To be freaked out

[Wingingthis]

Single mum, staying at my parents tonight (luckily) just saw 30 mins ago on my ring camera that a man came up to my front door, didn’t ring the door bell but peers through the glass and then rattles the porch door, looks around then walks away.
Totally freaked out to go home now and be alone!

Uhhh report this to 101. For sure. I probably would not be comfortable sleeping there alone for a little while…

Sounds like someone knows you’re away from the house and is trying their luck. We got burgled in the 30mins it takes to do the school run, police said the people who did it must have been watching us for some time to establish a routine. Somehow that was worse than them actually stealing shit!

Could your dad come over to stay with you?

Please try not to freak out - you know you’re safe where you are right now. Stay calm if you can.

Have you left lights on timers so it looks as though you’re home? If the house is very obviously unoccupied then at worst case, he might have been chancing his arm at breaking in. But he didn’t because you saw him leave when he found the door locked. That’s good and should be reassuring. Don’t forget that in days before a ring doorbell you’d never have known about this in order to worry about it.

When you’re home and obviously there, with lights going on and off, and noise, then nobody will usually try to break in. So that should be reassuring too.

@beeloubee

Could your dad come over to stay with you?

I think she's staying at her parents and she saw this on her own doorbell

The last time the police came to check my CCTV they told me to contact my local station for any weird shit that went on in case it was part of a jigsaw type thing.

There might be a spate of checking for unlocked doors in your area for opportunist burglaries. You might have a picture of a face they want.

Opportunist. Once they found the porch locked they moved on.

Worth reporting just incase there have been burglaries today in your area.

It sounds like an opportunist. My DM woke to two men fishing their hands through her letter box trying the door. They were feeling for keys to try and let themselves in and had been successful in getting in to a few houses that way during the night. DM is a light sleeper and scared them off by turning the lights on but they didn't even run away, just sauntered up the road.

He was chancing his arm, submit the footage to the police as he may have struck "lucky" elsewhere the same night and this will help them.

When we got burgled the guy tried 26 properties on one street. And a fact I found out as a PP has said is: lots of burglaries happen in the school run, you're less likely to lock up when you're away for less than an hour!

If it happens again, talk through the bell, and say hello, can i help u, im upstairs / in the toilet and see what he says

It’s a burglar. Scary but it was just opportunity, he wasn’t looking for you

Definitely report to 101. We get quite a lot of this (and trying car doors) on our estate but they usually send a patrol car out with any reports.

Ring 101. Save the image of the man.

He was chancing his arm, submit the footage to the police as he may have struck "lucky" elsewhere the same night and this will help them.

Yeah, I think this is good advice.

This happens fairly regularly where I live, I don't have cameras but neighbours on the street report it happening on the street face book a lot. I double check my door is locked every night!