Trick or treaters letting themselves in

[Backaffyaspookybitch]

First off, I've had a hard day so I might be slightly narky.

My DS has been ill all day - loaded with the cold and a temp of 39. I've just picked him up from my mum's (been at work all day) and trying to get him into a cool bath and get some calpol down down him. He's just miserable and my DH is working away.

I put him in the bath and I hear the door. I know it'll be trick or treaters but I can't leave my son in the bath (he's 2) so I decide to just ignore it and see if they come back later.

Oh no. The door opens and in walks the boy from next door whom I do know accompanied by 4 or 5 other children! Their mums are standing at the bottom of my garden shrieking with laughter and encouragement.

These children were standing in my hall way shouting and laughing

I got my DS out the bath, ran down the stairs and I asked them to leave and closed the door.

I actually got a bit of a shock that they'd be so bold!

I never even gave them sweets

WIBU to ask them to leave?

Everyone I know who has those UPVC doors just keeps the key in the lock. It is not someone's fault if someone enters through an unlocked door but everyone still has a responsibility to take reasonable steps to prevent accidents and injuries on their property. Leaving the door unlocked means it is pretty reasonably foreseeable that people will be able to walk in even if they shouldn't. When they are in they can do nothing, be welcomed, steal stuff, get hurt etc.

Just lock the door and if you don't lock the door don't overreact about children being silly and rude, don't be hugely surprised if someone nicks your bag or car and the insurance won't pay or you have to pay compensation to someone if your dog bites them. Just accept you took the risk by not securing your property, be annoyed by the trespass by all means but accept that you also failed to secure your property.

There are duties on people to take reasonable steps to protect their property and people entering their property, even illegally.

Of course people should be able to leave their doors unlocked without fear of burglary or trespass but the reality is that not locking doors does increase the risk of being a victim of burglary.

Burglars will target an area and work along a street trying doors, or looking for open windows. If a door is locked they will move on, or if they find an unlocked one, they will enter to see what they can grab.

Criticising people who don't lock their doors is victim blaming, but refusing to do so it still a bit 'cutting your nose off to spite your face'. Unfortunately there's always going to be burglars, so you do what you can to reduce the risk of being a victim of crime.

I was once sent a snotty letter by the police that basically said that I had left items on show in my car and if it got broken into, I deserved it. Pissed me off no end, but made me think about how I leave my car.

And the award for the worst Halloween parenting goes to... knaffedoff!

It is in no way the same.

People do not have a duty to 'protect' themselves from sexual assaults because it is recognised that sexual assaults do not happen because of how someone looks or behaves.

Unsecured properties do attract criminal behaviour and also pose a risk to people indulging in criminal behaviour and often those around (like when teenagers having a party in the house next door to my parents burned down their porch flicking their spliff over the wall). So householders have a duty to secure their properties and will be liable if their failure to do so leads to injury/damage.

Because it is reasonable to expect someone to lock their door etc, it is not an onerous burden. It is however an onerous burden on society if a child wanders into a house and gets bitten by a dog for example.

Do people really lock their doors when they're at home during the day?

(misses point of thread)

My door doesn't get locked at all during the day, yet if someone walks in I will be telling them to get out as quick as they walked in.

Do people really lock their doors when they're at home during the day

Yes, on the advice of my local police force:

www.westyorkshire.police.uk/burglary

'Always lock your doors and windows even when you’re at home' - tip number 1 on their latest anti burglary campaign.

We have UPVC doors with latches, so they aren't key locked and we can open them from the inside to escape quickly in a fire, but you can't get in from the outside because the latch prevents the door being opened more than about an inch. The latch is always on in the daytime and then obviously doors properly locked at night.

My doors are always kept locked, day and night. I have had random people burglars just walking in when the doors are unlocked in the past. Anyone could just come in and we would not hear them if in the back room or upstairs. Even had delivery people thinking they can just come in

We only one lot of trick or treaters this time, on Sunday, I dont answer the door, but they kept knocking and I could hear them trying the door handle. If it had not been locked, they would have just come in!

Nearly a quarter of all burglaries are through unlocked doors and windows, according to the section of my police force's website on sneak in burglaries.

www.westyorkshire.police.uk/help-advice/crime-prevention/your-home/sneak

As I posted upthread, I know several people who have had cars, phones, laptops etc stolen by this method, when they were in the garden, upstairs or in another room.

I've also heard that burglars follow women home from supermarkets, schools etc because they almost always go straight to the toilet when they get in, so there is a minute or two when they will be out of sight and earshot of the door.

Even if the door was slightly ajar the cheeky little shits had no right to enter and the mothers are absolute rude fuckwit idiots to allow their precious offspring to do something like that!

Apparently the evening in winter is a good time for houseburglars to strike. They can see the occupants watching tv and sneak in through the back door (a lot of people leave these unlocked).

I have three external doors (front, back and side) and all three of them are locked all the time when I'm in the house, day and night. They are Upvc and composite doors, so very strong. (as are all the windows).

Why give burglars a leg-up?!

Hmmm quite amazed at the numbers who lock their doors when they are in! Must be because I'm a country girl we only lock when we are away far(not just up the yard or next door) or at night and I'd go mental at someone just walking in who wasn't family or close friends so to me no op you anbu

Well yeah Francis but unlocked door burglaries are somewhat more opportunistic than locked door ones in that they just walk up and down the street trying doors. If yours is locked 100%, yours won't be burgled in that manner 100% of the time.

she says after having admitted to leaving doors unlocked for weeks at a time

YANBU that is terrible behaviour! I do however always lock the front door.

Completely off topic, I know this is besides the point but, very concerned that people have doors that can be opened from the outside without a key :/ I would be so afraid. Everyone I know has doors that don't open from the outside unless you have a key

Francis Crawford:
My son is 4 years old!! He tried 3 door handles, 3rd being the house with the dog. He also didn't slow down when I told him to stop running so fast. Kids don't listen at this age. It was his first Halloween and he was excited. Do you not have kids?? I was gobsmacked when the door opened.

So parents are at fault when child doesn't listen? If he had tried every door from the beginning then I would have stopped. We were right opposite my house when the dog escaped, and we went straight home after securing it. YABU.

If something had happened to that dog or, god forbid, it hurt your child, you wouldn't be so sanguine. After second house, you grab them by the hand and tell them. Then walk up to next door with them and show then how to knock.

bobgoblin yes, that would be the parents fault. You do know you need to actively teach this stuff, don't you? 4 is plenty old enough to be told that you knock or ring and then wait. Yes, kids get excited but equally a lot of people really don't like Halloween and find it quite disturbing and that needs to be respected.

We had kids aged from about 3 to 15 come round and they all behaved beautifully.

FrancisCrawford: I suppose you have never been in a situation you didn't expect? Have you always been able to anticipate every scenario and plan ahead? Or complete risk assessments before going to the park?

My son doesn't hold my hand when he walks. I am in a wheelchair and have always tought him about safe walking. He listens to me and is very careful. I teach him how to stay safe in a car park as I get my wheelchair out of the car. I have spent time teaching him safety when he should have been playing, because my not being able to physically stop him means that he needs to be more aware than other kids his age. He's a good little boy.

He has walked our street with me every day for years now. He walks, I roll. He enjoyed going up to each door at Christmas and posting a card. It's not an unfamiliar walk for him and I did not expect problems. He got excited. That's all.

Each house has a step up and then the door. I can't get close enough to be by his side. It wasn't a problem when we deliver Christmas cards and I did not expect there to be one on Halloween. He tried door handles only because a house opened its door as part of its fun & games.

I'm prepared for next year, he will be older and I may choose to take someone with me. I may not. He will be told not to try door handles. I don't think we disagree that it's wrong. I just don't think you get why it happened.

Horsepower9 don't give a toss if it was excited kids, i'd have screamed the place down and they'd have learnt a few choice words

hob sorry i think you were really lucky. Doesn't matter his age, or first halloween, If the dog had bit your child, got lost or hit by a car what would have happened?
We have house pets i'd have gone livid if one of ours had got out! ( thankfully we don't leave our yale on the latch) especially through no fault of our own.

Kali - agreed
Irresponsible is irresponsible - adults in charge are supposed to be adults in charge

You do know you are effectively saying that because bob is in a wheelchair she shouldn't be taking her son out trick or treating there?

People should have a reasonable amount of consideration for others. That's all. Everyone should be allowed to have fun and be silly sometimes. People don't need to massively overreact and scream at kids if they do something wrong or get a bit overexcited. People should lock their doors, especially when they have dogs.