Close call - Need advice for break in prevention..

[ten[A]cio[U]s]

Hi all,

Bit of a back story..

There has been a hell of a lot of break ins over the past few weeks where I live. It isn't known as a bad area, but there have been a bunch of young kids going wild!

They caught a 13 and a 14 year old with a special set of keys for breaking into cars, and a bag a choccies they stole from a daycare center..

My mate also had his wallet taken not long ago while he was sleeping.

They go all methods. Break windows, pick locks, pry open doors apparently..

I went out the back to feed my pup and saw a putting golf club in her bed. Its not mine, and its not my house-mates (both hate golf). We were guessing it might have been used/going to be used to smash a window and break in but the dog scared/stopped them..

I am really worried now as this is my first home and I really don't want to have to worry constantly about getting broken into..

I have done my best to keep the place safe but what other cheap and effective methods can be done to secure your home.

I am going to buy a new deadbolt for the front door, and a heap of wooden dowel to stick in the screen door and window runners.

All windows have locks already but as an extra protection.

I am also going to talk to a mate about getting a motion detection alarm installed, and talk about other options.

I really want to prevent getting robbed before it happens..

Any idea/experience is welcome.

Thanks,
Matthew

[samftr]

you could grow that awful bouganvillia along your fence line or other assorted spiky plants. as a gardener i can vouch for the nastyness of these plants.
you got a dog and do you know if it is guarding the place, some dont bark etc when the owner is home, kind of pointless methinks lol.
otherwise there is a few other things like sensor lights and stuff like that, definately get to know your kneighbors as they can keep an eye out on things. same as you for them.

[buggo]

Mate that doesn't sound too good.
I think a cheap effective thing would be to install motion lights all around the house. Wherever a kid might try to get into, he'll be scared off by all the light.
Leaing your dog out in the yard might be good to scare the off/ warn you, but you'd hate for anything to happen to it.
And something I've just thought of now. what if you put some really strong string under the windows, near the doors, etc, so if they do get in, they will trip over the rope and wake you up. Have no idea if that will be effective or not but just an idea.
Hope nothing happens before you put in the alarms mate.

[MexicanBatman]

seriously, crims will break in no matter what

quit work, buy a gun and bottle of whiskey, then buy an old rocking chair, sit on porch guarding house...

do it in that order and you should be right..

[Road_Warrior]

Get a good security alarm, and good locks for the windows and deadbolts for the doors. Make your house a harder target than the next one and it will hopefully encourage them to go elsewhere.

[samftr]

or you could just wack them with a shovel as they get chased out of the house by the dog and they are jumping the fence. BOONK
lol

[ten[A]cio[U]s]

Well I now have a golf club as protection, so there is a plus side to it.

I have whiskey and a rocking chair, but no gun.

I already have a mass of unwanted vines creeping along the fence, maybe I could train it to grow up some lattice around the fence. Down side is the time it would take I guess.

When I talk to my mate about the alarm I will ask about security lights too.

Keeps the ideas coming!

[Yellow_Festiva]

My home got broken into last month. Nothing of mine was stolen (I had just moved out) but my house mates are missing a few laptops / sound system etc.

If you have insurance, take pics of all items of value as well as their bar code / serial numbers. Get even the most basic of home / contents insurance. Not all that costly in the scheme of things!

In terms of security..... I had the dowels in all the windows as well as locks so they just smashed the small window adjacent to the laundry door and reached across to open it. Had it been dead latched they would have just broken the rear sliding door.

Buy a small motion activated camera. Hide it in a picture frame or something and have it within the house where any thief would walk (hallway / staircase to bedrooms). Test it and optimise its position. Won't stop em getting in, but may lead to getting some of your stuff back.

Keep things very well hidden. Put valuables in places where most won't think to look (like jewellery in an empty hair gel tub, or cash in an empty bag of sugar in the pantry)...

Lock entry gates / driveways well. That way they take less stuff as it needs to be carried further.

If you have access to the garage from the house, lock the garage (solid sliding bolt / steel bar across the frame etc) from the inside, then exit from the garage door and leave it. If you want anything just get it from the front.

Don't leave anything lying around the yard (tools / ladders etc) Will make it easy for someone to wedge open a door if your garden spade is leaning against the wall.

If I were still in my house, I would have installed an alarm system that sounded after 10 seconds of entry or motion detection. Wire up 2-3 of the loudest sirens you can buy (120db) and have 1 outside and 2 inside your house. Tell your neighbours (2-3 each way plus the ones across the street) to familiarise themselves with the sound and to call you or police should they hear it. Generic home alarms with that blue flashing light seem to not get the attention they should these days.

Oh... neighbours. Get to know them. Have their numbers handy and give them yours. Know their cars and keep note of irregular visitors (ask them to do the same for you).

Walk through your place yourself as a thief. How easy / hard would it be for you to gain access to your house without keys?? How hard would it be for you to make a quick getaway (and in which direction) should you need to???

If you set up any sort of camera system, have it attached to a well hidden recorder (in the ceiling perhaps, with a locked manhole) not hooked up to your laptop / desktop sitting in your bedroom / office.

Given enough time, anyone with enough determination will get in. Make it as hard as possible for them.

[fmc351]

Insurance, screens similar as those advertised by Dick Johnson. Theres ally window shutters. How far do you want to go, how much like fort knox do you want to put up with.

It gets to a point a point where its safer to let the crims run wild, and the rest of us live in prisons.

[JG65TE]

I have closed circuit tv cameras that record to a hdd up in my roof. cheap but effective

[Spudz27]

You could watch home alone, he was pretty good at stopping robbers .

On a serious note. Sensor lights are great. there would be Nothing worse than trying to sneak up to a house and have the lights switch on.

[kendallRTV]

Get a Rhodesian Ridgeback and let it live in the house

If your not prepared to do that at least put a dummy alarm box on the front of your house and security stickers on all windows, cheap way to warn crims to try next door instead.

Don't ever have a tile roof, always tin. It’s a synch to lift tiles and climb in the roof.

Leave dummy keys and wallet with 50 bucks in it in a prominent position.

Lock your keys in the house and see how easy it is to get back in the house.

Get a Rhodesian Ridgeback and let it live in the house.. still do that

[uranium_death]

Put some barbed wire on the bottom of the fence...it's to keep those blasted weeds down.

[fmc351]

Never underestimate a thief, the buggers are crafty and they have a way of communicating that knowledge. They can get around just about anything. That includes some of the teenage runts too, not just pros.

[Scott]

Do obvious things:
Sensor Lights & leave other lights on;
Install an alarm system or at least a siren box & stickers front and rear;

I'm not big on screens, bars and deadlocks - heaven forbid, but when the house is burning one day you'll want to get out. Why put yourself or others at risk of being trapped for the sake of protecting your telly.

Don't sweat a tiled roof [mentioned above] if you have one, the occurrence of entry through a residential roof is basically never.

Remove things that obscure your entry points from public view, ensure your doors and windows can't be opened easily from outside and take the time to get to know your neighbours.

A good dog is a great deterrent but there is no need to get a killer, just a reasonably sized and active dog - you'd be amazed at how many dogs simply don't respond to noises that you and I would expect them to, especially when there is no-one home to protect!

[atec77]

Originally Posted by crazy-au

Hi all,

Bit of a back story..

There has been a hell of a lot of break ins over the past few weeks where I live. It isn't known as a bad area, but there have been a bunch of young kids going wild!

They caught a 13 and a 14 year old with a special set of keys for breaking into cars, and a bag a choccies they stole from a daycare center..

My mate also had his wallet taken not long ago while he was sleeping.

They go all methods. Break windows, pick locks, pry open doors apparently..

I went out the back to feed my pup and saw a putting golf club in her bed. Its not mine, and its not my house-mates (both hate golf). We were guessing it might have been used/going to be used to smash a window and break in but the dog scared/stopped them..

I am really worried now as this is my first home and I really don't want to have to worry constantly about getting broken into..

I have done my best to keep the place safe but what other cheap and effective methods can be done to secure your home.

I am going to buy a new deadbolt for the front door, and a heap of wooden dowel to stick in the screen door and window runners.

All windows have locks already but as an extra protection.

I am also going to talk to a mate about getting a motion detection alarm installed, and talk about other options.

I really want to prevent getting robbed before it happens..

Any idea/experience is welcome.

Thanks,
Matthew

Walk ariuond the house and do a visual , mount some motion lights on the corners to a common switch front and rear , you could buy an alarm but for a little more per week one of the new cctv systems can be time paid and will provide much better detection outside and inside with light switching , motion detection and heaps more .
Sorry I cant recommed anyone down your way atm , dead bolts of course and possibly thin metal sheet over the interior of the front and rear doors. Also give thought to metal screens over the widows or plastic no break film adjacent to the doors if breaking them would allow access to the locks
and get a dog
good luck as it takes a while to relax and be safe again

[mik]

i think those window shutters might be a good thing, and qaulity doors and wire doors with locks and dead locks, some doors are just rubbish, you put pressure on the centre and you can feel them starting to cave in, maybe reinforce the door jam at the lock area if its a little flimsy.
if you have tiles on the roof maybe a locking mechanism on the man hole door on the inside, they can probably kick through the plaster but will have to make noise to do it.
theives are essentially lazy(otherwise they`d have an honest job), make it hard work for them and they won`t be bothered.

[Crazy Dazz]

Number one is a nice baseball bat, something with a bit of weight.
If someone is going to break in when you’re not there, try not to worry about it too much, nor let it stress you out. Life is too short.

Dogs are a good deterrent.
An alarm system is probably the most effective. Amateur hoods won’t hang around whilst an alarm is blaring.
And yeah, make sure all your windows and doors are dead-bolted. Unless they are after something specific, they won’t hang around to smash their way inside with alarm going.

[Jason[98.EL]]

try these guys for an alarm system

http://www.ness.com.au/Index.asp

I have one on my place and it works a treat

they have either key pad entry or key fob operation and you have a choice of monitored or not ect from memory they done a promo in our area and the system was roughly $450 plus monitoring @ $30 something a month but you need to have an active phone line

ours has 3 sensors and a panic button that if you activate it the people that monitor the alarm will call you within 10 seconds and if you dont answer the phone they send the police

hope that helps

Jason

[Fled74]

Three words: automated sentry guns.

More seriously, dome-style dummy cameras like these are cheap and look exactly like the real deal.
Add some stickers and motion-activated lights and you're off to a good start.
A dog bowl and workboots by the front door can be good visual deterrents as well.

[AndrewR_AUII]

Originally Posted by Fled74

Three words: automated sentry guns.

More seriously, dome-style dummy cameras like these are cheap and look exactly like the real deal.
Add some stickers and motion-activated lights and you're off to a good start.
A dog bowl and workboots by the front door can be good visual deterrents as well.

And get a piece of thickish rope, tie it around something, with the other end looking like it has been chewed through....

One thing you are trying to do is make the place look 'unattractive' as a target.

If you aren't home in the evening, a couple of lights on timers is also a good idea.

[cheap]

Here is my list:

1) Comprehensive Insurance
2) Ring the coppers - they might increase patrols, or even know who's involved
3) Security Grills and Alarm and Light sensors
4) 2 really big dogs, one kept outside and the other on the inside (extreme but very effective) + personal liability insurance

[jcxr]

you can buy fairly cheap camera setup that the hunters use, called a 'Game Trail" camera, a motion detection setup that photo's in colour, both daylight and infra red. Hunters use them to see whats in their proposed hunting area, down load all the pictures, and return to seek and destroy their quarry.................. a bit like your quest actually.

[FgNewbie]

Originally Posted by Jason[98.EL]

try these guys for an alarm system

http://www.ness.com.au/Index.asp

*snip* but you need to have an active phone line *snip*

To expand on that.

If it is just a standard dialer (used to communicate between your alarm panel and monitoring company), when the phone line is cut you lose communication with the monitoring company.

Also keep in mind, a dialer can make a lot of local (I hope they are local) phone calls. It's dependant on what/how the alarm panel reporting is configured.

Also keep in mind, if using a dialler, the telephone point it uses should be rewired to Mode 3 so your alarm panel has priority over other phone points in the house. (Then make sure the panel doesn't run its self-test during the hours you are normally awake and likely to be using the phone).

You would also want a backup battery system in case of power outtage.

Securitel was a better option until it was phased out recently.

I replaced Securitel with a wireless GSM / GPRS communicator hence no phone line required and no phone call charges. Mine is a stand-a-lone box I chose to mount away from the alarm panel. My monitoring fee is roughly $39 per month. Due to my circumstances, that price may be cheaper than the market norm.

Jason (not a flame) although good monitoring staff do respond to panic / duress alarms asap, with my past experience and knowledge of a few good monitoring companies, I wouldn't be quoting 10sec. Sometimes they can be inundated and take longer than expected.

I was blown away with the first control room I got into years ago. Dual safe door like an airlock to get in. Back door was an emergency hatch like a laundry shute.

Scott, I don't know where your stats come from. I had someone attempt to break-in through the roof at home, they left when they triggered sensors in the roof. At a commercial property, over a number of years I had 3 separate break-ins in different sections of roof. On one occassion they triggered 6 alarm zones before leaving empty handed.

CCTV can be good. I had one goose walk straight up to one of my cameras.
If you have external power points, isolate them ie turn them off inside.

In addition to light sensors, my external gates at home are wired to trigger lighting. If you go that far, you can trigger anything with a bit of effort.

Most bars and grills are very good and far superior to aluminum security crap which are generally no better than a flyscreen. (Crimsafe and similar may be an exception, no idea). Depending on design they can also be used as a ladder to access a higher entry point. Anything that sticks out is a potential ladder / stepping stone.

If they want to get in they will... deter them as best you can and send them to your annoying neighbour

Good luck.

[mark300]

those crimsafe window and doors are a good investment from what ive heard. the tests seem to prove that they are pretty hard to get into, you or someone else would probably hear them trying to smash them before they got in (unfortunately im not too sure on cost for them sorry). add to that some well placed motion sensor lights and that should help with preventing i think.

if that doesnt work, an ex police dog german shephard will do the trick!

[Donny]

http://www.ozspy.com.au/

look at the ninth and tenth products down the list.. this is what Id recommend..
DIY Indoor Outdoor 4 Camera Security System with Remote Access... or
DIY Hi Res Indoor Outdoor 4 Camera Security System with Remote Access..

This stuff looks trick and is virtually the same cost as a normal alarm system..

Some more info..
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This is a commercial grade DIY with better resolution(clarity) that you will find in many commercial installations.


If you are handy with tools or know somebody who is, then this is the solution for you.

This 4 camera CCTV system has all the features and is extremely simple to use (and install).

Great for home, business or anywhere else you need an indoor/outdoor camera system. This system even lets you watch from your iPhone (and other internet compatible Phones) or via the internet.

KIT comes standard with a massive 500GB HDD for long term recording, but if you want longer, then select the HDD upgrade option above.

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[grandpa_spec_F6]

Some of the local scum down the road were robbing the neighbourhood blind for a while.

Our house was broken into 5 or so times in the space of a year. Dad made sure everything was locked, they would smash a window. We security barred the whole house, so they used their kids to slip though the bars and open the door from the inside / steal things and pass them out.

Friend of ours recalled a house that was deadbolted, security screened / barred, security lighted etc..... they went in through the tiled roof...

Alarm system and some nasty plants around your fence, along with a big **** dog seemed to do the trick for us

[OLDFORDNUT]

one of the most effective things you can do is not to have anywhere in front of house they can stand behind to break in ,ie;no trees in front of windows or tall shrubs ,and doorways deadbolted.
the other one they love here is to just put a srewdriver into sliding glass doors and shove ,it shatters glass and as its safety glass it makes hardly any noise,they just tap the bit of broken glass near lock and reach through hole and open it,so a proper security mesh sliding door in front will help heaps.
golden rule is to padlock garden sheds and garages so they cant get access to tools to use as break & enter gear.oh and in my case im more scared of them getting into my garage as my tools and stuff are worth more to me than any tv or game console.the other thing you need to remember these days is the young have no fear or respect so will go in front door while your sitting out the back and take your wallets purses and the like ,no one would dare do it when i was young but now its common place so lock the front door always

[74_XB_Ute]

Lock your letter box too. When I got broke into many years ago the buggers checked out our mail...then went to the neighbours house (elderly bloke) and asked if we were home by using our names. Said he was a mate of ours! The neighbour said that we were both at work. So they went back over and broke the back window and lifted some of our gear. Mongrels!!

[pottery beige]

just get some decent insurance... if they break in and steal your old crap you will end up with heaps of shiny new crap.......