Much to my horror I came home to my front door in a state. Someone had tried levering the door wrecking the front door wood a bit, still in tgact but will be changed.
The door has a yale lock (cyclinder bit) and a 5 lever yale mortice lock.
I'm planning on contacting a carpenter to put a new door up and will varnish it etc.
A couple of questions after having the scare of my life with this.
Werll the security on the door prevented then getting in, is there anything else I can add to the front door security to make it less attractive to have a go.
Also do carpenters fit the new locks, letter box, peep hole etc to the new door ?
I've got a day off tommorow thankfully so I can call around but I thought someone here might have some experience in this.
Really was a scare at the thought someone could have got in and done god knows what and stole my personal things.
You can never stop the determined thief unless you fit a steel door and frame inside the house (seen it done in a drug-den once to keep the police out [it didn't work in that case though] ).
To make things difficult for the toe-rags, fit a good quality 5 lever mortice lock (with handles) and also a 5 lever mortice deadlock further down the door ( some think that's a bit of overkill - but it's usually the ones who've never experienced it).
You should also make sure that the door is visible from the pavement by removing any bushes, fences etc and fit a security light that is either movement sensor switched or always on in the dark - and fit a good quality burglar alarm, or any thing that will make a noise when the door is opened - or get a rather large, well trained guard dog!!
Ditto for the back of the property - especially if your house is overlooked by others - also, have a natter with the crime prevention officer down at the local nick - or ask him/her to visit - and they will give you all the unbiased advice that you need.
The will fit whatever you want them to fit in the way of security as part of the fitting service - just decide what you want, and tell him at the discussion time so that he can supply the right stuff for you. Just remember, it won't be cheap if you want a good job done.
The bastard[s] that done us over also took the car as well!
After that episode, we beefed up the security with a professionally fitted burglar alarm - and they even had the cheek to come back a few weeks later and have another go, but failed that time (which according to the police, is a common practice).
Not a pleasant feeling, and it took over two years for my wife to feel 'safe' in the house again.
Peter smith wibbled on Monday 30 November 2009 21:19
Sorry to hear that. Never been done over but I've known people who have.
I agree with Cash. Decent mortice locks. Saved my flat a long time ago. The broke the communal entrance lock (not hard) then did 3 out of 5 flats in relative peace and privacy (everyone at work - all young single people).
What save my flat and the one opposite was the extra mortice lock. Made it just a little bit too hard compared to the others for them to be bothered with.
I think that's the key - be better than everyone nearby. Sounds mercinary, but that's how it works. Unless you own vast amounts of jewellery/electronics/paintings/whatever takes their fancy *and* that's known to "them" (in which case you might be a special target), "they" are more likely to go for the easy pickings.
That's similiar to what we've got - more by luck than anything, as it's what the previous occupants had. Just one 5-lever lock is closed when we're in - but both are on when we are out. And we've now taken to moving keys well away from the door at all times, following a series of smashed windows and key grabs.
That said, our 5-lever mortice deadlock is actually higher up, where a Yale lock would be. Hopefully that's as good - not moving it if it isn't though!
Dog bolts on the hinge side and work like 2 locks on the front.
The problem with "1 super lock":
- It presents 1 target to hit and wood has a specific limit re shear.
The solution is "2 good locks":
- Impact on one area is distributed
- Impact at bottom/top is better resisted
Plain BS-approved 5-lever are fine - the idea is push them to easier pickings.
All the above applies to your back door.
Keep keys to the door available re fire (dead people often found behind locked door). Keep car keys away from the door (I assume there was not a car in the driveway and they were after the keys?).
Typo: Dog bolts on the hinge side (following idea of 2 locks re load spreading).
Insurance: As stated forced-entry should be covered (check excess). Check if you have any valuables above any "unspecified valuables limit".
Things like recent Laptop, TV, hifi etc are often below the limit BUT it does help to have a receipt or photo of their existence on a USB stick somewhere. UV marker pens still work BTW - the police still check for UV markers on any recovered gear or during house searches (as well as "DNA water").
I think it is still legal to fit a shotgun cartridge firing trip-wire as I recall, unfortunately the cannon from an A10 is not legal... sadly. You can fit sound bombs which would be very effective in an enclosed doorway area as a deterrent (care re false alarms obviously).
You'll see steel doors and frames on many estates. Even on homes belonging to law abiding citizens. The police provide absolutely no protection from or detection of burglaries so if you live in an area where they're common you have no option.
I would favour a large untrained guard dog that is loyal to the family. :-)
In my road, which is a straight road with a right turn, a left turn and then a tee junction at the end, which is a mix and match of private and rented houses, the only ones that have been burgled were the first two private ones at the top of the road. They were heavily obscured from the front and back, with large hedges. Since they cut them down to chest hight, they have had no further problems. Our problems are 'Pick, Rip off and scarper down the motorway just a few yards away. A common problem with living so close to the scroats and their getaway route.
Our house is the first that you can see the frontage as you pass the houses I have just described. Looking at the front of ours, the house to the right, when empty, had all the copper stolen during the night. They got in from the back.
However, the house to the left has the side of a garage facing their lounge window and a 6 foot fence facing the road that feeds the other roads on the street (I hope you are still with me.)
Because of the security that has been fitted by everyone, they can leave all sorts of expensive things in their front garden.
Having PIR lights front and back on most houses and opening the doors to find out what set them off, tends to send out a signal.
Yes, I had a friend that took that job on with the police, when he took early retirement. They are very good and well trained by the police.
When the Rover group collapsed I managed to get a car from the mess and the following week, we were due to drive 266 miles to Portsmouth. I put one key, for the older car, in an obscure place to prevent this happening and put the other key somewhere else. Got back from the trip and I must have drunk too much whisky, on the night I hid it, to remember where I had put the second key. Cost me £80 plus to get a new one cut and 4 weeks later I found it in the driver's glove box of the newer car. :-(
Does anyone else think that burler alarms have become like car alarms? Hear it, ignore it? What can we do to restore it's value?
- and they even had the cheek to come back a few weeks later
Yes, that is correct. Our son is a police officer in Manchester and he says the same.
Presumably they were idiots, which is also why they didn't get in. Problem is, idiots are just as likely to trash a new door, no matter how many locks and whatnot it has on it :-(
Not really. No place is ultimately secure. Just hope yours is less attractive/harder and cost/benefit still functions in teh preps brain.
If you pay themm, yes. talk to inusurers.
Thank god when they did me over they (a) ignored the unlocked door, and jemmied the window. (b) took the cheap easily replaceable tat and left the expensive hard to fence stuff. (c) were stupid enough to do a house that was occupied and offetr 'threats of violence' to the occupant and (d) were picked up fairly quickly.
That is a problem Dave, but I tend to rely on the noise factor to be honest, no thief likes to be in a noisy area - and it worked a few months ago when some scrote got in my (alarmed) garage, and I just saw his arse end as he was running through the garden gates empty-handed at about 3.30AM
As for "What can we do to restore it's value?" - have the alarm system professionally installed with the correct sensors for a given room (this can, and does, lower the instances of false alarms) [1], and taking out a yearly contract to have it properly maintained also helps - and cheaper house insurance can be the bonus of this extra outlay.
[1] In my case, because I have vibration sensors fitted to most of my UPVC windows, I went through a number of 'false alarms' due to the noise of the plastic expanding and contracting inn various weather conditions and this was resolved as part of the maintenance contract over several months.
Not if the window is open to view and the door hidden by hedges etc Dave, and take it from an old chippie, many doors can be opened in about 30 seconds with a well placed jemmy or stout screwdriver - I've "legally" done a few myself in the past.
I'm fortunate Dave, I don't live in such an area, but you are correct in the lack of interest with the police, I got 'done over' several years ago and the police were as much use as a 'chocolate fireguard' in catching the culprits, but the local crime prevention officer more than made up for that when I asked for advice, and comments, on the burglar alarm company that fitted my alarm system (and still maintain annually).
As for the steel doors, I've only seen them after the police have raided a drug den and I was called out to repair some of the damage they did breaking in - not a pretty sight at the time.
Definitely, we have a large German Shepard, and he takes no prisoners. Neighbours do not have dogs, guess it won't be us burgled, especially given the comments from delivery drivers etc about the dog!
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