I'm at risk. How do I block my door?

[iutcoloit]

Police are involved with a situation between me and my ex. I'm concerned that he's going to kick my door in out of anger.

What's the steps to take here? How to block it? What if he could get in before the police got here?

Get some open pots of pepper to throw if necessary.It blinds an attacker and makes then choke.

women aid and womenkind both do safety planning. Find out how to call the police without talking believe it it is 999 then 55 and cough for responses. In doubt leave go to b&b for a couple of days until he has simmered down or call the police if needed. Have a bag packed and an escape route.

I hope you stay safe OP

Get yourself set up to text 999. You might be in a situation where you can text but need to be quiet. You can need to register first before you can use the service.

Text the word "register" to 999.

Do it now. You'll then get a reply with some instructions, but basically you just reply "yes" and it's all sorted.

Then if you need to, you can send a text. It's recommended that you call if you possibly can, but it's a good back up option. You might find it helpful to save a draft text to your phone with pre-entered info to speed up the process if it's needed.

You just need to send the service you want, the nature of the emergency, and your address.

Spray pepper or pots of peppers, yes could become handy. Stay safe OP and please update us when you can.

Speak to your local council, tell them you are a domestic violence sufferer, mine put me alarms on all my windows, lights at my back & front door, security chains, I could have had a sanctuary room if I had wanted, which is when they make a room safe for you to lock yourself in if needed with a fireproof door with full security & panic button.

I have 2 bolts and a strong lock on my gate. A bolt and 2 strong locks on back door, plus a metal grill on the glass panel. On my front door I have 2 bolts, a lock and a huge and heavy piece of furniture in front of the door. The only way anybody is getting into our house is by smashing a window. I also have window alarms. It's good to have this amount of security, even in normal times.

Put bolts on everything and have a plan to barricade yourself upstairs in an emergency. Get a baseball bat.

You poor thing, it's so scary isn't it. When I was in your situation, the police gave me some practical advice:
Remove any carpet/matting from where your letterbox is to reduce the risk of fire
Make sure all knives are stored away safely
Fit bolts that go into the door frame itself, rather than bolts which screw onto the outside.
Fit additional window locks (the police can advise which ones are best).
Have viper alarms fitted to doors and windows. They sense vibration so will set an alarm off BEFORE anyone actually gets in.
Talk to the police about a panic alarm They gave me one of their own which alerted all nearby officers that I needed urgent help.

All the very best to you

Agree with being careful about barricades and having an escape plan. Definitely see if women’s aid or similar can give you specific advice to your situatiob.

If it was me i’d have a bag packed with clothes for me/DC, wallet, important documents, meds etc ready to grab if I needed to leave the home quickly as well.

Hope you get through this OP.

What do you do with the letter box as it's open an it's been known to be used for throwing something flammable into the house?

It really depends on what sort of property you're in. Is it a door you can kick in? Is there more than one door? Windows on the ground floor? Have you children with you?

Immediate advice police will give you will be to keep all doors and WINDOWS CLOSED AND LOCKED.. It seems such obvious advice but that's how I got my first beating - I had the downstairs windows opened and he literally just climbed right in.

Keep your phone charged and with you on your person at ALL TIMES. Call 999 the SECOND you hear the first noise at any door and tell them what's happening - be clear that your ex is trying to break in and that it's URGENT. Don't say 'I think I hear someone outside' or something wishy washy.

You could put masking tape over the letterbox over the weekend. Strap it vertically and horizontally. If you were proper ninja, a tin/metal bin underneath the letterbox would curb any attempts at setting fire as if he did get anything in the letterbox it would just burn out and give you time.

Would putting a tray of water under the letter box be useful in case someone throws something flammable in? Just a suggestion, I don't know if it would work or not.

OP do you have the funds to install cameras? Or maybe you can buy a cheapish one off Amazon?

Depending on doors- multiple locks. Or change door if u can. Put something at the door so handle doesnt turn.
It’s about buying time-obstacles at entry. Block letter hole. Risk of fire from the inside is minimal if you check stuff before going to bed.
Bag with important docs/kids clothes by your bedside ready if you need to flee. I would keep a sharp object for self defence too.
Sorry you’re going through this, wtf is wrong with some men.

Don't keep a weapon as, from bitter experience a man will take it off you and use it against you. Your best form of defence as a woman is getting away or having police come. You will never win a fight with a man. Sorry you're going through this. Have you no barring order in place?

Your local police should have a crime prevention officer who can offer advice. Some housing organisations will offer equipment if you're in their properties.Depending on the severity of the threat the local police or woman's aid may have lifeguard alarm systems which they can loan to you.

Have the police put a marker on your address?

If they have the second you call 999 someone will be sent to you. They get quickly, I know because of previous experience.

Sorry you are going through this, it's horrible living like that.

*to you

Be aware if you are going to call the police. I tried that and because we have a DD they sent police to my house and took a statement and then social services got involved. Not a bad thing, all in all, but they won't just put some handy marker on your address.

Get a non molestation order - costs about £75

Ffs, yes social services were involved too.
That's irrelevant to the op at the moment.
She needed advice to keep her safe right now.

And it's hardly 'handy' having a marker on your address.

A can of hairspray can also be handy - hurts like shit when it gets in your eyes but isn't a 'weapon'.

It's something I wish I had known. In my situation I would have still called them but the National Domestic Violence helpline misled me.

Apologies if this has been mentioned but if you have an android or iPhone then you can activate emergenxy alerts. By pressing the power button three times quickly, your emergency contacts by receive an SOS text with your location, some phones also send a front and back photo and audio recording clip along with the text.

I don't think it works with police, but would at least alert someone to your situation. You can have it sent to multiple contacts.