The Millenium Burglary.

[cee-dee]

It never ceases to amaze me that people leave their car keys in an easily accessible place, like hanging around in the hall or near doors or windows.

This thread was provoked by a news item where a bloke had just picked up a new car and it was stolen in the early hours after someone broke in and got the keys.

Just what is the point of car manufacturers making cars very hard (or impossible) to steal without the keys if people just leave them hanging around?

The chap paid over £25,000 for his car and is a bit gutted to say the least. The thing is, if he had £25,000 in bundles of notes, would he leave that lot just hanging around?

OK, so he didn't invite some low-life to break in to the house but leaving a brand-new car on the driveway (or close to it) is just shouting "Yoo-hoo, look what I've got"?

It was said he heard nothing of the break-in and didn't knoww anything about it until he woke in the morning so doesn't that also say something about the ese with which some houses can be broken in to?

I keep my car fob in my pocket, where do you keep yours?

[1956glyn]

I can see your point but to be honest if someone really wants to break into your home they generally can.

We live in a very very low crime area BUT a few years ago there were quite a few break ins in close proximity to home.

They got into the houses whilst the owners were at work by removing the back windows.  

My hubby keeps his fob in his pocket too and the spare is in a proper small safe that no one stands a chance of carrying out.

[cee-dee]

Can those windows be removed in silence? If so, the houses are a very poor build?

Well done your hubby! I think people should think of their car fobs/keys as a bundle of £50 notes. They wouldn't be so careless with them then?

[1956glyn]

The windows were the older style UPVC ones.

We have fairly new pvc windows on our house and hubby tells me there is some locking device on them so they could not be removed like the older ones were.

Obv these were not opportunist burglars and those affected have mostly changed their windows now.

[1956glyn]

Houses are about 90 years old very solid with 100ft back gardens which are surrounded by quite a few trees etc.

Talking about poor quality builds.....a friend is a carpenter and got called out to a house that was less than a year old as they had problems with the stairs up to the bedrooms.   He was rather gobsmacked when he realised the stairs were only built from MDF.

[fallen-archie]

I intend to install cctv simply because if a thief decides they want to break in they will do regardless of how well you manage your home. There are plenty of examples of crooks being caught by the use of cctv posted on social media so I think it makes sense. As for leaving keys where they can be easily found I suppose that’s your natural reaction when you get home to your castle, a space that you consider to be yours and safe, well it was once upon a time but not any more. The best deterrent I have is my dogs who are so quick at making a noise when anyone approaches the house regardless of it being day or night so they are my backstop?

[cee-dee]

It's good to have alert dogs around. I don't have a dog now so I rely on the difficulty of getting in here plus the three CCTV cameras looking out over the back.

[023mjc]

I must admit my keys hang on a hook in the kitchen amid 2 dozen others, but the house is fully alarmed by a monitored service while we are out, and at night.

I did have a car stolen once.  No keys involved.  They bent top corner of the door right out so they could reach the inside lock,  cut off the steering wheel lock and left half of it in the gutter, and hotwired the car. They drove it 1/4 mile away and set fire to it.  They didn't want the car - It was 19 years old. The did it for the pure fun of destroying it.

[0125arwen]

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@cee-dee wrote:

It never ceases to amaze me that people leave their car keys in an easily accessible place, like hanging around in the hall or near doors or windows.

This thread was provoked by a news item where a bloke had just picked up a new car and it was stolen in the early hours after someone broke in and got the keys.

Just what is the point of car manufacturers making cars very hard (or impossible) to steal without the keys if people just leave them hanging around?

The chap paid over £25,000 for his car and is a bit gutted to say the least. The thing is, if he had £25,000 in bundles of notes, would he leave that lot just hanging around?

OK, so he didn't invite some low-life to break in to the house but leaving a brand-new car on the driveway (or close to it) is just shouting "Yoo-hoo, look what I've got"?

It was said he heard nothing of the break-in and didn't knoww anything about it until he woke in the morning so doesn't that also say something about the ese with which some houses can be broken in to?

I keep my car fob in my pocket, where do you keep yours?

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And when the same burglar can't find your keys and you wake with a knife at your throat, or worse, what then?

By the way the new cars are incredibly easy to steal

[theelench]

A few years ago there was a series of car break-ins in the road I live in, mine included.  Reported it to the police and a Community Officer came round to take details to add to their list of missing articles. 

The thieves seemed mostly interested in cash, cards, cameras, power tools etc., it surprised me that people leave such portable valuables in cars to the extent that it was worth breaking in to look for them.

I don't leave anything like that in my car but they were probably getting peckish when they got to mine, they took an opened bag of nuts and raisins I'd left on the passenger seat. 

[dark_castle1]

I remember my dad telling me a story about when he was a miner, someone was stealing the chewing gum from their lockers which they did not lock because of the trust miners had in each other, which he said they chewed down the pit to keep their wouth moist. They came up with a plan to find out who was doing it, they took a packet of Wrigleys, carefully unwrapped it and replaced it with laxative gum, carefully wrapped in the packaging they removed from the Wrigleys so it looked alright and left it in a locker. 

They found the thief that nightshift no problem