We've just been away - like many others - with our caravan and had a great time with friends. Unfortunately our time was spoilt by news that we had had a break in back at home. We were fortunate in that nothing as far as we can see was taken (they were only after cash) but there was a bit to clean up as all drawers in our room were emptied. Others were opened but not emptied.
My question is though 'What else can you do?' We had put window locks and triple locks and dead locks on doors. We had a sensor light at the back. We had crim safe wire on a back sliding door. Apart from putting timers on some lights and adding more crimsafe wire to the window they broke I can't see that we can stop a break in. They tried to jemmy the back door to get out but had to go back out the window they broke to get in. (They even put the glass on the back lawn!!) The police think they know who did it (12-14 year olds were seen) AND it was done at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon!! None of the neighbours heard it. But one saw a kid with garden gloves walking up the street. So no fingerprints. (Possibly get some DNA from screwdriver and gloves they used from garden shed!)
People have said - put locks on your windows and doors and they will just break a window. They were right.
Thankfully most of our valuables were with us and they did miss the little bit of cash that was in the house. No electricals or anything else was taken. Our excess is only slightly less than what it cost for the window to be replaced so we won't claim.
If anyone else has any ideas we'd be interested in hearing them. Hope you've all got base camp covered while you're away. We thought we had.
Brenda and Alan said
10:45 PM Mar 16, 2014
Sorry to hear about your trouble. We are lucky to have our son looking after the place when we are away (he is one of those offspring who will not leave home no matter how much you hint). We also have very good neighbours who keep an eye on the place during the day when no-one is home, but in spite of all that if someone wants to break in then they will find a way. I remember hearing many years ago about an alarm that sounded like a large ferocious dog barking. I expect that would scare people away, but I can't remember what set the alarm off or where you get one. Sorry I can't come up with any decent suggestions. Brenda.
Happywanderer said
10:45 PM Mar 16, 2014
My only suggestion would be to have someone stay in the house while you are away.
Gerty Dancer said
11:11 PM Mar 16, 2014
Oh dear Ruth, I can imagine how horrible you must have felt to know somebody had been into your home!!
I don't know what else you can do either, we've done all that you did. When we lived in Canberra we used to have house-sitters for security, but I've heard of a house being broken into while the house-sitter was there, and she lost her jewellery too!
You could get a "Back to Base " alarm, but they are expensive and not much use outside the big cities.
milo said
01:47 AM Mar 17, 2014
sorry you guys got broken into, know the feeling well, happened to me a few years ago,
unfortunately my dog was staying with my parents at the time...
capricorn and pisces said
06:56 AM Mar 17, 2014
Not sure of the effectiveness of "back to base" alarms. Our neighbour had one some years ago, it took a very long time before someone (security service, police) arrived, the burglars had been and long gone by then. Maybe things have improved with time. cheers Capricorn
brian said
07:01 AM Mar 17, 2014
Consider a back to base alarm system.
They are not expensive, and you will generally get a discount on your insurance for having it.
The mob that we use will ring us within a minute or so if I accidentally set it off, I then have to give them a keyword which, if not correct will see them or the police at my place within a few more minutes.
The system also has fire, panic and duress alarm functions for extra peace of mind.
Just having the alarm going off is often enough to cut an intruder's visit short, but the added back to base signage and promise of an early visit by the law seems to be the icing on the cake.
Dougwe said
08:10 AM Mar 17, 2014
Hi Neil and Ruth,
Not good at all my friends, that is just one of the reasons I have the base camp I have.
Maybe you could think of roller shutters on all windows, especially out back. Just make sure you have them closed a few times even when your home. Another thing, maybe as already mentioned bring in a house sitter or maybe if a good neighbour that has 2 cars might be nice enough to leave their car in your driveway.
Not sure if it can be done but maybe even a radio set up on a timer and at a volume you can hear from outside both doors but not loud enough to annoy neighbours.
See you both later in the year.
Edit.....if not in a few weeks.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Monday 17th of March 2014 08:11:24 AM
magraret said
08:31 AM Mar 17, 2014
not nice but can relate as i have been broken into a few years back and the next month after the breakin i got burnt out but what can you do the first time i was away the second time up the road
the house i am in now is like fort knox and i hate it but my new hubby says he wants me safe we even have an alarm to come in and out
what i am trying to say is i learnt a lesson from my lose i survived it i was as mad as hell at first but reliazed the important things where me and mine and the dogs and cat and we where insured
we are insured here as well and i have to keep reminding my new huddy that as he worries when we go away and leave the house as he has not had a lose like that
you can only do so much to protect ones property the rest is up to the gods so to speak
it may sound silly but i dont realy worry about the house when away i am more worryed about how the pool is going and are people looking after it
Rip and Rosie said
08:50 AM Mar 17, 2014
We have invisiguard on all windows and on security doors, and all security doors triple lock. All exit doors dead lock.
But, with a tiled roof, all they need to do is remove a tile or 2 and there you go. I've even heard of them going under the house and goming up through the floor boards.
You can only do your best, have good insurance, notify the appropriate people when you will be away ............. that's all you cn really do, or become a hermit and stay home.
freehazzas said
09:00 AM Mar 17, 2014
Simple for us. We sold it all so we have no worries.
Kiwi-as said
09:32 AM Mar 17, 2014
That's to bad Ruth, but at least no trashing and smashing inside. What about just a loud alarm that would alert neighbours. The one we have also has a very loud siren inside the house, that makes it unbearable to be inside.
Our thoughts are with you both.
_wombat_ said
09:49 AM Mar 17, 2014
sorry to hear about your breakin, but there is not a lot you can do, the problem with lights or radio's comping on with a timer is that usually means a set time each day to come on, and the crook will watch the house for a while and see that happening or listen to the radio at the same time every day or night and they will know there is nobody home.
Have a talk with Jaycar and tell them what you want, I think there are model's out there that turn on at diff times, see what they have got.
Roving-Dutchy said
03:16 PM Mar 17, 2014
Crimsafe on all doors and windows will stop the amateurs but the cost for that would be quite large.
We have Crimsafe on all the doors and windows that we want to leave open during the day and night but the rest are just kept locked with dead locks, if we have a break in it will be the insurance companies problem.
Cheers
David
brian said
03:27 PM Mar 17, 2014
Roving-Dutchy wrote:
if we have a break in it will be the insurance companies problem. Cheers David
Not quite.. Apart from the fact that you will pay an excess and your premiums will increase in the future (insurance companies base their premiums and excesses more on burglary incidents than on any other type of claim), the feeling of personal violation after a robbery is intense.
-- Edited by brian on Monday 17th of March 2014 04:13:01 PM
_wombat_ said
03:39 PM Mar 17, 2014
any insurance co will not loose money.
native pepper said
04:18 PM Mar 17, 2014
We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.
neilnruth said
04:30 PM Mar 17, 2014
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Everyone's situation is different. Different houses, different towns, different neighbours. native pepper's solution sounds good but I'm not sure we have the technical know-how to do it. Our neighbours are good but they can't stay home just to watch our property. We live in a very quiet street and enjoy the quietness. I guess we have to take the risk with it. A neighbour has lent us a time switch. We'll try that and pray it doesn't happen again. It was clever kids this time. Hope there isn't a next time.
Stay safe everyone.
briche said
05:25 PM Mar 17, 2014
Sorry to hear about your break-in while you were away. It appears that no matter what you do they will still find a way in. Trust that is was not too much hassle in getting things back to normal.
Brian
neilnruth said
05:30 PM Mar 17, 2014
Thanks briche. Not much trouble at all thankfully. Just nuisance value and a pane of glass to pay for. But makes us more security conscious of course. Hope all is well with you both and the 'girls'.
Dunmowin said
12:33 AM Mar 19, 2014
Having been broken into twice now, I feel for you. House sitters are the way to go. Mind you, both times were when we were at work, so would not have had sitters for then. Try to get an older couple who are not working. We have been house sitting on and off for most of this year which gives peace of mind to the home owners.
johnq said
03:21 AM Mar 19, 2014
native pepper wrote:
We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.
What about some details on how to set one up, thanks? PM rather than disrupt the thread.
Vic41 said
06:52 AM Mar 19, 2014
johnq wrote:
native pepper wrote:
We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.
What about some details on how to set one up, thanks? PM rather than disrupt the thread.
Better still make another thread so others know too if you don't mind.
Sorry to hear about your break in NeilnRuth, we have sensor lights back and front for night, security screens on our windows and an audible alarm system which also gives a perimeter alarm when inside at night, still no guarantee it will work though. We have some close neighbours that help keep an eye on the place too and have our contact numbers and our daughters but that is no guarantee either.
I think the worst part is if your RV/Caravan is parked out front people know when you have gone away, also if they see it out front while you are loading it etc......
-- Edited by Vic41 on Wednesday 19th of March 2014 07:01:31 AM
_wombat_ said
08:34 AM Mar 19, 2014
johnq wrote:
native pepper wrote:
We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.
What about some details on how to set one up, thanks? PM rather than disrupt the thread.
Sorry to disagree but other members may like to know about this so PM would not be my suggestion.
We have wireless rotating camera's, theirs are wired and fixed. Really easy to do and gives you great piece of mind when travelling. All it takes is research, trial and error and before you know it, you've made it happen.
-- Edited by native pepper on Wednesday 19th of March 2014 09:37:19 AM
We've just been away - like many others - with our caravan and had a great time with friends. Unfortunately our time was spoilt by news that we had had a break in back at home. We were fortunate in that nothing as far as we can see was taken (they were only after cash) but there was a bit to clean up as all drawers in our room were emptied. Others were opened but not emptied.
My question is though 'What else can you do?' We had put window locks and triple locks and dead locks on doors. We had a sensor light at the back. We had crim safe wire on a back sliding door. Apart from putting timers on some lights and adding more crimsafe wire to the window they broke I can't see that we can stop a break in. They tried to jemmy the back door to get out but had to go back out the window they broke to get in. (They even put the glass on the back lawn!!) The police think they know who did it (12-14 year olds were seen) AND it was done at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon!! None of the neighbours heard it. But one saw a kid with garden gloves walking up the street. So no fingerprints. (Possibly get some DNA from screwdriver and gloves they used from garden shed!)
People have said - put locks on your windows and doors and they will just break a window. They were right.
Thankfully most of our valuables were with us and they did miss the little bit of cash that was in the house. No electricals or anything else was taken. Our excess is only slightly less than what it cost for the window to be replaced so we won't claim.
If anyone else has any ideas we'd be interested in hearing them. Hope you've all got base camp covered while you're away. We thought we had.
I don't know what else you can do either, we've done all that you did. When we lived in Canberra we used to have house-sitters for security, but I've heard of a house being broken into while the house-sitter was there, and she lost her jewellery too!
You could get a "Back to Base " alarm, but they are expensive and not much use outside the big cities.
unfortunately my dog was staying with my parents at the time...
Not sure of the effectiveness of "back to base" alarms. Our neighbour had one some years ago, it took a very long time before someone (security service, police) arrived, the burglars had been and long gone by then. Maybe things have improved with time. cheers Capricorn
Consider a back to base alarm system.
They are not expensive, and you will generally get a discount on your insurance for having it.
The mob that we use will ring us within a minute or so if I accidentally set it off, I then have to give them a keyword which, if not correct will see them or the police at my place within a few more minutes.
The system also has fire, panic and duress alarm functions for extra peace of mind.
Just having the alarm going off is often enough to cut an intruder's visit short, but the added back to base signage and promise of an early visit by the law seems to be the icing on the cake.
Hi Neil and Ruth,
Not good at all my friends, that is just one of the reasons I have the base camp I have.
Maybe you could think of roller shutters on all windows, especially out back. Just make sure you have them closed a few times even when your home. Another thing, maybe as already mentioned bring in a house sitter or maybe if a good neighbour that has 2 cars might be nice enough to leave their car in your driveway.
Not sure if it can be done but maybe even a radio set up on a timer and at a volume you can hear from outside both doors but not loud enough to annoy neighbours.
See you both later in the year.
Edit.....if not in a few weeks.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Monday 17th of March 2014 08:11:24 AM
not nice but can relate as i have been broken into a few years back and the next month after the breakin i got burnt out but what can you do the first time i was away the second time up the road
the house i am in now is like fort knox and i hate it but my new hubby says he wants me safe we even have an alarm to come in and out
what i am trying to say is i learnt a lesson from my lose i survived it i was as mad as hell at first but reliazed the important things where me and mine and the dogs and cat and we where insured
we are insured here as well and i have to keep reminding my new huddy that as he worries when we go away and leave the house as he has not had a lose like that
you can only do so much to protect ones property the rest is up to the gods so to speak
it may sound silly but i dont realy worry about the house when away i am more worryed about how the pool is going and are people looking after it
But, with a tiled roof, all they need to do is remove a tile or 2 and there you go. I've even heard of them going under the house and goming up through the floor boards.
You can only do your best, have good insurance, notify the appropriate people when you will be away ............. that's all you cn really do, or become a hermit and stay home.
Our thoughts are with you both.
sorry to hear about your breakin, but there is not a lot you can do, the problem with lights or radio's comping on with a timer is that usually means a set time each day to come on, and the crook will watch the house for a while and see that happening or listen to the radio at the same time every day or night and they will know there is nobody home.
Have a talk with Jaycar and tell them what you want, I think there are model's out there that turn on at diff times, see what they have got.
We have Crimsafe on all the doors and windows that we want to leave open during the day and night but the rest are just kept locked with dead locks, if we have a break in it will be the insurance companies problem.
Cheers
David
Not quite.. Apart from the fact that you will pay an excess and your premiums will increase in the future (insurance companies base their premiums and excesses more on burglary incidents than on any other type of claim), the feeling of personal violation after a robbery is intense.
-- Edited by brian on Monday 17th of March 2014 04:13:01 PM
any insurance co will not loose money.
Stay safe everyone.
Sorry to hear about your break-in while you were away. It appears that no matter what you do they will still find a way in. Trust that is was not too much hassle in getting things back to normal.
Brian
Having been broken into twice now, I feel for you. House sitters are the way to go. Mind you, both times were when we were at work, so would not have had sitters for then. Try to get an older couple who are not working. We have been house sitting on and off for most of this year which gives peace of mind to the home owners.
What about some details on how to set one up, thanks? PM rather than disrupt the thread.
Better still make another thread so others know too if you don't mind.
Sorry to hear about your break in NeilnRuth, we have sensor lights back and front for night, security screens on our windows and an audible alarm system which also gives a perimeter alarm when inside at night, still no guarantee it will work though. We have some close neighbours that help keep an eye on the place too and have our contact numbers and our daughters but that is no guarantee either.
I think the worst part is if your RV/Caravan is parked out front people know when you have gone away, also if they see it out front while you are loading it etc......
-- Edited by Vic41 on Wednesday 19th of March 2014 07:01:31 AM
Sorry to disagree but other members may like to know about this so PM would not be my suggestion.
We made ours up from various bits and pieces, you can get most of what we used from these people www.ozspy.com.au/security-systems/business-and-home-security/diy-security-camera-systems
It's virtually the same as this one friends of ours got the other week. http://www.whywaitaustralia.com/electronics-59/hss/home-security-system?gclid=CPPr1fiOnb0CFc7QpAodSEQAdQ
We have wireless rotating camera's, theirs are wired and fixed. Really easy to do and gives you great piece of mind when travelling. All it takes is research, trial and error and before you know it, you've made it happen.
-- Edited by native pepper on Wednesday 19th of March 2014 09:37:19 AM
Thanks NP, going to look at those sites now