To be really freaked out and scared to go to sleep?

[theresabluebirdinmyheart]

This morning when I went to bring my bin in and put it away I realised the bench in my back garden had been moved. It’s a heavy wooden bench and the wind would not be able to blow it. It had been moved closer to my secure 6ft fence. I have a side gate which was still bolted shut.

the bench was where it usually is when I put the bin out last night so at some point during the night last night it had moved.

The only explanation I can come up with is that someone had climbed over my fence during the night and moved the bench to get a leg up over the fence to get back out again.

I am really really freaked out at the thought of this. I have a ring doorbell camera at the front door but no cameras at the back so haven’t got any evidence to prove anyone was there but I just can’t come up with any other plausible scenario than a prowler or potential burglar moved it to gain access over the fence.
I’ve tried to put it out my mind all day but now it’s dark and time to head to bed I’m feeling really sick and anxious. I’m a single mum with a disabled daughter and feeling really vulnerable. Every noise is creeping me out.

Can anyone think of a plausible and less terrifying scenario of how the bench could have moved? To put my mind at ease? Have ordered a camera for the back garden to be delivered tomorrow but fucking hell I feel really afraid.

TL;DR - heavy wooden garden bench moved during the night last night and am freaked out someone was prowling in my back garden and used it to climb over the fence.

This is a silly thing, but I leave a large dogs water bowl outside my back door.

I've heard burglars like to go for the easiest targets and the thought of a large dog inside can put them off.

No idea if it works but it helps ease my mind.

The extra camera is a good idea.

Get a solar light up with motion detection

Your thoughts on contacting the police to inform them is a good one , or if you have a local or main station nearby you could call in for advice .

It's likely someone was either taking a short cut or hiding/fleeing from somewhere.

I doubt they were scoping your house as moved furniture would be an obvious clue and would alert you to their plans.

I'd assume it was used as a passage to somewhere else.

Camera will obviously reassure/show anything

I also agree letting the police know is a good idea. A few years ago I was asleep in the early hours of a Monday and DH had come off his last late shift so although it was 3am he was up watching tv with a drink. He wouldn't have been visible from the back window but the tv would be. He noticed a flash of light go around the room and then suddenly disappeared (torch), he went to look and a fence panel had been forced up. He called the police and they came straight over, they were really helpful with advice, agreed the tv probably put the intruder off and confirmed there had been a garden theft up the road. It never happened again once we fitted brackets to the fence panel that was forced up, despite our garden not being overly difficult to get into if you really wanted to. Also the police did say the vast majority are only interested in what easy pickings there are in the garden, they are not wanting to risk bumping into you or getting caught breaking into the house.

Good morning @theresabluebirdinmyheart I just read your thread: what a night!
I agree with other pps: you have nothing to lose by contacting the police and maybe ask them if they can come and do some rounds around your street? You know, to show they are aware. Where I live, neighbours started noticing suspicious things in our street (marks on doors, unknown people passing by and then, the same as you, a neighbour had some things from her backyard disturbed). So we kept in touch and were all on alert. We contacted local police, and they sent a car a few nights to patrol, as a deterrent. It worked.
Agree with the idea of a large dog's bowl! Anything you can use as a deterrent and let them know you are on alert and able to get help.

Well yes that post was a bit it’s just kids or a homeless person. With regard to the latter how was that supposed to make you feel better!!

Glad to hear you got through the night OP and managed to get a couple hours shut eye (though I'm sure you could have done with more!) Agree with all the recommendations above. Feel free to return to the thread tonight if you still feel uneasy, but hopefully you will feel more settled tonight, especially with the camera you ordered installed. Hope you have a great day x

As well as installing your camera for the garden, could you ask your other neighbours for their phone numbers (and if they’re willing form a WhatsApp group) to make you feel less isolated and vulnerable OP? I hope you start to feel better soon.

You really need to inform the police as ( sorry for frightening you as im ex police) but if they haven't managed to get what they came for they may return. Ask the police to do some mobile patrols around your street And maybes put your ring door bell at the back for now?

Speak to your community police team.

Also get a beware of thr dog sign and fix it somewhere they will see it and maybes flood light that come on when something or one is there

This happened to me once and I was really freaked out too.

I eventually noticed after scouring the Ring Doorbell footage that a delivery guy had tried the front door and then scaled the 9 foot solid back wall into my "secure" back garden. He dragged the bench over to make getting back over easier and hid the parcel behind a stack of spare paving stones. He didn't leave a note and I didn't find the parcel for 3 days!

He could have just...left it in my safe designated place! It was only contact lense solution!

It all felt very sinister at the time when I found my heavy bench moved against the wall. I upped my security after that and got the bench secured to the ground and a camera and security light installed for the back.

Definitely log it with 111 and remain alert. It's likely not anyone who means any physical harm to you.

Could you get a lock put on your bedroom door to make you feel safer? ETA for fire safety reasons, only to be used if you think you hear an intruder!

We had a similar thing, where our big metal chicken feeder had been moved from inside their run to outside of it.

Fortunately it came apart and obviously clanged on the ground so whoever it was did a runner.

Local police said they were probably just interested in nicking stuff from the garden as it's easy and other people in the area had lost stuff. I didn't sleep well either OP.

They were probably just looking to see if any windows or your back door was open as an opportunistic burglar, now they've found they're not they know it's not worth coming back and they won't spread the word to others either. So it's good that you've got a camera so you can double check just in case, but other than keeping everything locked and your phone charged and within arm's reach you don't need to do anything, definitely don't need a knife.

Put up a few "Beware of the Dog" signs and a couple of "I ❤️ Rottweilers or XL Bullys" stickers / posters on your front door, fence, and gate. You don’t even need a dog - just the idea of a 120-pound furry security guard named “Tank” should be enough to make any prowler think twice! I also love the large dog water bowl outside by the back door suggestion

If I was you I’d leave downstairs lights on and a radio. I know easier said than done but try not to worry. Keeps doors and windows locked xxx

Great idea!

OP, don't use a banned breeds dog sign as that could cause you some negative attention, lose you some friends locally and make emergency services reluctant to enter your home.

My first thought on this is drunk teenagers - or just teenagers or young people taking cheeky shortcuts, totally understand why it scared you though.

Could you also put up a light with movement sensor for the back garden so it's triggered if anyone walks across it?

If your lifestyle is compatible with dog ownership I would definitely consider getting one of if I were you.
We have three Mutleys, I’ve always had a dog since leaving home (we’re an animal mad family) but they give so much comfort and companionship.
Ours bark at anyone coming through the door, one morning something made them all kick off about 2am. I apologised to our poor neighbours because they must have woken them up as well, they said that the dogs had woken them up, but when they checked their ring camera in the morning it was someone checking front doors, they had tried to open their door and must have made a noise as our doors face each other which alerted the dogs, they didn’t try ours and ran. Our neighbour said she felt safer knowing that our dogs had an ear out and although they are a bunch of softies who wouldn’t stick up for me at all if push came to shove I always feel better having them around when I’m on my own with the kids.

We had someone lurking in the front garden/driveway just before Christmas. Had a big bag and when we saw him on the cctv the next morning theorised it was someone out opportunistically looking for parcels delivered that hadn’t been brought in yet. Turns out he had a bolt cutters and had cut through the side gate, possibly spotted another camera on the back of the house and thought better of it.
or he’s planning to come back assuming we don’t use the gate much as it was a very discreet cut. We’ll see. We have a house alarm with a downstairs system so you can switch it on when you go to bed and move around upstairs without any issue. Rather than moving house (unless desired anyway) I’d look at more security. Most crime appears to be opportunistic rather than planned and you want your house to look more of a hassle than someone else’s.

Good God this guy sounds like the Grinch!!