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Original poster

Someone tried to break in last night!

10 replies

leander · 14/08/2003 09:29

I can't believe it, we were in bed and someone tried to break in.Dh goes to work at 5-30 am and as he was leaving he saw that someone had used a screwdriver or something to lever the mortice lock on the front door the wood is all splintered.We didn't hear a thing, I didn't go to bed till 12-30 and Dh was up at 5 so it was sometime between then, I woke up around 3am so I am thinking it mught have been about then.The thing is I am scared to go out today now incase they come back and can't stop thinking what if they had got in what if they had gone into ds room.dh is going to go and get more locks and have reported to the police but this doesn't help my fear.

OP posts:
bobthebaby · 14/08/2003 09:32

Poor you, I've been burgled and its crap. You do start to feel safe in time though.

Tinker · 14/08/2003 09:34

Lots of sympathies leander, have been broken into 3 times and know that it is horrible. But, but but, remember:
they didn't get in,
they didn't get into your son's room,
it was very probably opportunistic and they are not likely to try in the day time.

Can you set your alarm so that it is on downstairs when you asleep?

As some consolation, I heard from an experienced policeman once that he had never known of a successful break-in in an alarmed house.

Lots of sympathy, it's always a shock.

Original poster
leander · 14/08/2003 09:37

we do have an alarm and it is always set so i suppose your right,If the alarm went off Dh would go down and try to confront them then I would worry about what could happen then.I'm just a big worrier

OP posts:
prufrock · 14/08/2003 10:09

If they were confronted they would run away. Burgulars are opportunistic- they don't get involved in fights with householders - there is always an easier property to rob.
I disturbed a burgular who had just smashed my balcony window as I opened the front door. I screamed, but he screamed louder and turned and ran. I think he was more scared than I was.

Jenie · 14/08/2003 10:28

On roughly the same note, I had a man come round yesterday afternoon claiming to be from Transco and that he had come to read my meter. When I looked down the road and didn't see a marked van he said his van was being fixed and he had a courtesy car, I belived everything he said but got suspicious after he wouldn't hand over his ID for me to take a closer look.

After much of a debate on the door step I turned him away and phoned Transco, they told me that they don't read meters!! And that they had no other reason to be at my house (we don't even get gas from them). They then told me to phone the police, which I did but I'm not too sure if they got him or not as I didn't see a police car. Although I might have been busy when it did drive past.

So this is just to remind everyone that they should always check ID and if you haven't received a letter to inform you of someone calling round then don't let them in.

I always maintain that to steal something of material value that they would have to bring it with them, but I was on my own with 2 small children and felt very vunrable afterwards. I even made the children come inside from the garden and dead locked all the doors.

doormat · 14/08/2003 10:34

Poor you leander, thank god everything is alright.funny though our alarm got triggered about 3am this morning, dh ran down like a loony but it could of been a fly or spider that tripped it.
The last time we were broken into was about 5 yrs ago and they took alot of stuff but we got it back within 24 hrs.

Batters · 14/08/2003 12:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Rhubarb · 14/08/2003 14:33

Hope you're ok Leander! I worry about this too, our front door frame is rotten and it wouldn't take much for someone to lever it open. We've always assumed that because we have no front garden, as the house is directly on the road, no-one would try it and we'd hear them if they did. But now I'm wondering!

We don't have a lot to steal, all our stuff has been given to us and isn't in very good nick. But it's just the thought of someone coming into your house isn't it? Especially when you're still in it! And I am the world's worst at flinging the door open wide when someone comes calling! At least this thread has made me think a little.

Hope you manage to get over it soon Leander. One consolation is that they must have thought your front door hard to crack as they soon gave up!

Boe · 14/08/2003 14:51

I got burgled once - we lived in a cul-de-sac - was the last house and had super nosey neighbours - still managed to go through side gate - kick in a back window and take my jewellery - they kicked the dog and trod dog mess all through the house - turned DDs cot upside down to look for god knows what and generally just wrecked everything!!

I asked the policeman what could we do and he said 'to be honest love people get into Buck Palace with all their security so if they want to get in bad enough they will' - he said fit an alarm, a spy hole in the front door, locks on windows and side gates (he said put a board above back gate as will look more suspicious the more effort they have to make climbing) and postcode everything you possibly can. He also said most burglers would run as soon as they were rumbled and very few are confrontational.

He also said that we should take pictures of all valuables and make sure our home insurance & contents insurance was high enough, lots of people's aren't!!

It was scarey - they took stuff but at the end of the day it was just stuff - no one was hurt. Stuff can be replaced when things like this happen and although it takes time to feel safe again you eventually do.

I demanded to move as soon as ours happened but then I realised that I could keep moving and it could keep happening - just today's world I am afraid!!

I do hope that you get over this and that you are not worried and scared for too long - it may help to keep a weight training bar by the side of the bed - stick weights under the bed - then if DH has to confront anyone at least he has something that will look like it should be im your bedroom and not look like he went for anyone all tooled up!!

Best Wishes and big safe hugs. xxx

bluecow · 14/08/2003 19:54

Poor you. I was burgled once and it is awful. Prufrock is right - burglars are opportunistic and if your house looks too difficult to get into they are very unliely to bother. Everyone should make sure they don't leave ground floor windows open in this weather and also lock your house when you are in the garden - a lot of walk in burglaries happen in the summer when people are more relaxed.

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