lying there I know I didn't. She stops me freaking out at every noise. I sleep with my phone by my bed in case of emergency and mins form believer in big doshy candle sticks in the bedroom. I never light the candles but I do have a beautiful ornamental weapon of convenience.

This plus a reasonable pre bed locking up routine, is what keeps me sane ish

Mins form = and am

Not quite sure how that auto corrected